So.. What went wrong? (warning.. Post operation image included)

Where do I start?  Short answer seems to be nothing.

For example, the surgery.  The surgery was supposed to be done laporscopicly.  Five Incisions, three for tools and a camera.  Then two to take out my stomach and to connect my new plumbing. Easy, Peasy.

However, once the got my stomach removed they found that the connection of the intestine to my esophagus could not be done laporscopicly.  Too much tissue and stuff in the way to pull it off. So the decision was made to open me up.  One cut center of my stomach, seven inches or so and the rest of the work was completed there. I can remember waking up in recovery and arguing with the doctors that they had not done that and they were wrong. I lost that argument. At the end of the day all it does is increase my healing time, but I really didn't want that scar messing up the six pack I planned to put there. 

So what happened during gutless days three and four? 

As I mentioned in my last post I was moving on to puréed food and to be honest the puréed pancakes were fine.  Dr Kendrick came in to check on me and I mentioned to him that I was sweating all the time even after a shower.  His concern was that sweats after this type of surgery can be a signal of a leak.  So off for a C.T. Scan I went.  Worst experience ever. I won't go into the details here, but there are folks here at Mayo having "conversations" about how bad it went. 

Th results from the scan showed a leak.  So what we did not want to see. All my blood work was fine but the leak was there and everything had to change.  No food, no water could be ingested for at least 48 hours.  Drugs could only go in via the I.V.  Then, another C.T. Scan and the we start the whole thing over.  The flooded me with antibiotics and hope that it would fix it or it would be another round of surgery.  I so did not want to have another C.T. Scan.

The rest of Saturday and all of Sunday were about managing pain and trying to keep me from drinking anything. Even without a stomach you still get thirsty.  The pain medication made me sick to my stomach (which I no longer have).  And yes,when someone is eating something nummy you still want to take it from them. Hunger pains or no hunger pains. 

This morning at our second round of doctor check ins, Dr. Kendrick came in and said that something wasn't right.  If I had a leak, then my blood work should show signs of the infection.  So he looked at the C.T. scans again and feels that the "leak" was just a staple used to hook up my new plumbing.  At least he is going to treat it that way until my blood work tells him something different.  

Bottom line is that I am back to having clear liquids and might be cleared to go home on Wednesday.

Yea Me!

But I had no way of knowing

Just how hard this journey could be 

Cause the valleys are deeper
And the mountains are steeper than I ever would have dreamed

But I know we're gonna make it
And I know we're gonna get there soon 

And I know sometimes it feels like we're going the wrong way 
But its just the long way home
(Long Way Home  Steven Curtis Chapman)