#bowel obstruction

[heardatmedschool]

*Student 1 had recently had an abdominal surgery*

Student 1: Bruh, I feel nauseous, I’m so bloated, my stomach hurts and I haven’t pooped in 2 days...

Student 2: You’ve at least been passing gas, right?

Student 1: ...

Student 2: ...

Student 1: Fuck.

[helpfromheaven]

Five days in the Hospital (Once Again) Makes You Appreciate The Blessing of a Home to Lay Your Head

As if getting Covid-19 for the first time wasn’t stressful enough, I ended up in the hospital last Friday with another bowel obstruction. Another round of nose tubes and nothing by mouth for days at a time depressed me and left me feeling lost and nearly hopeless. I never lost hope because I trust God, El Shaddai, wholeheartedly. But, this time, there were no rooms available at the hospital, so…

[drforambhuta]

Possible complications that can arise following a Whipple procedure are:

Infection: Potential occurrences of surgical site infections or generalized infections may necessitate the use of antibiotics and diligent wound care for effective management.

Delayed Gastric Emptying: Some patients might encounter delayed gastric emptying, resulting in feelings of nausea and vomiting. Addressing this issue may involve dietary modifications and the administration of relevant medications.

Pancreatic Fistula: There is a risk of pancreatic enzyme leakage from the surgical site, requiring close monitoring, drainage, and possible medical intervention.

Hemorrhage: Postoperative bleeding can be managed through strategies such as blood transfusions or surgical procedures.

Wound Complications: The importance of proper wound care and the vigilant monitoring of any signs of infection cannot be overstated.

Small Bowel Obstruction: Adhesions or strictures may lead to bowel obstructions, potentially necessitating surgical intervention.

Weight Loss: Significant weight loss can manifest post-procedure, making nutritional support and dietary guidance critical components of care.

Anastomotic Leaks: Instances of leaks at surgical connections may demand endoscopic or surgical interventions.

Cardiopulmonary Complications: Ongoing monitoring and management of respiratory and cardiac function are vital, particularly for patients with preexisting conditions.

Recurrent Pancreatitis: Though rare, some patients may experience recurrent pancreatitis, which demands vigilant and thorough management.

Whipple procedure is a type of surgery generally performed in cases of pancreatitis, pancreatic cancers, and certain non-cancerous tumors. The procedure involves the removal of the head of the pancreas along with some portions of adjacent organs.

You can consult Dr. Amit Maydeo, who is the best gastroenterologist in India and is currently working at H N Reliance Hospital in Mumbai, to undergo a successful Whipple procedure with minimal risk of developing complications.

[ricisidro]

#LisaMariePresley, the only child of rock 'n' roll legend Elvis, died of a bowel obstruction, the L.A. County medical examiner said.

The obstruction was a result of adhesions caused by weight-loss (#Bariatric) surgery she underwent several years ago.

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A post shared by Jun Isidro (@rcisidro)

[grave-gift]

"you're not saving lives; your job isn't that serious unless you're defusing bombs or doing surgery"

Yes it is. You have no idea the value of so many jobs. Anyone in healthcare. Anyone in sanitation or janitorial. The management of transport like ATC. Anyone in engineering. Anyone involved in shipping who supplies goods to these kinds of jobs. Etc.

Like I know the point is to tell retail workers to stress less about the pressure from their bosses but I promise you the world would be a better place if you realized that more people have saved lives in this world than you will ever know.

[l3irdl3rain]

Is Duncan a little better than before? He’s seemed pretty perky in the videos you’ve posted recently, especially compared to the zonked-out look he had a few weeks back.

Sorry for long post but I feel as though I’ve been a little lax with posting updates on here. I’ve been busy with work and life and also Baldur’s Gate came out and has consumed my mind. Long post regarding Duncan’s health under the read more!

The neurologist increased his phenobarbital dose back in late June when we saw her. After maybe 2 or 3 weeks he seemed so lethargic and groggy. I thought we were seeing the normal progression of his condition and I started to prepare for euthanasia.

Talked to Doc and he recommended we try lowering the phenobarb dosage by a little bit. That definitely helped. He’s still not having seizures and also seems a little more lively.

Then you have to take into consideration the scare we had with his bowel obstruction. He obviously wasn’t really feeling like himself that week and was pretty lethargic.

Duncan is definitely far more subdued than he was a few months ago. He sleeps more and plays less. But he does seem better than he was doing on the high dose of phenobarb, which is likely what you saw a few weeks back. It does bother me that he’s not the playful rambunctious boy he once was but he is still interested in interacting with me and occasionally playing, so I feel like we’re still in a good place. For how long is anyone’s guess though.

[chicago-geniza]

Rice noodles in kimchi broth with cucumbers, mushrooms, sautéed spinach, and chopped chili peppers, like if u agree

[stonedopossums]

at the emergency vet with Pippin. wish him luck and clear bowels

[little-pissbaby]

as always, we're complaining under the cut. tw for medical PTSD, mentions of medical procedures, personal/graphic descriptions of my fucked up little body, extremely privileged whining, it's worth it for the cat at the bottom tho

I am exhausted by the number of appointments I have. I've become the kind of person who has multiple appointments every single week. This week and next week are three appointment weeks, and those appointments always lead to scheduling MORE test/procedures/office visits.

