14 East All Over Again...

Nov 2nd... I remember it like it was yesterday... I'm re-admitted to Northwestern... It was all happening all over again... Weight-loss, nausea, vomiting, not tolerating anything by mouth. What was happening? How could this be happening? I thought everything was better. The tube was out. Why again? So many questions still unanswered, yet here I go thru this all again.

I was back on 14 East admitted as a patient. I'd be assigned a medicine team to follow me on a daily basis, while Dr. Hirano would continue to handle my care along with his GI colleagues. There were a few new tests that they had decided for me to undergo. In the meantime, the first thing that needed to be done was to replace the feeding tube in my nose so we could at least begin nutrition. So, I underwent my 9th endoscopy of the year, the tube was placed, some new biopsies were taken, and results would be normal.

One of the tests that I was to undergo was a HIDA Scan of my galbladder. Supposedly your gallbladder can be a cause of nausea/vomiting so this seemed like a pertinent test. So, one morning I remember Liz (my nurse) coming in to tell me that I'd be going for not just 1, but 2 tests this morning. She told me the HIDA Scan and then I was going to Ultrasound for an ultrasound of the gallbladder also. So, sure enough, transport comes later that AM and takes me away.

1st up was the HIDA Scan. What they do is inject you with some radioactive stuff that they watch react with your gallbladder and then take pictures for 2 hours. So you are forced to lay there for 2 hours (feeling nauseous as can be) and they won't let me have Liz come down to give me some Zofran. What a nightmare. Finally the 2 hours is over. But still no Zofran until after the Ultrasound. So, transport comes to nuclear medicine to get me from the HIDA Scan, takes me to the Ultrasound, then back up to my room in 14 East. Liz greets me with 4mg of Zofran thru the IV and I am relieved for the time-being. Results would come back normal on both tests of the gallbladder. What was next???

It was decided at this point that there wasn't really anymore necessary tests. It was still inconclusive as to what the diagnosis really was. For the time being it was Gastroparesis, but that was just a name to help classify my symptoms. I knew what was next. I had been through it before. There was only 1 answer. The feeding tube needed to be placed again by Dr. Nagle. Same surgery as before. Same surgeon. Same feeding tube.

I had been thru this once, but to go through with it again was even more difficult. I knew what was involved this time which was a positive, but still the fact that I was going to be put back on the feeding tube more permanently all over again, after just months ago thinking things had gotten better. However, I kept reminding myself that I had been through this once before, I would conquer it yet again. Yet, this surgery would prove to be different...