All, Yesterday was my one month anniversary for my complex redo procedure at Cleveland Clinic. I am so greatful!!!!!!!
Brilliant Dr. Remzi did phase 1 of the procedure on May 31, 2012 and then Dr. Lavery(who as I now know, taught Dr. Remzi how to do the TC procedure!) did phase 2 on June 5, 2012. The CC hospital nurses told me I had the 'creme dela creme' of CC CR surgeons at the helm! Dr. Remzi basically gutted me to lyse the adhesions which were left from a previous leak/infection/abcess/RVF at another hospital. The TC procedure itself is reserved as a last resort procedure...and now I know why....It's sooooo not fun(they leave a 'tail' outside the body for a week, and then, they 'amputate' the tail(phase 2), to form a new anastosmosis site. Here's the beauty...... One day after Dr. Lavery performed Phase II, Dr. Lavery came to visit me in the hospital and said, 'you look great....what are you still doing here?' my reply.....'Thanks for the compliment....I'm not here on vacation....(grinning), I'm here bec you and Dr. Remzi just rebuilt my abdomen!!!'
Guess what? After a major redo operation, where I was prepared pre-operatively to stay 3-4 weeks, I was discharged after 8 days!!!! Now, to be honest, I was in pain for sure, but I told the nurses that if the only reason I'm still in the hospital is to control my pain, I can do that with pain killers, from the hotel across the street! So that's what we did. I spent the next 2 weeks recovering/resting in the hotel, playing rack rummy with my wonderful mother. CC aftercare is worldclass. Their home health care nurses came to my hotel on a regular basis to check my vitals, inspect my incision, and help me with my (temporary Yea! loop ileostomy).
I'm crying, I'm so grateful to God for guiding me to CC. Dr. Remzi removed the aberrant/damaged tissue resulting from the first botched surgery, and put me back together.
Of course, we never know if the quest is successful until the takedown, when they turn the plumbing on......but I know in my heart that it's done correctly this time, and that the aftercare, which is so critically important, is top notch at CC. (the aftercare, or lack thereof, at my first hospital, is what caused the wreckage in my pelvis, and thus, 2+ years of stricturing/incontinence/dilations and ultimately, the TC redo(with, of course, ileostomy #3!!)
Next step, Barium testing on July 24, and then a schedule for takedown(initial prediction, 3-6 months from TC phase 1(May31)). I see light at the end of the tunnel :-) Thanks for listening :-)
Brilliant Dr. Remzi did phase 1 of the procedure on May 31, 2012 and then Dr. Lavery(who as I now know, taught Dr. Remzi how to do the TC procedure!) did phase 2 on June 5, 2012. The CC hospital nurses told me I had the 'creme dela creme' of CC CR surgeons at the helm! Dr. Remzi basically gutted me to lyse the adhesions which were left from a previous leak/infection/abcess/RVF at another hospital. The TC procedure itself is reserved as a last resort procedure...and now I know why....It's sooooo not fun(they leave a 'tail' outside the body for a week, and then, they 'amputate' the tail(phase 2), to form a new anastosmosis site. Here's the beauty...... One day after Dr. Lavery performed Phase II, Dr. Lavery came to visit me in the hospital and said, 'you look great....what are you still doing here?' my reply.....'Thanks for the compliment....I'm not here on vacation....(grinning), I'm here bec you and Dr. Remzi just rebuilt my abdomen!!!'
Guess what? After a major redo operation, where I was prepared pre-operatively to stay 3-4 weeks, I was discharged after 8 days!!!! Now, to be honest, I was in pain for sure, but I told the nurses that if the only reason I'm still in the hospital is to control my pain, I can do that with pain killers, from the hotel across the street! So that's what we did. I spent the next 2 weeks recovering/resting in the hotel, playing rack rummy with my wonderful mother. CC aftercare is worldclass. Their home health care nurses came to my hotel on a regular basis to check my vitals, inspect my incision, and help me with my (temporary Yea! loop ileostomy).
I'm crying, I'm so grateful to God for guiding me to CC. Dr. Remzi removed the aberrant/damaged tissue resulting from the first botched surgery, and put me back together.
Of course, we never know if the quest is successful until the takedown, when they turn the plumbing on......but I know in my heart that it's done correctly this time, and that the aftercare, which is so critically important, is top notch at CC. (the aftercare, or lack thereof, at my first hospital, is what caused the wreckage in my pelvis, and thus, 2+ years of stricturing/incontinence/dilations and ultimately, the TC redo(with, of course, ileostomy #3!!)
Next step, Barium testing on July 24, and then a schedule for takedown(initial prediction, 3-6 months from TC phase 1(May31)). I see light at the end of the tunnel :-) Thanks for listening :-)
