So, here we go with the gory medical nitty-gritty.
Hang on to your halo as we take a wild ride through my digestive system and fix all the broken goodies.
Apparently I’m not simply having surgery. I’m having a gastrointestinal reconstruction involving a cruroplasty, a gastrojejunostomy, and a jejunojejunostomy, which sounds considerably more dramatic and also possibly requires a wizard.
Laparoscopy / laparoscopic access: The surgeon works through several small abdominal incisions using a camera and long instruments rather than one large open incision. She has a handy robot friend that will be operating along with her. This is slightly alarming and makes me wonder if it has read any of the articles I wrote dissing AI.
Hiatal hernia reduction: The part of my stomach that has migrated upward through the diaphragm shall be brought back down where it belongs, where it shall stay.
Hiatal dissection: The surgeon carefully frees the esophagus, stomach, and surrounding tissues around the hiatus so everything can be repositioned.
Crural repair / cruroplasty: The right and left crura, muscular parts of the diaphragm surrounding the esophageal opening, are stitched closer together to tighten the enlarged hiatus. This is an excellent medical word, isn't it? Cruroplasty.
Gastric pouch creation: The stomach is divided with staples to create the little upper pouch that will receive food. It'll be about the size of an egg. The much larger remaining stomach stays in but is bypassed from the food stream. This part is like a gastric bypass for weight loss, but with lots of extra stitches for my tissues with issues. This way, food won't overstay its welcome in my stomach. "Let's blow this joint. It's positively claustrophobic in here. I hate Daisy's new renovation."
Gastrojejunostomy: The new stomach pouch is connected directly to the jejunum, part of the small intestine. This is one of my two shiny new anastomoses, meaning surgically created connections.
Jejunal division: The jejunum is divided so the surgeon can construct the Roux configuration.
Roux limb creation: One segment of jejunum becomes the Roux limb, also called the alimentary limb. That’s the new route food travels down.
Biliopancreatic limb: This is the segment carrying bile and pancreatic/digestive secretions from the bypassed stomach, duodenum, and associated digestive plumbing. Food won't travel this stretch of lonely intestinal highway anymore.
And then, glorious drumroll please...
Jejunojejunostomy.
That’s where the biliopancreatic limb and Roux limb are joined farther downstream so food finally meets up again with bile and digestive enzymes. That intestinal reconnection creates the lower branch of the Y.
Common channel / common limb: Downstream from that junction, food and digestive juices are traveling together again, and ordinary digestion and absorption continue. Let's get the digestive and absorptive party started!
Mesenteric defect closure: Openings created in the tissue supporting the intestines are closed to reduce the risk of a future internal hernia.
Leak test: This is basically like a plumber running some water to make sure all the new connections are working without leaks.
Let's take a moment and think about the glory of the two truly magnificent new vocabulary words we've just learned:
Gastrojejunostomy
gas-tro-je-joo-NOS-to-me
and
Jejunojejunostomy
je-JOO-no-je-joo-NOS-to-me
I dare you to say that five times fast.
Or, honestly, at all.
Except for a long, long recovery.
It'll be about 3-4 months before I can tackle something difficult to digest, like a beautiful, delicious hunk of steak.
There are a few things that may seem like a downside. For example, I have to take a daily bariatric vitamin and calcium chew for the rest of my life. The new GI highway gives "that food went right through me" a whole new meaning. I won't be able to eat sugary things without getting sick.
weeps for vanilla layer cake
There will be a LOT of adjustments I have to make over the next few months.
But I have to believe that it's going to be worth it. How I'm living now is really difficult. I have no energy. I can't go out to eat with friends and family without risking a trip to the hospital. My diet is insanely restricted and honestly, not very healthy at all.
It's become life-threatening.
I have been hospitalized for pneumonia four times in the past 8 months. The time before last, they thought I had sepsis from pneumonia. How many times can I spin that roulette wheel and survive? And every single time I get pneumonia, it takes a little more away from my ability to live.
I hardly leave the house now because I'm so exhausted from it all. I can't even go grocery shopping or do physical therapy anymore because it will land me in bed for a couple of days, trying not to barf and hoping I just sleep until I feel better.
I don't want to sleep the rest of my life away.
I want to live it.
I want to stop planning my life around "will there be any of my 3-5 safe foods there?" and "Will this cost me 3 days in bed?"
So I gladly assume the risks of this surgery. I'm incredibly grateful I got this chance to improve my situation. And if things go wrong, at least I'll know that I did everything I could to get better.
I'm no quitter.
And, um... if you got this far...
I just wanted to remind you of the fundraiser I'm doing to cover website expenses while I'm down, along with the extra expenses of this operation and recovery, which are always more than expected.
Each item starts at just a dollar.
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For people who want to make home life more comfortable, beautiful, frugal, and functional without spending a fortune.
Quick note: If you are trying to make a purchase and want to use a debit or credit card, put in your price and click "add to cart" to skip over the PayPal and Venmo buttons.
Thank you for reading this massive missive. It may be the longest 2-part email I've ever written. I didn't write this as "poor me." I truly don't want anyone to feel sorry for me - I would hate that. I wrote it because you guys are like family to me, and I think it's really good to spread awareness about hEDS.
My surgery is Wednesday. Your prayers, best wishes, healing energy, and good vibes are all very welcome. If you want to think of me that day, wear something pink! :)
Love,
Daisy
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