Gravel Roads Only Create Dust

I found this quote by an unknown author the other day and it has become my new life motto. It seems so fitting for this blog post:

When gravel roads are all you've ever known, your learn to find BEAUTY in the dust.

Decisions Made:

I call Dr. Frech’s office to let them know that I have now lost 7 pounds since being off of the feeding tube and that the additional 14 day dose of antibiotics has not worked. I speak with his Medical Assistant and she informs me that Dr. Frech would like to proceed with doing the colonoscopy and we will go ahead and do the EGD for Dr. Rasmussen to verify there is no shrinking around the surgical anastomosis. This phone call happened on Monday. I speak with the scheduler and they want it done this week and both procedures get scheduled for Wednesday morning. I spend the next day slightly freaking out about doing the prep, but am relieved that Dr. Frech said I can use the feeding j-tube to inject the colonoscopy prep!!

Prep Time:

On Tuesday night, I start the prep at 5:00pm. This prep seems a lot less volume wise compared to some of the other ones I have done. It smells awful and for the first time since I have had the feeding tube, I am grateful for it. I spend the next hour injecting all of the prep followed by all of the water. It only takes about 10 minutes for the prep to take full effect and I get to spend the next several hours very close to the bathroom. I go to bed and try to mentally prepare myself for the next day. I get up at 5:00am to do the second split dose of the prep. The process starts all over again. Inject all the prep over the next hour and spend the next 3 hours near the toilet.

Procedure Time (Colonoscopy and EGD):

I am to check into the hospital at 11:00am for a procedure start time of noon. This means leaving my house at 10:00am. We arrive at IMC at 11:00am and I check into the Endoscopy Department. Then the waiting begins. I don’t go into a prep room until 12:30. Once I get back into a room, I change into a gown, get vitals taken and an IV started. I wait for about another 25 minutes before a tech comes to get me. I then walk back to the procedure room and get onto a gurney, it is now 1:25pm. I meet the Anesthesiologist who recognizes me from my last procedure there and he verifies a few things with me. I joke that it is never good when the staff begins to recognize you. Dr. Frech comes into the room and we chat about what he is going to do and apologizes for being 1 ½ hours behind schedule. He will do the EGD first followed by the colonoscopy and says it should take about 30 minutes to do both. He lets me know all the things he doesn't think it could be but also acknowledges with my case, it could be anything. Dr. Frech also wants to know how the prep went using the J-tube. I inform him it was marvelous to not have to drink it and that was the best way to do it! He informs me that I am his first patient ever that has used the feeding j-tube to do a colon prep! I am now all hooked up. This includes heart monitors, BP, pulse oximeter, and oxygen in my nose. Dr. Frech gives the go ahead to knock me out. I am first given fentanyl and then the propofol. I watch the clock and about 45 seconds later, Dr. Frech comes over and puts his hand on my head and tells me to relax and that’s the last thing I remember. It’s now 1:35pm.

The Results are In:

I wake up back in my room and first look at the clock. Its 2:25pm. Almost a full hour later. The nurse comes into the room and takes a last set of vitals and takes out my IV. I go ahead and get dressed and wait for Dr. Frech to come back and give me the results. He comes in just a few minutes later. Result time. The EGD had all normal results. There is no ulcer or any type of other malformation. There is no closure/shrinking of the surgical anastomosis. The size of the pouch is also the same size; it has not increased in size. However, the colonoscopy results were NOT normal. The first thing Dr. Frech mentions is that my colon is full of bile. We will have to decide what to do the fix this, it may be done by just taking Welchol again but this is not his main concern at this time. The second and more pressing issue he found was that in the left side of my colon he could not get the scope around the first turn. It took him a solid 10-15 minutes to work the scope through (a normal total colonoscopy procedure for him is 12-15 minutes). He says there is some sort of malformation that is occurring that is either twisting/kinking the intestine, shrinking the intestine opening, or surgical scar tissue/adhesions on the outside of the intestine that is forcing the intestine to close/shrink off. He also says that it all makes sense that there is pain in my left side and that the pain seemed to slightly subside after doing the colon cleanse. It could be that when I eat food, it can’t very easily pass through this part of the intestine which then causes pain. He seems very concerned and wants to order more testing right away. He orders a barium enema. I have never had one of these done, but it sounds awful. Dr. Frech then informs me that this test is pretty awful (speaking from his personal experience). He also says that this test requires a colon cleanse. Since I am already all cleaned out, he wants the test done the next day. He says to just stay on clear liquids when I go home and the test will be done the next day. I haven’t eaten solid food at this point for 2 days; luckily I am not even hungry at this point. He says that when he gets the results of the biopsy and the barium enema test he will call me and we will decide what to do next. When the nurse comes back she informs me that there are no openings for tomorrow but they can do the test right now. Dr. Frech gives the OK for this and then I am off to radiology.

Barium Enema:

The nurse comes to get me and I am still a bit loopy which probably helps me deal with this whole situation. A barium enema involves lying on an x-ray table and having a tube inserted into your rectum. They then inflate a balloon to keep everything inside of you. Then a series of barium and air is injected into the tube which fills your large intestine. This creates a lovely crampy and bloating feeling, along with pain and discomfort. They take a lot of pictures as you move around. Once they have the pictures they want, they drain the barium back into an IV bag and move you to another room to take post pictures. The tube is still in the bum for all of this. That’s about all I am going to say about this test. I would have rather been sedated for this test than for a colonoscopy.

Waiting Game:

So now that all the testing has been done, I just have to wait to hear from Dr. Frech. Once he gets all the results, we will hopefully get a game plan together and move forward with it. What that game plan involves, I have no idea. I hate this part more than anything. I hate waiting.

Beauty in the Dust:

Even after all this, I still can find the beauty in this gravel road of a situation. I am so grateful the I can call Dr. Frech my Doctor. He is so caring and compassionate with me. He knows when I need comforting and does such a good job at it. I am grateful that my family is always there for me and that my parents always come and hold my hand. I am grateful that IMC is such an amazing hospital and has some of the most caring staff I have ever encountered. I am grateful for modern medicine and that I am able to have these tests done. I am also grateful for an understanding boss and co-workers that cover me at work. I still have my life and that I am extremely grateful for. I keep telling myself that things could always be worse!