1) Nope, you're not crazy at all. 2) It doesn't sound like your surgeon would mind you getting a second opinion. I don't think any doctor should mind a patient getting a second opinion.

What about talking with your doctor and Dr. Milsom to see if one could do surgery with the other one assisting? That way your surgeon would be right there with you.

kathy

kathy-
Thanks for the reply. The only problem I see with both one of them doing the surgery, the other assisting, is that they both do a different style of colorectal surgery. And they both work out of different hospitals, which isn't that big a deal. I'm sure one or the other would be able to get a pass for the surgery. But Dr. Milsom is a laprascopic colorectal surgeon and Dr. Pappas is not. So, if Dr. Milsom did the procedure, he would be doing it in a completely different way. So, I don't know if that would really work out... It would probably have to be one or the other.

I think you're right. But you might want to ask the question to see if it's even feasible. Even if one doctor was performing the surgery you'd have a second set of eyes with another perspective. And it might be comforting to have Dr. Pappas in the OR even if you decided to have Dr. Milsom do surgery. (IF you have surgery....)

kathy

First of all, you may not even need further surgery. Plus, just because you consult with Dr. Milsom, it does not mean you have to agree to further treatment by him.

Plus, there is no such thing as a strictly laparoscopic surgeon. The surgeon has to be able to perform the same surgery as an open procedure before he can do it laparoscopically, since he has to be able to revert to an open procedure if it is not feasible to do it laparoscopically. But, I agree that surgeons generally like their own team or assistants with them, even if someone else scrubs in.

Sometimes a second opinion is just that, another opinion. In the end, you are the one who decides how to proceed and who with. No, it is not crazy to want to stick with the guy you know and trust. Just remember that it is your fav doc, who is suggesting the second opinion!

Jan

Jan & Kathy-
I know that I may not need more surgery and I'm praying that I don't. But the same thing happened to me last year. I had signs of an obstruction, no one found the obstruction. My old GI did the balloon dilation, I felt terrible after, my symptoms came back about 3 weeks later but I tried to suck it up. I dealt with terrible pain for 3 weeks until I couldn't take it and collapsed. went to the ER, and my surgeon decided enough was enough and decided to open me up. he cleared up some adhesions, assumed that was the problem, and I felt better a month later.

but I am a little more optimistic this time around. last year, the balloon dilation was done by a GI that wasn't as familiar with my pouch as my surgeon. so he probably didn't dilate it as much as he could because he didn't want to do any damage. My surgeon dilated the pouch 2 cm. I obviously trust him more than any other dr, so it's very possible that this could have fixed the problem and I'll be fine. only time will tell if the dilation worked. today has been a pretty bad day. I've been in awful pain, have had only one bowel movement and I've had severe gas pains. in the same area. I'm distended, but not like I was last month. I've been walking as much as I can tolerate. I even had to pop a dilaudid just to be able to walk a couple of times around my block. I know I know, the narcotic will slow things down. but it was either that, or lay in bed for the entire day rolling back and forth in pain. I don't call my dr for every little belly ache and I usually don't call until things get really really bad (I'm stubborn like that) so unless I'm vomiting I'll just chalk it up to a bad day and hope tomorrow is better. I'm tempted to go out and just drink a few beers to move things along. Kidding of course, just a little frustrated.

But in response to you guys, I know that it's very possible that I won't need surgery and that would be amazing. I just like to be prepared for the worst. In the past, I got stuck in between, in a bad hospital, not knowing where my doctors are, etc. So, if God forbid something does go wrong, at least I have a game plan with my surgeon of what our next step will be.

Hi Josh - I completely understand that you don't want anyone else touching your body. I suppose it's important to remember you're not quite sure as to what is going to happen --- BUT if it comes down to it and you need surgery, go with your instinct. I wish I had that kind of relationship with my own surgeon - I think it could have made a world of difference for me when I was having bunches of complications before my takedown. Subconciously, when you trust the person who is "working on you" I believe that the results are even better.

