Doctors did a switcharoo on us today! Ron was taken down for an EGD (upper endoscopy) at 9 AM, then was taken straight to x-ray for upper GI with small bowel follow through. He was thankful they knocked him out for the EGD and woke up asking me if he’d said anything that could get him in trouble while “under the influence”.
EGD showed severe esophagitis (eroded/ulcerated esophagus) extending pretty high up; caused by all the reflux and vomiting. Esophagitis is reversible; damage done will get better - once things are under control.
Dr. A also saw swollen, fluid-filled (edematous) tissue in his esophagus, stomach and small intestine. There was fluid sitting in the stomach—a sure sign that things aren’t making their way out of stomach very well since he’d had nothing to eat or drink for over 12 hours (no wonder he’s had such reflux). It’s a constant irritation to have things just sitting in there (also explains edema in stomach).
EGD also revealed small intestine showed pools of liquid all around, thus indicating it is not functioning properly (not “awake”; therefore, not pushing anything through).
Good news is he didn’t see any signs of a stomach ulcer or cancer anywhere. He did take a biopsy of esophagus, stomach and intestine and will analyze to see if there are any abnormalities.
I have quite the lovely pictures from the procedure to show anyone who's interested!
Ron was started on Erythromycin; an antibiotic that can oftentimes be used to cause intestines to “wake up”. If this doesn’t work (should see results fairly soon) he will switch to Domperidone (medication to wake-up intestines; increases movement/contractions of the stomach and bowel to promote movement through the digestive system). This drug is not FDA approved (small association with cardiac arrest and arrhythmia, therefore they did an EKG this afternoon which came back perfectly normal).
He will remain here at Presby for a couple of days. If Erythromycin doesn’t show signs of helping; he will go home to start on the Domperidone, since it is not FDA approved, the hospital cannot give it to him; so this will be my job…how scary is that? Some days I feel like I’m living in a medical drama. I keep waiting for House to walk in; or maybe Dr. Shepherd; now that wouldn’t be so bad!
Now, on to the upper GI:
The loop of small intestine, that has shown to be enlarged on previous studies, is slightly larger than it was on last study. Dr. A will consult with Dr. S to see if he thinks this could be an indicator of any kind of stricture or blockage and if it needs to be addressed in any way. Otherwise, everything else looked normal.
He will remain on full liquids until we see how things “go”.
Huge praise—I was scheduled for a (3 years) long overdue mammogram Tuesday which I had already rescheduled once before (not a great idea since my mom had breast cancer). When we saw there was a possibility of inclement weather I was debating rescheduling again but just couldn’t decide what to do. Around 4PM HealthSouth called asking if they could reschedule because their machine broke! How’s that for an answer? I immediately went up to see if I could get a room, but they were booked. Around 8PM, I got a call from Hotel Presby informing me they’d had a cancellation…and it was my old room, at the long-term rate, of course! God is so good! Each time Ron has been admitted, my old room has become available. What a testimony to His grace. There’s enough anxiety during these stressful circumstances then add to that trying to sleep in unfamiliar surroundings. And yet, He always provides; at the end of the day, what a comfort to go to bed in my very familiar home away from home for half of last year!
Whew! I think that’s it!
God is good, all the time!
PS: Happy Birthday, Marcie! I love you my sweet sister!
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