On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your pain?

You, dear reader of this blog, may be asking, “What has Dave been up to for the past ten days that he hasn’t provided too many updates?”

Well, I may have been working on this secret project:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmaJPV1okPo

I wish I was working on a superhero robot that not only fights crime, but provides personalized, first-level medical care.

The reality is far more dire.

As I reported briefly in one of my last posts, I perforated the stitching that now connects my esophagus to my jejunum to create a small, stomach-like pouch. The “event” occurred at home shortly after I got discharged from my first week in the hospital.

Within hours of getting to the hospital and receiving the perforated diagnosis, I was taken to the Gastro Intestinal clinic and underwent an evasive endoscopy to place clips along the perforated area to seal the opening. The infection risks were too great for surgical intervention; an endoscopy emerged as the recommended treatment option.

At the same time, first of two drainage tubes was placed in the right side of my abdomen.

Initially, it appeared the clips sealed the hole in my new digestion tract.

Since arriving at the hospital, I get asked three things the most:
1) What is my full name?
2) What is my date of birth?
3) On a scale of one to ten, how would I rate my pain?

How would I rate the pain? Let’s just say I started in the emergency room at a 10.

My pain levels hovered between 9 and 10 as I endured another placement of a drainage port, this time on my left side of my abdomen. And then learned that the bear clips failed to completely close the perforated section of my esophagus. I still had drainage coming through the perforation into my abdomen.

To remedy the perforation, I had two options: 1) undergo risky surgery to have the perforation “re-sewn” but strong likelihood to spread the infection throughout my body; or 2) complete another endoscopy, but this time, instead of using clips, the docs would place a stent in my esophagus and jejunum, and then suture it in place.

At my doctor’s recommendation, I went with option 2 to have the stent placed. In short, the docs would place a 12-centimeter sleeve in my esophagus into the small intestines, essentially by passing the current perforated area to heal on its own.

Coming out the the stent placement procedure, my pain level immediately jumped and stayed a a 10. If felt as if someone starter a fire in the middle of my chest and continued to stoke the flames with a red-hot picker.

As I was taken up to my room for recovery, the pain continued to get worse and my breathing grew so short that the staff declared an emergency code and every available doctor and nurse swarmed into my room.

Now hooked up to an EKG and paddles at the ready, the doctors frantically sought to bring my breathing rate, heart rate, and blood pressure down from their critical levels.

Though it took some time, and lots of pain meds, my breathing, heart rate and blood pressure came under control.

For the past week that I have remained in the hospital, my primary goal is to keep the pain in check each day. I have had a number of other medical scares emerge: possible stent failure (x2), unexplainable rises and falls in my white blood cell count, and accumulation of water in my lungs and extremities (pro life tip: if you are given Lasix water medications, make sure you are near a bathroom for the duration of the med’s effectiveness – you will flow like Niagara Falls!).

As I have gotten my pain and other symptoms under control, I did receive some really good news on the biopsy from the cancer tumor and lymph nodes extracted during my 26 August 2019 surgery.

After reviewing the pathology report, I really feel like I’m on a positive path to recovery…finally. Here is a brief summary on the great news:

1) The first phase of chemo had a positive affected on the tumor by slowing its growth in some areas and halting growth in others.

2) My surgical oncologist removed 32 lymph nodes – zero cancer was found in any of them (I remember him saying he took only 12 nodes.

3) The cancer was further along than initially diagnosed… I was actually at Stage 3 cancer vice Stage 2. The tumor was on the verge of making its way completely through my stomach’s lining.

4) Because of point 3, my doctor’s made the right call during surgery to completely remove my stomach. Had they only performed a partial gastrectomy…I really don’t want to think about that. I know the doctor’s thoughts and actions were heavenly guided in the actions they ultimately completed.

During my stent placement, the doctor’s also placed a feeding tube. To ensure I was receiving some nutriments, I have been on an intravenous feeding regime for the last 5 days or so.

But now, with the stent in-place, the doctor’s started me on a digestion-based feeding yesterday. I will continue this feeding until Monday, when I get to re-introduce a clear, liquid diet (water, broth, juice), followed by a soft diet (mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, protein smoothie).

Once I can eat, we will start planning for my to return home; which will put me at about a month in the hospital!

While the surgery and my recovery has been painful, slow going, and frustrating at times. This past month has also been inspiring, stimulating, uplifting, motivational, and soul stirring.

And with that, I am stratified with my care!