This is a quick update from our visit with Dr. Vauthey yesterday, January 7th. We went to see him regarding my digestive tract. I mentioned earlier that my duodenum was damaged by the radiation. As a result, the famous Dr. Lee couldn’t get his scope through its opening to replace the plastic stent in November due to inflammation. And when he went back to try again, the inflammation had turned to scar tissue and the passageway was almost closed. Now, after our latest visit, it seems that it has gotten worse and is even more constricted than it was.
So what does this mean? It means that before I can enter into the next round of planned chemotherapy I need to get my digestive tract working. This is so I can be strong during the chemotherapy, and so that I can gain weight for the next liver transplant board visit. These are very important points for my long term well being.
To explain the problem a bit more, with my duodenum constricted my stomach is having to work so hard to get food through that it is getting fatigued. This results in me having terrible heartburn… but worse than that it results in me continuing to lose weight because I can’t eat well. Even on a soft diet (i.e., blended soup and healthy smoothies) I lost three pounds in a single week. So Dr. Vauthey decided I need a surgery to reopen my digestive tract, and Dr. Javle and Dr. Lee agree. He will do this by taking a loop of my small intestine and attaching it to my stomach, kind of like a trap door in the bottom of my stomach, effectively by-passing the duodenum and the stricture. Once I heal, I will be able to have fajitas and steak again! I am building that grill for a good reason!
During this procedure Dr. Vauthey will bring in Dr. Lee to ascertain whether or not he will be able to retract the plastic stent I have in my bile duct now, and whether he will be able to use the new passageway to insert new plastic stents once I am healed. If he can, no worries. If he can’t, then I will once again have a tube coming out of my body. This will bring me a great deal of sadness and distress, but we will get through it. There are worse fates.
We go back down to Houston on Friday, January 16th for this surgery. I will be in the hospital for about seven days. Following that I will be recovering here in Austin. The doctor expects it will take about four to six weeks for me to fully recover and be able to eat again. By that time, I will be in the new house and the weather will be perfect for grilling. Come on over….
So what does this mean? It means that before I can enter into the next round of planned chemotherapy I need to get my digestive tract working. This is so I can be strong during the chemotherapy, and so that I can gain weight for the next liver transplant board visit. These are very important points for my long term well being.
To explain the problem a bit more, with my duodenum constricted my stomach is having to work so hard to get food through that it is getting fatigued. This results in me having terrible heartburn… but worse than that it results in me continuing to lose weight because I can’t eat well. Even on a soft diet (i.e., blended soup and healthy smoothies) I lost three pounds in a single week. So Dr. Vauthey decided I need a surgery to reopen my digestive tract, and Dr. Javle and Dr. Lee agree. He will do this by taking a loop of my small intestine and attaching it to my stomach, kind of like a trap door in the bottom of my stomach, effectively by-passing the duodenum and the stricture. Once I heal, I will be able to have fajitas and steak again! I am building that grill for a good reason!
During this procedure Dr. Vauthey will bring in Dr. Lee to ascertain whether or not he will be able to retract the plastic stent I have in my bile duct now, and whether he will be able to use the new passageway to insert new plastic stents once I am healed. If he can, no worries. If he can’t, then I will once again have a tube coming out of my body. This will bring me a great deal of sadness and distress, but we will get through it. There are worse fates.
We go back down to Houston on Friday, January 16th for this surgery. I will be in the hospital for about seven days. Following that I will be recovering here in Austin. The doctor expects it will take about four to six weeks for me to fully recover and be able to eat again. By that time, I will be in the new house and the weather will be perfect for grilling. Come on over….
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