Merry Christmas Trish,

     Hope that your broken foot doesn't hamper you from celebrating.  Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year.

Donna

Hi Lisa;

Same as Donna said I have no medical information, wanted to drop in to let you know Gene and I will keep you in our prayers.  Keep us updated on your medical progress.

Ida

Dear Trish and PA Friends!

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year!! Being Jewish at this time of year is kind of a bonus, not having to worry about big Christmas dinners with desserts!

The last six months or so have pretty much sucked for me! I am hoping 2013 is MUCH better!!

Love, Beth

Thanks, Donna.  Much appreciated.

Lisa

Amazing to imagine that I could have a complication of my surgery six years later, but the suggestion is that, technically, this may be the case.  Of course, my body since Lyme has become almost this unknown other to me.  And pain has become just a matter of relativity...what hurts more today?  Can I manage it enough to do something worthwhile?  Is this one I shouldn't ignore or will the e.r. doc just treat me like a hypochondriac and send me home feeling foolish, so that next time I just stay home, while the problem gets worse...

I've had pain on the left side front for some time, traveling up and down a bit, side to front, but the e.r. doc was so condescending when he told me I was fine.  Of course, I was somewhat vindicated when my Primary Doc felt the area and identified a hernia just like that.  But the pain has increased - it's more intense, more focused.  A CT Scan last week of the abdomen and pelvis resulted in "Questionable intussusception and questionable structure in the region of anastomoses in th e lower to mid abdomen.  Questionable nonopacified small bowel coursing superoinferiorly."

I mean...superoinferiorly?!?!  What a word - it seems to contradict itself...and thus mean Nothing. To me, at least.  Anyhow, from what I gather from my primary, the bowel at one point is acting like those little folding cups we had for camping in the Girl Scouts, just sort of folding into itself. 

I have to pick up the disc with the ct scan pics on it tomorrow morning and take it to my surgeon's office and he will read it this week, when he gets back to town.  If the pain is acute, I'm told to go to PA Hospital's ER.  I may have been masking the extent of the pain with meds, ignoring the possibility of it being urgent...as I believe chronic pain sufferers end up doing more often than I would ever have imagined.

I have been trying to find info on this result (or, I guess, "radiologist's impression," to be precise), but it's all quite scary.  Treatments sound quite scary.  Waiting too long to address sounds Very Scary. 

Well...I needed to put it out here...that I'm really scared. 

To top it off, our car is in the shop after it gave my husband trouble yesterday and it won't be seen till tomorrow.  Getting to the ER wouldn't be as easy, though I know there are friends I can call on if I must.  It's so tiring...this fighting to beat illness and to stay alive.  I just Really Really Want to Stay Alive.  Really.  And to be well again.  And not in pain 24/7. 

Ok, before this deteriorates into a total ramble, I'll quit.  But if anyone has dealt with this issue and/or can give me some info or direct me to info that doesn't require medical training to understand, I would be grateful.

All the best,

Lisa