What can I say, more stuff to write about...

I have made a conscious decision to NOT write about a "complication" until it was all resolved.

The last thing I want to do, is to have people reading this, to get the wrong idea. I recently commented on an online forum that I belong to..

One of the things that this group (and others like it) may do is provide an unrealistic (and unintended) view to complications.

There are nearly 2500 members on this list, and you will not have had more than a couple of posts from many of them because their experiences have been "normal". I.e. They have had the band installed, and no complications and all is working well.

I, for example, have collectively made it better for thousands of bandsters!!! The list of difficulties I have had, now makes it statistically much better for 5-6000 people.

Most importantly, for me, even if I knew I was going to have the complications, I would still do it all!!!

And when it comes to statistics, they really do not matter if you are that one out of the thousand that something happens to!!!

It is probably an opportune time to remind folks that this list, while most informative and valuable, is not a replacement for a consultation with your surgeon/specialist. If you do have any concerns, speak to him/her about them, or the practice nurse or the like!

So, with that sentiment in mind, I will report on the last couple of months.

Firstly, things are good and dandy, secondly, my memory of the events has faded a little, so I shall be probably understating some of the events..

As you will recall, I had a port infection last year that required the port to be removed after it flipped over. This was not a really big issue, other than it involved another surgery, and would in the future require another surgery to replace it. Dr MOF and I had discussed that we could look at doing this in March/April...

Best laid plans and all that stuff!!!

I was complaining about a low end "grumbly pain" in my lower left side. It had been going on for a couple of weeks, and I had made the assumption that this was just the expected little thing that follows surgery.

On the Monday at work, I was sitting down in a meeting and had an event of "stabbing" pain in my lower left abdomen. Hmmmm That hurt a bit. A bit more of the previous pain, but it went away...

I did not think much more about it until later that evening at about 8pm...

Then the pain really hit... OMG!!! I was doubled over, on my knees, with an indescribable pain. I went to bed and lay down and it was worse.

I rang a fellow bandster to talk about the problem... This was something that I would normally have been able to think through, but pain distorts the ability think clearly.

Finally I decided that it was time to go to the hospital. The pain was so intense and so different from anything I have experienced, I decided that a trip to the RBH (Royal Brisbane Hospital) was in order. I had pain radiating to the shoulder and this, I have to say, was a bit worrying. (one of the signs of cardiac related pain is pain radiating to the left shoulder/jaw/arm) . I was sure it was not cardiac, but I was not going to risk it.

I was taken very quickly into the cubicle at the RBH and had my heart rhythm checked, bloods drawn and a fairly quick decision that this was probably not cardiac related. It was more likely to be "renal colic" (kidney stones).

I was then given pain relief, that really did not work. It was now about 12.30 in the morning. I needed a scan and was told I could go home and come back in the morning.. Whaa??? NO WAY!!! I was not going to be too far away from pain relief as the recent pain was still very fresh.

I elected to stay at the hospital until morning, even if the bed was like a slab of hardwood, and get the scan.

Well, the morphine helped me sleep. In the morning I was taken for the CT scan and low and behold, no kidney stones!!! These results had come through at about 1pm the following day, and I was finally released at about 3.30pm.

Now, I have to say that I was pretty impressed with the staff at the RBH as they were as attentive as they could be, given the workload and the priorities BUT, there is clearly an under staffing of the emergency department. Hey, I don't know what the answer is, as there is a real shortage of the appropriately trained staff, but when it is you in the bed, needing some care, it heightens your perspective.

I went home with a direction to see my GP. The next two days were "interesting" as there was now way I was going back to the RBH... I was no worse, in fact the pain was sort of manageable, and I say my GP on the Thursday.

By this time I had had time to think about the symptoms, the pain and what it could be. I went to see Dr Hyper, and we discussed what was going on. He and I agreed that it really needed to be looked at properly so it was off to the Wesley Hospital for investigation. It never occured to us that this may be a problem related to the band....

Well, the emergency department at the Wesley was a totally different (good) experience. I was not going in as an acute patient, so expected a wait. It was not long. Following xrays, blood tests and the like, it was pretty clear that the problem was not renal colic. The problem was still going to need looking at. Another CT scan was ordered for the next morning.

I started to think that this "could" be band related and put it to the doctor that I thought it could be something out of place with the little hose that is supposed to link the band to the port.. The Locum surgeon said that it was unlikely and pretty much unheard of, but not entirely impossible!!

I was admitted to a private room (in the Children's Ward, but that is another story) and given more drugs and let sleep til morning.

OK, CT scan completed, and guess what..... Even thought "it was unlikely and pretty much unheard of, but not entirely impossible" it seemed that the little hose, complete with clips on the end of it, was in fact nested just below the diaphragm, scraping the diaphragm each time I breathed. Diaphragmic pain "refers to the shoulder" and completely explained my symptoms.

Hehehe, I was right... Shoulda gone to medical school huh???

My surgeon was away on holidays and returning on Monday, so I had another 3 days in the kids ward (not a lot of kids them about, well 2 in fact, on the other side of the wing) and with nursing staff used to working with kids (it was interestingly different, but I was impressed with the care).

The pain relief qas not helping much with the shoulder pain, but I slept well, got up and walked the ward to keep blood circulating and to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

It was 280 paces from my room around the ward and back to my room... (doing the figure eight circuit to keep things interesting) Each time I got up I waked the circuit 4 times. This meant I waked about a kilometer each time. It kept me, and the night staff amused, and prompted lots of different discussions at different times.

As much fun as the nocturnal prowling was, and the hot packs on the shoulders were, sort of, providing relief to the pain, I could not wait to get this thing resolved. Dr MOF called Monday morning, and popped in to see me...

More later.... (part 2 follows)






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