Minor Setbacks

I guess it comes as no surprise to say I'd rather just post the good news.  And there has been plenty of that.  But my intention in blogging has been to document the journey for family and friends, but also for someone who might be on his or her own journey with bariatric surgery.  And so, I must be honest.

It's been a tough go of late.  I've had two chief complaints -- the first of which being overwhelming fatigue, and which I understand via the excellent clinic nutritionist that is not unusual at this point in the journey.  The other complaint has ebbed and flowed -- the general struggle, most days, to keep down what little food has been consumed.

I started struggling with this about the one-month point post-surgery, where the doctor expressed appropriate concern and warned that an endoscopy may be warranted.  Perhaps all it took was that gentle threat -- things started getting better.  But early last week, the struggles resumed.  I spent three days throwing up, and then have had problems intermittently since.  My surgery clinic responded very quickly, first sending me to the hospital for an upper-GI, and then a follow-up with the surgeon.  While the radiologist determined the test "normal," the surgeon read it and pronounced himself suspicious.  His hunch is that my esophagus, post-surgery, is behaving a little like a clogged drain -- there is likely a stricture, one that allows some food to pass through, although not consistently.  He is sending me on for an endoscopy, likely involving dilating the esophagus to allow food to pass through.  Of all the possible bariatric surgery complications, this is the most common.

So, tomorrow is the day.  Molly -- bless her heart -- gets to haul me to the surgery center in the morning where they'll make me snooze and hopefully get to the bottom of whatever is going on.  Then we go back and see the surgeon later that afternoon to assess success.  I'm hoping by Tuesday I'm a new man, continuing my progression back into normal routines.  Stay tuned....