More medical ranting

So I'm really bummed out right now.  I thought I was getting myself healthy, but it appears that in the process, I have eliminated some of the things I love to do. 

I just found out that due to the nature of the veins around my liver and the opportunity for increased bleeding, I should avoid contact sports where I could receive trauma to the abdomen. So no martial arts or other contact sports, but that endurance events such as running & cycling should be fine.

This is actually very depressing to me.  I had planned to back off on the endurance events next year and refocus on martial arts, both Eastern (Judo) and Middle Ages (Society for Creative Anachronism).  Now I can't or shouldn't do either of these.  I don't think I have ever made any attempt to cover up my dislike of running, and I'm a terrible swimmer.  I was planning to go back to martial arts competitions in the old guys division, and suppliment my fitness with 1-2 days of running a week and some weights.  Now that has been totally derailled.

It was one thing to have given it up years ago when it was my choice, but now it feels like I have been kicked in the gut and have had something taken away from me.

This absolutely makes me want to just say **** it and go back to eating.  I know it's not rational, but I feel totally betrayed in this.  It's nobodies fault, **** happens, but that doesn't make it any easier.

Medical update part II

  I just spoke with the doctor that did the Angiography.

I had a few questions. I couldn't recall all of the information he had given me on the day of the procedure. Versed is an interesting medication.

Anyhow, apparently the superior mesenteric vein is occluded, but we don't know why, everyone is leaning towards it being related to some form of trauma (past surgery) or as a result of the weight loss where the vascular system can become twisted due to the reduction in inter abdominal fat and a lack of support that used to be there when the fat was there.

So he agreed that it was prudent to not put me on anti-coagulation therapy, as that could actually increase my chances of bleeding from one of the peripheral veins that was taking on the work that my mesenteric vein should be doing.

I asked him about the coil insertion that he had mentioned on the day of the procedure. He said that he had conferred with his colleagues and they came to the conclusion that it would not benefit me to have that procedure done. So basically he just recommends watching the situation and that he thought I would be o.k.

I asked him about what to look out for in the future, and he said to be aware of abdominal pain, blood clots in any other area of the body such as the legs, swelling in the abdominal area, or blood in my G.I. tract.


I'm waiting for the initial Doctors office to call me and schedule a followup consultation to get more information, go over any other options and basically do a brain dump of all the information that has been collected so far.

I'm relieved and yet still worried. It's like hey you have a ticking time bomb inside you, but we don't really see that doing anything is going to make it better. Just be aware that it is there and hopefully nothing will happen.

Scott

Much like yourself, I'm not sure what to make of any of this.

Sorry that you didn't get better news, but definitely glad it wasn't worse. 

Hopefully at your next visit they can clarify some stuff.  I definitely hope they open up more activities to you, that's disappointing about the martial arts.

stay strong!

This sucks .... sorry you are going through this.