Long Road

It's been an excruciatingly long road these past couple years. We have been through some major ups and downs, and I would be kidding myself if I said I wasn't changed. I have watched Adam suffer considerably, and I am a stronger, better person for it. It seems kind of selfish actually, to admit that his suffering has made me a better person. I have enjoyed watching him grow and become a stronger person as well. I am in awe of his fortitude and faith. I marvel at his dedication. He is truly an amazing person, and I am blessed to be with him on this journey.

Here's a recap from the past year. Adam suffered another blockage in August 2011. We were at a family reunion in Bear Lake. He had a hamburger, and later that night he was miserable. He has learned the symptoms of when things are "blocked." Luckily, with a blessing from his father, the blockage passed on it's own after several hours.

In September he also had another blockage. It was a Sunday evening. He didn't eat any breakfast, and didn't keep hydrated. Then for lunch he had some roast beef. That night we actually went to the E.R. They wanted to place an NG tube, but Adam protested. They went ahead and admitted him for the night. They did a CT scan and K informed us that there is a part of his small bowel that is kinked...so it is likely to get blocked. He was able to pass the blockage the next day without an NG tube. K told us that the next time that happens to call her and she'll immediately just book us into the hospital and that the NG tube would be the best way to get the blockage out! We are grateful for K and her willingness to let us have her on speed dial!

A few months back Adam had a scope of his J-pouch, and K discovered pouchitis. She prescribed him Cypro...which helped immensely. He is now able to tell when he gets the pouchitis, and has gone on Cypro two more times since. It helps him be able to sleep through the night. It also helps him not to have "seepage" during the night.

He is currently on a vitamin called Forvia, which is specifically for UC sufferers. He is also on a pro-biotic called VSL#3. He can't seem to tell if the pro-biotic helps or not. He may need to take a higher dosage...but it's an expensive little bugger!

Liver

Adam has been doing well since his last surgery. In August he had what appeared to be another blockage. After a couple hours in the ER it seemed to pass on it's own...so he didnt' have to be admitted.

He still has to eat small meals and chew his food really well. He's only found a couple things that bother his system. Anything with tomatoes really bother him...het gets what he calls "butt burn".

His strength and energy seem to be good...I think he's even putting on a little weight. It has been just over 1 year since his initial surgery.

He had some blood work down a couple weeks ago that showed high liver levels. We called K and she set up some kind of MRI of the liver, and also a scope for February. Apparantly high liver levels are common with UC patients, but could also be a sign of autoimune liver disease. She said it doesn't mean cancer, and can be treated with medication. We are hopefull that all will come back fine.

Incision site

It is now Thursday. Adam has been here for a full week. He has started passing gas and having bowel movements today...so hopefully he'll be able to at least take in liquids tomorrow! His belly is sore both inside and at the incision site, but he is feeling pretty well. He hasn't been nauseated...so that is a huge plus!

Surgery

Today is Tuesday...Adam has been in the hospital since Thursday. He had the drain in for a few days with no improvements...so we opted for surgery. Dr. P was going to try and do it laproscopically...but once he got in there he realized he couldn't do it safely. The adhesion formed a band around the small intestine. He also removed a few other adhesions that looked like they could possibly pose a problem. Adam was in a great deal of pain after surgery. It took a few hours to get him comfortable. He is on Deladid and Toradol. They offered an epidhural this morning..but he hasn't needed it. He has already gotten up to walk, had a sponge bath, and freshened up. Once things start moving he can start eating again.


This is the miserable drain.


This is what is at the end of the miserable drain.


This is Adam just a few hours after surgery!

Blockage

It has been only 2 months since Adam's take-down surgery. He has a blockage...about a foot into his small intestine. He is back at the hospital. They placed a NG tube down his nose to try and drain some of the fluid.

His trouble started about 2 weeks ago. Stomach irritation, occasional vomiting, acid reflux, etc. Then a couple nights ago he awoke with pretty severe stomach pain. We took him to the ER in the afternoon. They did a CT and found a partial blockage. They transfered him by ambulance up to the U. Dr. P said that sometimes these kinds of blockages can work themselves out if all the fluid build-up is pumped out. He has had the tube in for about 24 hours. It has been very uncomfortable...lots of gagging. Then..after a walk we discovered that it had come out quite a bit. The nurse pushed it back in, but it wasn't pumping anything out. She got hold of a Dr. who told her to take the tube out. Apparantly he only had abou 250 ml come out during the night...but maybe that is because the tube wasn't in the right place! At this point it is a waiting game...waiting to see if things start moving through like they are supposed to. If not...surgery is the next step!

All closed up!

Adam's stoma hole is all closed up now. It's been just over 5 weeks since his surgery. It still bothers him when it rubs on his belt or pants, but all-in-all it feels good. We are glad to not have to pack it any more! Adam is feeling great! We had our follow-up with the Surgeon, and he just needs to see him once a year to check on him! Adam said he's feeling like a new man! Yay!

Time for Photos

This photo was taken about 5 days post op...just after we got home from the hospital. This shows the wound with the gauze strip still in.


This is what it looks like when we take the gauze out...his skin looks pretty yucky here too.


This photo was taken today...about 12 days post-op. The hole is definitely smaller and I use less gauze than a week ago.

Adam's strength and energy continue to improve. He is taking 2 immodium a day now, and that seems to be working well. He also tries to eat rice, apples, bananas, and oatmeal to help "plug" things up a bit. Yesterday he had some raw veggies before bed...didn't do so well in the night. Cooked veggies are supposed to be easier to digest. He's hoping to go back to work next week. The opening is still sore when I pack it.