R.I.P. Me, almost.....
Posted: Mon Dec 22, 2008 9:00 pm
The things you learn when visiting relatives during the holidays and everyone adds their perspective of the year in review.
We were on the road visiting relatives this past weekend. At one point we were visiting my mom's brother (my uncle). He is the one I thought had beaten luekemia 3 times. Nope, 5 times. So far. Anyway, I was talking about my adventure this summer with my gall bladder.
For those not familiar or need to be refreshed:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7175
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7558
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7238
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7558
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7900
Remember this line: "So I was pretty darn close to having some really really serious life threating issues, but just in the nick of time.."
<Paul Harvey> Now for the rrrrrrrrrRest of the Story </Paul Harvey>
Stuff I never told you.
Two weeks after the surgery I had the stint (put in on my 1st hospital stay) removed on a Friday. Later that night I started feeling very sick. I got violently ill, throwing up and up and up. I had a fever the next day. The doctor prescribed some strong anti-biotics. That Sunday I could tell I was getting jaundiced again (familiar feeling and taste in my mouth). Monday I go into se the doctor. I'm a fine yellowish color by then. So I'm put back in the hosptial. I don't feel good.
The next day they go down my throat, clean out a 'plug of puss' out of the common bile duct and put in a larger and longer stint. When I came to, the doctor told me that my common duct had collapsed and gotten infected after they took the first stint out. This time they put in a larger stint and will leave it in the maximum 8 weeks before taking it out. Hopefully it will hold up then. If not? Well, we'll just do it again and again until it does. That was not an outcome I looked forward to.
Eight weeks later I go in, have the 2nd stint removed. The weeked came. It went. The week came. And went. A month came and went. Two months. Three months. All is fine. Whew!
O.K. Now what I found out when my wife was telling her side of the experience.
Seems when I went in with the collapsed and infected duct, just after they took me into the operating room the doctors all had a conversation with my wife that went something like this....
We are concerned that Brad's gall bladder (i.e. gangrene) has done severe damage to the common duct. It has collapsed and may be too far damaged to repair. If that is the case, and it is likely that that is the case, there is nothing we can do. We can put in a titanium stint to help in the short term, but at most, if this is the case, he will have 3-4 months left before his liver completely shuts down.
Me, interupting my wife telling the story...Um, excuse me? You never told me they told you that.
Her, well when they went in, they found the duct to be pretty well intact and the prognosis was much better.
The doctor told me, prior to taking the second stint out, that it may still collapse but the he felt is wouldn't. If it did, we might be able to get a microsurgeon to repair it.
I never, up to this weekend, knew that at one time, three doctors thought, and had discussed with my wife, that my chances of making it to this Christmas was less than 50/50.
<George Bailey> Merry Christmas Everybody! Merry Christmas!</George Bailey>
We were on the road visiting relatives this past weekend. At one point we were visiting my mom's brother (my uncle). He is the one I thought had beaten luekemia 3 times. Nope, 5 times. So far. Anyway, I was talking about my adventure this summer with my gall bladder.
For those not familiar or need to be refreshed:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7175
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7558
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7238
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7558
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7900
Remember this line: "So I was pretty darn close to having some really really serious life threating issues, but just in the nick of time.."
<Paul Harvey> Now for the rrrrrrrrrRest of the Story </Paul Harvey>
Stuff I never told you.
Two weeks after the surgery I had the stint (put in on my 1st hospital stay) removed on a Friday. Later that night I started feeling very sick. I got violently ill, throwing up and up and up. I had a fever the next day. The doctor prescribed some strong anti-biotics. That Sunday I could tell I was getting jaundiced again (familiar feeling and taste in my mouth). Monday I go into se the doctor. I'm a fine yellowish color by then. So I'm put back in the hosptial. I don't feel good.
The next day they go down my throat, clean out a 'plug of puss' out of the common bile duct and put in a larger and longer stint. When I came to, the doctor told me that my common duct had collapsed and gotten infected after they took the first stint out. This time they put in a larger stint and will leave it in the maximum 8 weeks before taking it out. Hopefully it will hold up then. If not? Well, we'll just do it again and again until it does. That was not an outcome I looked forward to.
Eight weeks later I go in, have the 2nd stint removed. The weeked came. It went. The week came. And went. A month came and went. Two months. Three months. All is fine. Whew!
O.K. Now what I found out when my wife was telling her side of the experience.
Seems when I went in with the collapsed and infected duct, just after they took me into the operating room the doctors all had a conversation with my wife that went something like this....
We are concerned that Brad's gall bladder (i.e. gangrene) has done severe damage to the common duct. It has collapsed and may be too far damaged to repair. If that is the case, and it is likely that that is the case, there is nothing we can do. We can put in a titanium stint to help in the short term, but at most, if this is the case, he will have 3-4 months left before his liver completely shuts down.
Me, interupting my wife telling the story...Um, excuse me? You never told me they told you that.
Her, well when they went in, they found the duct to be pretty well intact and the prognosis was much better.
The doctor told me, prior to taking the second stint out, that it may still collapse but the he felt is wouldn't. If it did, we might be able to get a microsurgeon to repair it.
I never, up to this weekend, knew that at one time, three doctors thought, and had discussed with my wife, that my chances of making it to this Christmas was less than 50/50.
<George Bailey> Merry Christmas Everybody! Merry Christmas!</George Bailey>
