A small update...

Well I was supposed to have a small bowel follow through done last monday. I did the prep the night before and made it to the hospital but I couldn't keep the barium down. The stuff was just too nasty and I was already feeling like crap from having nothing in my stomach and my insides torn out. Luckily I saw my doctor this week and told me that a cat scan would suffice to rule out a fistulous connection between my small and large bowels. I don't know why he didn't recommend this in the first place seeing as the state of my health isn't exactly great and a cat scan is much faster than a small bowel study.

At the doctors appointment he listened to my symptoms and along with another doctor agreed that they didn't think it was a fistula and more likely a mechanical problem with my stoma. The one doctor mentioned that my surgeon really wanted to see me, to which I retorted that I didn't understand why he wanted to see me seeing as how he really didn't listen to me when I complained before. I feel like this problem could have been addressed a long time ago if he had listened. Then the doctor said, "Well, sometimes surgeons don't like to admit that something they've done isn't perfect." To which my brother replied, "So basically, their ego gets in the way." The doctor laughed at this and I have to agree.

So I got the cat scan done today at Fox Chase Cancer Center which was great because I didn't have to travel all the way downtown when I've been feeling like crap. All in all from drinking the contrast to the actual scan, it took 2 hours. Not bad. The doctor who was looking at my scans said she couldn't see a fistula but then recommended that we stick a tube in my stoma and fill it with contrast to see if the fluid continued down my GI tract rather than come out my stoma. At least I think that's what she was trying to get at. Anyway, I didn't really get details about the results and I suppose a radiologist will study them.

I go to see the surgeon on Tuesday and hopefully we will have the results and be able to schedule my stoma revision soon. I knew it was this along and I am glad my doctor finally listened to me. I'll let you know what happens after Tuesday.