I'm thinking about you and praying for you. You've been through hell and back over and over again - like many others on here - and deserve a serious break!!!!

Erin

Is it normal to be in this much pain just 12 days after the balloon dilation??? I'm so distended, I feel just as crappy as the day before I went to the ER. I'm ridiculously distended, having very few BM's (3 since friday morning), SEVERE gas pains that just won't go away no matter what, and excruciating pain that has dropped me to my knees and brought me to tears. The only good news is I'm not vomiting. I'm close to it and I am nauseous. But I just refuse to call the doc on the weekend. I don't want to sit in the ER on a sat night for nothing, sit in the hospital on the weekend not even seeing a dr, and be back where I was just a few weeks ago. I really just can't take this anymore I don't know what to do. It's not as if I'm vomiting constantly, or at all for that matter, so I really don't plan on making an ER trip out of this. I'm just going to try to sit tight and deal with the pain, maybe give my doc a call monday morning, see what he has to say. It's just so damn frustrating. Not even 2 weeks later, and I may already be obstructed again. Fun, FUN times.

No, that doesn't sound normal. What are you eating? If you're going to try to make until Monday you probably need to go to liquids only. If it is a blockage, I don't know how you can stand that pain. You're way stronger than I am.

So maybe it really is time for that second opinion. You've been dealing with this pain for way too long.

kathy

honestly, I haven't been eating much... earlier in the day, when the pain wasn't so bad, I had a three cheese flatbread sandwich from dunkin' donuts, which never gives me any trouble. yesterday when I was in pain, I had a plain turkey sandwich, just to get some food in me. I've mostly been drinking gatorade, water and iced tea. I know that iced tea isn't really the best drink to hydrate me, but I can only drink so much gatorade. plus, I love my arizona... I was able to pass some gas before and have somewhat of a bowel movement, but it was very irregular with a lot of blood and pain. not normal for me. if I keep seeing blood, then I'm going to have to make a phone call because something is obviously not right. I know, I must sound like a stubborn fool. but I just don't want to go back to the ER. if I'm going to lay in bed all weekend, I'd rather it be my own bed, so I can lay with my puppy, I'll be able to drink, and (I know this is terrible) smoke some cigarettes. I know, it's a filthy habit. But right now, it's the only thing easing my anxiety right now. the pain is just crushing me right now. unfortunately I have a pretty high threshold for pain and I deal with pain longer than I should... we'll see what happens. I'll keep you guys updated...

I can't deal with pain at all. You're tougher than I am.

Generally, I find medical people don't really want their patients all that informed, and don't really want to pass on sites that will get them there.

An informed patient is a pain in the butt because he has read about the side effects of the drugs, the complications of the surgeries, and the prognoses of the treatments; and worse, is prepared to ask any number of silly questions (questions they already know the answers to) in order to "test" the practitioner's skill.

"Oh, the pouch looks pretty friable, huh? Guess I have disuse colitis, huh? Guess I need to have the takedown sooner than later, huh?"

"Man, what do you need me for?"


(this conversation is similar to one I had with my surgeon )

Anyway, I'm pulling for ya, pal. I'm looking forward to a good EUREKA!!! when they find the solution.

so I finally caved and called my surgeon... I told him that I really, REALLY don't want to go to the hospital, just to get pain relief and sit around. And I'd rather sit at home in pain, but I thought I should let him know what's up, and see what he has to say. So, he told me to try a fleet enema to see if that will loosen everything up. He told me that if that doesn't work then he'll probably want me to go to the hospital, at the very least to get some pain relief. I told him that I really don't want to and asked if he could just call in some toradol or something. He told me that he knows my pain levels and my tolerance and toradol won't help me. He said he understands why I don't want to go back in but that he doesn't want me to sit around in agony. So, we'll see what happens. Hopefully the Fleet enema will help...