Saturday, February 26, 2011

Bronch Results and The Continuing Saga of the Stomach Wrap!

Hi!  Hi! Hi!

I'm so excited to say that my bronchoscopy results came back showing NO REJECTION!!!  That is such a big deal for me!  Rejection can ultimately kill a transplant patient more that most other things.  My rejection has been very mild but still month after month right in the beginning isn't a good thing. 

Tracie (my coordinator) said they still want to do another bronch in a month just to make sure there's no rejection next month either.  I'm for that.  If there's no rejection then maybe we can go to every three month...we can pray!

Now on the the stomach wrap.  I saw Dr. Perez - my stomach surgeon - because Dr. Zaas wanted me to have another stomach wrap.  Mine came undone :-(  Before I saw Dr. Perez I had a barium swallow test.  Yes, it's as yucky as it sounds!  Anytime you have to swallow barium it's nasty tasting...even if they flavor it!  Those results showed quite a bit of reflux.  Dr. Perez was sure my wrap came undone but he was hesitant to do another surgery until he checked to see if I did or did not have a "Nutcracker Esophagus".  If I have one he said I shouldn't have another wrap because the nutcracker would 'unwrap' the wrap!

At Dr. Perez's request I had another test called a mammometry test.  A probe is inserted down your throat (a real blast!!! - not!) and then you swallow small sips of water while some machine measures how your esophagus does.  The test results said I do have a Nutcracker Esophagus.  So Dr. Perez said NO WRAP!

Well, I saw Dr. Zaas this last Wednesday and he said he still wants the stomach wrap and he was going to email Dr. Perez right away.  Hmmmm...

Yesterday, Friday, a nice girl called and said she needed to schedule an appointment for me on Monday with a Dr. Mark Onaitis.  I then asked who he was and when I found out he was a thoracic surgeon I asked if she had the wrong person.  No...I had an appoint on Monday and he was going to do a procedure.  What???!!!?!?!  Who is this guy and what procedure does he plan on doing on me?????

Dr. Onaitis is going to perform stomach wrap surgery on Tuesday so he wants to meet me on Monday!  I then asked this very nice girl what about my stomach surgeon?  Do you know who Dr. Perez is?  Nope, she didn't.  Hmmm again.  Maybe I was getting confused but then the girl that this all might have something to do with Dr. Zaas.  Of course!  He apparently was emailing both Dr. Perez and Dr. Onaitis at the same time and the two docs had different opinions regarding doing a stomach wrap on me.  Dr. Perez --NO!  Dr. Onaitis -- Yes because he doesn't think I really have a nutcracker esophagus.  I wonder who's test results he was reading!

Anyway, the final outcome is that I go to Duke Monday to meet the surgeon and then go to pre-op.  On Tuesday I go to Duke North (the hospital) and check in for the surgery.  I'll be in the hospital two to three days and then it's home on liquids or soft foods.  I will be so hungry and want to eat everything that I can't!

Say a little prayer that I make a good patient :-)

More updates later!

Hugs and Love,
Lee, Wendy and Missy

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