I got in to see Dr. Patterson at Virginia Mason yesterday. One thing that I'm thankful for is really good, compassionate, thorough GI doctors. We had an hour long appointment discussing future surgery, abdominal pain, dehydration, and a host of other things.
1. Gastric Pacemaker Surgery- In his mind, the sooner I can get the surgery the better. He thinks that I'm going to be feeling much better with the device implanted, and he is hopeful that the insurance company won't fight too much about paying for it because I've already tried every other treatment option known to man. He is changing hospitals on Jan. 1, and will become the head of gastroenterology at Swedish. Swedish is about 3 blocks away Virginia Mason, so still very reasonable to commute to. Once there, he hopes to assist in the surgery there as soon as they can get it scheduled. (most likely in Jan. or Feb.) To begin the process, the team at Swedish has to get a pre-authorization for the surgery from my insurance company. He was going to speak to someone yesterday afternoon to begin that process.
2. Abdominal Pain- He encouraged me to remain on the fentanyl patch (a low-level narcotic) that basically takes the edge off of my pain, making life a little more tolerable. It doesn't make me dumber or have any other frustrating side effects, which I enjoy. He's also said that I can continue on vicodin until surgery. I'm trying not to take this very often, just because it makes everything a little foggy. He's also given me some more anti-nausea meds, nothing new--just ones that I've been on for several years now.
3. In addition to all of those things, one of his nurses will set up a standing order for me to receive fluids at a clinic in Issaquah. This is going to be terrific because I won't have to visit the ER when I'm dehydrated, and hopefully the additional fluids will help me get back on my feet a bit. He's hoping to avoid putting another picc line in (as am I), and we'll just wait and see how often I end up going in for fluids.
4. Blood work: While I was in the ER on 11/16, they had taken a blood draw and run a million tests on it. That day, my potassium levels were low, and my liver enzymes were almost twice the "normal" number. He asked if the ER had told me anything about that, and if they'd suggested any treatment options. I told them that the ER said my blood work was all normal...interesting. So, he had me go to the lab to have another sample drawn to compare. Hopefully my numbers will be better this time, as potassium is an electrolyte level that affects my heart.
5. I had a little bit of a rough experience with one of the lab techs there. When I went in, I told her that I had veins that look good, but really roll. And that sometimes once you get blood, it just decides to stop pumping, so that I end up getting stuck 5 times before they get all they need. She had me roll up my sleeves, and looked at both arms. I suggested that she use a butterfly needle, as that has a tendency to work better. She insisted that she didn't need to because my veins all looked really good. (I sat there, slightly frustrated, but tried to hold my tongue.) She took out several vials that she needed to fill, grabbed a normal "grown-ups sized" needle, and went for it. Interestingly enough, she was able to hit the vein right away, at the same time bragging to me about how "the other lab techs must've not known what they were doing, and had no business telling me that my veins were bad." And then...nothing. She got about 1/2 of the smallest vial filled, and then (surprise) my vein quit pumping. I wasn't sure if she'd even gotten enough to do the test, and was wondering if she'd stick with her original story about how amazing she was--or if she'd have to poke me again because she didn't listen to me. She opted to not say another word, bandaged my arm, and told me to have a nice day. Hmph.
Overall, I'm trying to be optimistic about the future. I'm still feeling bad (worse than normal), but it seems that my weight loss has leveled out for the moment. I've kept the same weight for several days in a row now. During my abdominal exam, Dr. P was concerned about impacted bowel in my ascending colon, as my belly was noticeably distended on the right side. He prescribed an over-the-counter laxative called magnesium citrate, which I am enjoying for breakfast this morning. I put a straw into the beverage to trick myself into believing that it tasted good. I'm pretending it's like a pomegranate margarita. It's a stretch, but it helps me to envision I'm laying on the beach in the warmth of the sun. :)
Thanks God, for imagination. :)
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