Seven Weeks

I saw my doctor on Monday. As in, my GP or PCP if you're in the insurance business. The family doctor, you know? Believe it or not, he actually had no idea about my surgery. So when he walked in scanning my chart and commented that I had been in the hospital and asked why, I got a somewhat horrified look after telling him I had a total gastrectomy.
"Wh-wh-whu-wut? Why? Explain."
Then I go on to describe the course of events of the last ten months in great but succinct medical detail. He was really taken aback but once I got him up to date, he just requested a copy of the Operation Report so he has an idea of the current anatomy of my abdominal cavity. I'll be honest, I was just there for some B12.

B12 is a necessary vitamin that can only be absorbed in the stomach. If, like myself, you don't happen to have one, then you have to get your supplement in liquid form delivered through a needle. I'm not a big fan of needles. And even after being hospitalized for 10 days with, oh probably at least 40 needles being stuck in me during that time, I am no more tolerant of them today as I was when I was five years old. So the issue is how to administer the monthly shot. The nurse gave me a dose there in the office and then the doctor wrote a prescription for the next year. My husband had earlier expressed an almost sinister willingness to give me the shot so if it comes down to it, I can have him do it. But I realized that I could just have my nieces or one of my several friends employed in the nursing profession give me the shot as well.

Then Tuesday I met with my surgeon again. She is pleased with my progress and says I look great. I requested a copy of the Op report for my doctor. She printed a copy for me and said she would send one along to him. It's really fascinating reading that. I wish I had just asked her to email me a copy of it so I could copy and paste it here! But I'll type up a brief excerpt because it is my favorite part:

"The plan was to perform and end-to-side esophagojejunostomy using a circular stapler, similar to the one used for bariatric surgery. Unfortunately, multiple attempts to place the anvil down the esophagus were unsuccessful. The anvil kept hanging up just distal to the cervical esophagus and despite multiple attempts and repositioning, this anvil could not be passed. Therefore, the decision was made to proceed with extending the incision and performing an open hand-sewn anastomosis."

Hahahaha remember the stapler getting stuck in my throat? There it is. It also explains why my belly looks like I lost a fight with Edward Scissorhands. No matter. I think right now, I'm doing better than I expected I would be at two months. So I'm thankful for that but also still realize that regression is always a possibility. And I can still find myself feeling really awful at times. Like when I eat Blueberry Pie too fast or put a lot of Maple Syrup on my Belgian Waffle!