Where The Heck Is Bob... Again?

Question

Howdy gang,Sorry, I've been away (as it seems is usual). Does it upset you when people who are active on here disappear without a trace? It sort of makes you think the worst, doesn't it? Well... I'm about to disappear. For how long, I don't know... could be a month or two, or maybe forever... we have no way of knowing these things. But since it bugs me when folks simply drop offline... because I do think the worst... I'm posting this to let you know I might not have time to pop in here and chat. Yeah, it's health-related... and you know how that goes. Hope for the best, but expect the worst.The short (long) story is that because I was short-gutted 12 years ago, life has been pretty good... but I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. And it may be dropping. After my surgery and ostomy back in 2014, I was on TPN for a year to get my weight back up and give my bowels time to adjust to their new role of absorbing different things in different places. I weaned off TPN in about a year, to the surprise of everyone, and my weight was stable. So life was good. And it stayed good, except for some minor excursions into the wacky world of dealing with an ostomy... but that was all small potatoes. So I've been grateful for getting those 12 years. Had my operation occurred 10 years prior to when it did, I'd be pushing up daisies by now, as the surgical technology and the whole TPN thing have advanced that quickly.Everything was pretty good until this past May, when for no reason that I or anyone else can determine, my weight started dropping. And I mean fast! Like a pound or two a day with no changes in my eating habits, hydration, or lifestyle. After my weight dropped to a lower limit I set in my brain as a 'not to decrease beyond or go into full panic mode'... I called in the big guns.So I've been working with the transplant team at Georgetown, one of the nation's most successful transplant groups... but not for a transplant, just because they deal with short-gutted folks the most, and had the most experience with that condition. We've done all the testing, poking, and prodding, but are still coming up empty. Scoping shows my bowel looks fantastic, and other than a fat absorption issue that's normal for us short-gutters... we have no idea what's going on. My stoma does need a revision, which I've scheduled to happen in a few weeks, as the very tip of my stoma has strictured, but I dilate that every morning, and although a pain in the ass, it's manageable. There are no indications of active Crohn's disease anywhere, and the stoma thing seems just to be caused by stress to the bowel. Yeah, I rolled my eyes at that one too... but there's nothing to indicate anything else is causing it. In the end, it will be a piece of the puzzle we just don't understand today, but will make us wonder why we didn't. Seems that damn hindsight really is 20/20.But my weight keeps dropping and we can't explain why... or correct that. Motility meds dosage has no effect, nor do any dietary changes, such as restricting fat intake or stopping all sugar intake. So at this point, I've sounded the alarm and it's all hands on deck, which means I need to direct my full attention to trying to stay alive for as long as I can. My boat is taking on water, so there's no time to stop and chat... if you know what I mean. Of course, if things change, or I hit a lull because the Reaper is late for our appointment... I'll shout out. I haven't picked out my casket yet, but I did see a very interesting video the other day about something called a "green burial". I'll put the link at the bottom if you dare want to take a look. It sounds weird at first, but the more you think about it... and consider what the Bible says about cremation... it sort of makes sense. Why postpone the inevitable? Anyway, I'm not ready for that, but I think you will find it interesting regardless.So I'm about to head down a path I've been dreading, but knew would eventually have to be traveled. They say this kind of stuff makes us stronger, assuming you survive. I guess we'll see. But I'm not fooling myself here. The body is a wonderful machine, and when you remove large parts of it you upset a very delicate balance. The medical community works hard to find ways to improve that imbalance, but some rivers are just too wide to cross, and eventually, any bridge that's built will eventually collapse. After all, there's no fooling Mother Nature! I always liked that commercial as a kid. But seriously, we really do take for granted what our bowels do in our daily life, and if you research it a bit you'd be amazed at all the processes that are engaged, and see how upsetting even the smallest part of one of those processes can bring the whole house of cards down.Look, I have no idea how this will turn out, but we've got a few things left to try, so the journey continues. I just want to take a moment (or 10) and let you know why you won't be seeing much from me in the way of posting unless things do an about-face and start getting better. With that said, I just want to say thanks for all the info, support, and friendship from you guys on here. Opinions differ at times about different things, and that's okay. What's important is the underlying bond that brings everyone to this site in the first place... and you know what that is... we care about each other. So thanks for that!!! Hopefully, I'll be back in a bit and have a few good stories to tell. If not... well... let's not go there just yet. But you know what I mean. Here's that video I was talking about:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsgbWE4x6JsTake care,;O)bob

w30bob · Answer

Hi Gang!Just got home from the hospital last night from my stoma revision surgery on Tuesday, and as usual, I've got a bunch of new stories to tell. And it looks like I may have some time to write, as I refused all pain meds... so I need to take it easy for the next couple of days. They were able to move the stoma slightly, pull it out a few centimeters, and snip off the strictured tip. While in there, they noticed the beginning signs of a hernia forming, so they fixed that as well.So far, the incisions seem to be healing well, with a bit of drainage coming from the larger of the two, but fingers crossed... it'll be fine. From what I can see, I've finally got a rosebud like the rest of you and not some Frankenstein's monster of a stoma. What I found most interesting is that what happened to my stoma is actually quite common, like 60% of ostomates experience it... yet I haven't heard anyone talk about it on here. Weird. And like most things in the medical world, if you drill down deep enough, you find that they have no idea why it happens or what causes it. So I'm expecting it to probably happen again, but next time I'll be ready for it.Ok, got a lot of things to tend to, and will shout back later. Hope everyone is doing okay!!;O)

Bill · Answer

Hello Bob.Thanks for the update and I look forward to reading the next instalment. It's good to hear when things go right as It lifts the spirit and provides hope for a brighter future for us all.
Best wishes
Bill

Where the heck is Bob... again?

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