Monday I went to CC for another steroid injection and also an ileoscopy, and to chit chat with Dr. Remzi and Dr Achkar who is basically the Pyoderma Prophet.
Lets start at the beginning:
I did the ileoscopy, I got sedated. I have vowed to never do any type of scope EVER without sedation ever again. Eff that S. So that was easy, painless, totally fine. Also no signs of crohns anywhere, so that is good news. Its sorta relief.
Then I met with Dr Remzi. He had all kinds of news, good, bad, ugly, weird. So he looks at my Pyoderma with Dr. Achkar and they kinda banter back and forth that it is now, not a pyoderma. (great after I just bought a $100 cream for it). They decided it was not acting pyoderma-y and that they dont know what it is, but their best guess is an abcess. An abcess in real people language is an injection under the skin. So its actually better that it has popped out. 
Because I’m not showing signs of an infection that means its doing ok but not healing. We stopped the pyoderma treatments and he decided not to inject it with steroids because…..
Dr Remzi thinks that the side of the wound is a tiny bit away from the wall of my small intestine. How did he deduce this you may ask? HE STUCK HIS FINGER IN MY STOMA. If I coulda, I woulda crapped my pants. It was like, lets stick stuff in Jackie’s Stoma Day. It did NOT hurt, I felt pressure but it was just all kinds of weird. So anyway.. if he injects it wrong or it erods away anymore it could open the bowel wall…which is bad, and I’d be pooping right into the wound. All kinds of bad. So since I have only 28days (YES!) until surgery he said we’re just going to leave it alone.
BUT…here is the bad news. There is a chance, that because of this wound and its proximity to the stoma, that he might have to move the stoma to the other side…FUCK. This would suck. But honestly…seriously…what is one more giant scar. Its not the end of the world at this point. This body will never see the sunlight again in a bikini.
But we did talk about bringing in a plastic surgeon again to do the close up scar this time, so it looks less butch.
Also..there is other potentially really good/amazing news, that I can’t write here. This is such a lame ass blogger move, and normally I wouldn’t do this (and I might change my mind) BUT there are certain people who read this that I can’t really…eh whatever I’m not telling you right now. BUT just know it could be really good.
Then I met with Dr. Ashkar (a.k.a. Pyoderma Prophet) and discussed this pyoderma/abcess and how we all hope it goes away and I live happily ever after.
So that was Monday. I feel good, I feel confident, but the new stoma site doesnt thrill me. We shall see. Also as an update as of today I am 159.6. Thats 2lbs from 30lbs lost since August. I’ve got 28 days to get the 12 total pounds I want!
Back in October when I went in for a simple (right) hernia repair (and ended up being there an entire month because, apparently it wasn’t so simple) I had an obstruction. My surgeon (who I would marry if it didn’t creep me out that he loved looking at rectums) attempted to clear the obstruction WITH HIS FINGER and boy, was that fun. And completely unsuccessful. Sedation? Yes, please.
After the “simple and totally routine” hernia repair, and after the surgery for the obstruction, I developed an abcess near the stoma. That was about as much fun as the obstruction. My point to all this? I feel your pain.
Did they clear you for the next surgery?
What did you do about the abscess? I guess these little suckers are a little fascinating….but mostly cause I can’t figure out how to make it go away.
They put a PICC line in and bombarded my body with a serious round of several antibiotics. My WBC were through the roof, and, if I hadn’t just had two surgeries, he would have surgically fixed it. Yuck.
HI! Did your doctor explain anything about scar revision surgery? If so, could you share? And does insurance cover such surgeries? I have a particularly gross scar from just below the sternum to my pubic bone, which was left open to heal due to an infection. And 2 horizontal scars and the obligatory ostomy scar. I can totally relate to feeling (and looking) butchered.
J
jennhearn@wordpress.com
Well we didn’t exactly talk about it all formal like “scare revision” surgery. He more or less just said, I’ll have a plastic surgeon close you up this time. Honestly, I really have no idea how that works, if it works, or if he just tells me that and makes it all pretty himself later. I got nothing. Obvs I’ll know more after I get gutted for the third time. I will make some updates on that one.
But if you do it as a separate surgery, honestly, I dont think insurance would cover it. But i just read today that insurances are starting to cover sex changes…so I guess anything is possible!
Congrats on the weight loss and for being diagnosed out of your pyoderma. Smart move to do the probes under sedation. Best of luck with your upcoming surgery!
Well I’m not sure getting diagnosed with an abscess that wont heal is better, but its still not healed so I guess I dont care what it is. You know, when I was a wee 8th grader and South Park had just come out, and they did all those anal probe jokes…those were funny then….now its my life…oh how things change.
I crapped my pants for you just reading about him putting his finger in your stoma. I had mine for 7 months and couldn’t imagine dealing with that.
wow, gross, wow!!!
keep up the fight, Jackie
I swear I saw him put his finger in (this sounds so dirty) and I turned away cause I was like “OMG OMG OMG OMG OH SHIT OMG OMG OMG” and because I was expecting serious pain and I like to turn to the side to brace myself.
And there was seriously no pain. I could feel all kinds o pressure and it was damn weird, but it didn’t hurt. Mostly I was amazed that, my tiny stoma hole could accommodate a grown man’s pointer finger. That my friend, is a job I do not want.
Hey Jackie,
Stoma Fun Day at the hospital is always fun! Keep on keeping on!
Moving the stoma isn’t bad at all. I know what you mean, I went through it and it was truly no big deal.
Yea I know. At this point it just another scar. I’m more worried about pouching on the other side…it just almost seems like starting over. But I guess with that whole “you bowel wall is showing” thing, its better that way. I just hope he has some miracle “cover your intestine, heal your wound, and make your scar pretty” fairy dust. They sell that, right?
Jackie I hope they have some of that pretty scar fairy dust you speak of. When I got my plumbing hooked up and said bye-bye to my story they just left the hole heal from the inside out. It was kinda weird! I could stick my finger into my abdominal and touch my guts if I wanted!