I had an appointment with my urogynecologist. Given my history of neurogenic bladder and severe stage IV endometriosis, she's in agreement with me that it might be time to at least consider a bowel diversion, if not a total colonoscopy. This would be done in addition to a bladder diversion because self-catheterization has proven unsustainable and, frankly, dangerous for me to try to continue. I'll likely have a foley placed tomorrow morning that will stay in until I can get in to the urological surgeon, who has not called to schedule yet. I have the colorectal surgery consult next month and the neurourology consult a month after that. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

I also have an EEG in a few days to see if the blackout episodes I've been having are epilepsy, and if it is, I'm not sure what we'll do since I'm already on a good amount of anticonvulsants. I have a feeling I'm going to leave that test with a migraine and no answers, which was exactly how the EMG/NCS I had done in my hand last Friday went.

Other things I've started include using a CPAP machine. I thought this shit was supposed to help you sleep better, but instead I'm waking up many many times in a two hour window, the pressure being pushed into my lungs is dislocating my ribs, I'm getting bloated from wearing it, and the pressure is coming out of my eyes and ears too due to a deformity in my inner ears called patulous eustachian tubes, so now my constant migraine is back in full force. I'm nothing but bloated and irritable as hell, but if I don't use it for at least four hours a day for at least 24 days a month, medicaid won't pay for it and I will have to pay out of pocket to buy the machine. My mother price checked it, it costs ~$1300 to buy the machine I have. I might just give up and give it to my brother, who also needs a CPAP but who doesn't also have EDS and is, therefore, not prone to ribs dislocating.

I met with my 4th electrophysiologist and that was a frustratingly and dangerously nonproductive appointment. He did not speak or understand spoken English well enough to be allowed to practice medicine in an English-speaking country imo. I don't give a shit about an accent, I don't think people need to "go back to where they came from" or that they need to speak English exclusively, but man it is so important in the field of medicine to be able to actually understand what your patient is saying to you. He had no idea what the condition I have even was, and he assumed I made all of these diagnoses for attention but would "humor me" and wrote IN HIS NOTES that I "insisted" on a holter monitor and tilt table test. I got these orders from Duke university, the closest university to me that has a genetic electrophysiology department and a dysautonomia clinic, both of which I was being seen at until Duke stopped taking my insurance. I was trying to tell this absolute worm brain that I was telling him what the top specialists GLOBALLY told me to have done, but I was just being young and attention-seeking I guess, I'm so dangerously angry about it, it makes my chest hurt to try and articulate just how badly this EP fucked it up for me.

I realized in the middle of a visit with my PCP on the 30th that I am not working towards a goal. Most people go to the doctor with the goal of Get Better Enough To Work, or Get Better Enough To Take Care Of The Kids. I don't have that. I'll never be able to hold down a job and I can't and don't want to have children.

I feel like the shittiest friend on Earth too because a good friend of mine only lives four hours away, but as much as we'd both like to visit, I have to schedule everything in my life around what's starting to look like a year packed with surgeries. I can't just pack up and go visit him, I come with medical equipment now. Between meds, splints, incontinence supplies, and the CPAP, I have to basically haul around a small urgent care center everywhere I go. I hate that I have to be planned around.

For a few wins, I do not have carpal tunnel, and when I had my A1C checked at my last PCP appointment, it was 4.9! Every doctor who finds that out informs me even their own A1C isn't that good because they like some specific sweet treat too much. My secret? No one has said they liked something that doesn't have dairy in it, and I've had a dairy allergy since birth.

anyway. I turned 26 just over a month ago and my beloved medical advisor turned 1 year old the same day. she's my birthday buddy :) it's weird having an Adult Cat in the house now, she's not the teeny tiny kitten that sneezed in my eye and gave me pinkeye anymore.

thanks 4 reading, besties. until my next frustratingly whiny and Packed Full of Info update <3

pictured: my big adult girl and medical supervisor 🥰

[ghetsis-a]

When your head scientist swallows a large chunk of solid metal.

[plague-parade]

er time

[kakashihasibs]

Leia is constipated. She's tried to poop but nothing came out. She did manage to poop this morning at least x_x gonna call the vet in the morning

[arctic-hands]

In general I have an amazingly high pain tolerance after nearly thirty years of this bullshit but for whatever reason in the last few months my chronic tummyache disease has manifested into whiny bitch disease and I can't figure out why

[wuhnona]

My cat's always like "what if I ate a napkin? :3"

[pearl-kite]

My parents are having an absolute shitfest of a year, apparently

[butchbyte]

adding to the misery of the sick cat saga, they now vomited 4 times in 24 hrs... at the vet now and it turns out they have a fever

getting iv fluids and chest xrays now, waiting to find out if it's something minor or something nasty