Follow Up’s and IV Therapy

My next scheduled appointment is to see Dr. Frech. I see him a week after being discharged from the hospital. This is the first time I see him since I had surgery. He is excited to hear that some of my symptoms have been resolved. He goes over all the tests that were done in the ER and agrees with what they did. He also thinks that the pain I am having in my stomach is due to some form of closure/restriction that may be occurring at the surgical site (even though the barium swallow came back normal). He informs me that it is a simple fix, it requires an EGD. He can go in and dilate the closure to open it more which will allow food to go down easier. However, this procedure can’t be done for 6-8 weeks after the initial surgery. If it is done too soon, there is a risk of perforation, bleeding, and another surgery. We change some medications, mostly to liquid form. We will wait 6 weeks to see if anything improves or the procedure needs to be done. I am supposed to contact the office if I have any more problems before then.

The next follow up appointment I have is with Dr. Rasmussen. Unfortunately, he is called out for an emergency surgery and I get to see someone who doesn't know me or my case. I speak with him for only a short time. After staying in the hospital and explaining my case to so many different Dr.’s, I am not really in the mood to do it again. He thinks that my stomach still hurts because there isn't a lot of movement to push the food out. He gives me a prescription for Reglan (which has nasty side effects) and tells me to take it for 2 weeks.  I leave the office kind of annoyed that I wasn't able to ask Dr. Rasmussen any of my questions, but what can you do.

A week later, I am feeling extremely dehydrated and not any better. I call Dr. Rasmussen’s nurse and tell her my concerns. They decide that a round of IV fluids would be beneficial. I have this done; it helps for a day or two. I see Dr. Rasmussen two weeks later for another follow up. I am still having pain in my stomach and now the suspicion is spasms. He puts me on another medication to try. He says I just need to give myself more time to heal. I am still not eating or drinking much at this point.

A few days after my appointment, I start feeling extremely dehydrated again. I call Dr. Rasmussen’s nurse and once again they schedule an IV Therapy appointment with lab work. She also tells me that we just need to give it time. At this point, I am not OK with this answer. It has been 7 weeks since my surgery and I feel just as crappy as I did before. I am starting to regret having this surgery if this is the way I am going to feel. I decide to contact Dr. Frech’s office and see what he thinks I should do. I am informed that it is probably a good idea to do the scope and I agree.

The next day, I attend my first support group meeting. Dr. Rasmussen and his nurse are present at the meeting and I have a chance to talk to them. Dr. Rasmussen decides that since the IV Therapy helps so much, we will continue to do that for a month and then re-evaluate. I tell him about the scope that is scheduled for the following week, and he seems a little nervous about it. He wants a report at the next visit. I apologize for being a crummy patient and he tells me that he does care about my case; he is just in unchartered territory and is not sure what to do next.  The next scheduled appointment is for the scope. 

Sitting in the chair with my IV