"There's a myth that anyone who has a liver problem has brought it on themselves" This quote is from a Crohn's disease patient living with a blocked portal vein hoping for a liver transplant (Independent 31st Oct 2010)

Tuesday 8 March 2011

Procedure failed

Booked for a gastroscopy today, to check for any potential problems with leaky internal blood vessels - a common side effect of cirrhosis.
I've never been good at the dentist probing the back of my mouth. I was also unable to tolerate the naso-gastric (or NG) tube after my liver resection surgery.
So I was pessimistic about the success of this procedure, which involves a tube the thickness of a biro down your throat and into your stomach. I had a long chat with the endoscopy nurse.
We decided to go for it on the understanding that she would stop if it became clear I was distressed. Into my veins went a nice big dose of midazolam sedative and I drifted off to sleep. The last I remember of a normally 5-10 minute procedure was the teeth-guard about to go in.
45 mins later I wake up back on the ward to find they had been totally unable to intubate me. Despite being completely out of it on the drugs I had reacted in some way that they got no further than my mouth, let alone my throat or oesophagus. Hope I didn't swear or hit anyone! I don't know, because the amnesiac effect of the drug means I have no recollection at all.

My notes now say 'Mrs S was unable to tolerate the procedure. For discussion at HpB MDT meeting tomorrow with scan and biopsy results'. So, I don't know where we go from here. It's possible another scan instead of the endoscopy. I should get a call Wednesday afternoon.

Back home. I've eaten nothing since 9pm Monday and nothing to drink since 11am today so I'm starving and thirsty. Time to refuel. Pancake day.
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2 comments:

  1. Eric8 March 2011 at 23:58

    Yikes, at least you don't remember! I like the part about the pancakes, however.

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  2. Fiona9 March 2011 at 06:47

    Hi Eric
    I follow your and Sheri's blogs daily. Do hope this treatment plan stabilizes things.
    The amnesia bit is weird - I think I remember asking the nurse what went wrong, but I'm not sure I remember what she said! Woke up with sore throat today so someone must have poked something somewhere. I'll ask her again when she calls today as I'm embarassed I might have said or done something embarassiing!

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