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Archive for the ‘Tummy troubles’ Category

Flashback Friday: Digestive Tract Paralysis

Posted in Flashback, Friends, Guest stars, Kiddos, Life Line, mito, Raising Awareness, Sharing is caring, Tummy troubles on 26 August 2011| Leave a Comment »

One year ago, I posted on Digestive Tract Paralysis (DTP) for the G-PACT-sponsored DTP Awareness Week. As a treat, I’m reposting with the permission of my featured guest stars.

Unfortunately for me, a lot has changed in the last twelve months. Due to my worsening DTP, I became severely malnourished and the damage done to my GI system appears irreversible.  I had a GJ-tube inserted in December 2012 which has proven unsuccessful in treating my DTP.  The medications (that you’ll read about below) that once worked to “control” my dysmotility have since failed.  My motility specialist says I am likely to be TPN-dependent for the remainder of my life.  Furthermore, most of my medication has been transferred to intravenous (IV) form as I have severe malabsorption to anything given enterally (through the GI tract).  But yet, this has given me such an improved quality of life. I have more energy and less pain. My days aren’t spent worrying about getting in enough calories to sustain life.  And I can still do almost everything I could do before our various interventions. Actually, I can probably do more.

So, without further ado, I would open a window into life with Digestive Tract Paralysis. Thanks for reading!

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August 22-29 is Digestive Tract Paralysis (DTP) Awareness Week.

Because I live with DTP, I thought I’d share a little about DTP, my story, and the stories of some friends.

I have what’s called “gastroparesis.” That’s gastro– (meaning stomach) and –paresis (meaning paralysis). I also have intestinal dysmotility which has resulted in chronic intestinal psuedo-obstruction (CIP or CIPO). And that’s chronic (meaning long-term), intestinal (meaning relating to the small intestines and colon), pseudo- (meaning false), and obstruction (a blockage). Both issues are common with many types of mito.

 

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The Other Side

Posted in At the Doctor's, Hospital life, Life Line, mito, Raising Awareness, Sick and Tired, The storm, Tummy troubles on 15 August 2011| 7 Comments »

Last week was Home Parenteral Nutrition (HPN) Awareness Week.

As many of you know, Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) keeps me alive. It’s called Total PN because I receive essentially all of my nutrition parenterally – through a line in my chest that goes straight to my blood (“parenteral”) rather than through my gut (“enteral”). Fourteen hours every day I am hooked up to an IV line that delivers this nutrition. The other ten hours I am hooked up to a line that delivers what is essentially sugar-water which keeps my blood pressure and blood glucose levels stable. I am very grateful for these lines.

However, there is a very real and very serious downside to requiring parenteral nutrition. Part of this downside is that a line that constantly enters your blood system, right next to the heart, where it can be pumped throughout the entire body; this line can introduce bacteria and yeast to the bloodstream causing a very serious infection called septicemia. This describes the reaction the body has to foreign bodies in the blood stream. (“Sepsis” is the same reaction but to an infection in any part of the body.) It can involve changes in temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, white blood cell (WBC) count, and respiration rate.

Septicemia has seemed to find a friend in my body. And usually when it hits, it hits hard – bordering and even reaching septic shock. It’s scary and painful. My brain feels like it’s a ferris wheel, spinning upon itself, and nothing makes sense. And because my white blood cell count – white blood cells fight infection – are low/low-normal when well and do not seem respond to infection, we have no warning. In fact, doctors have nearly discounted my fever numerous times because of a lack of WBC response only to find out my body is going full-out septic just hours later.

 

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I’d like to use a life line, Regis

Posted in At the Doctor's, Boston, Friends, Home sweet home, Hospital life, Immune Deficiency, Keith, Life Line, mito, music, Raising Awareness, Show of Hope, Sick and Tired, The storm, Tummy troubles, umdf on 25 May 2011| 4 Comments »

I’ve been home for nearly two weeks now. Recovery has been slow and has sapped me of most of my excess energy so many apologies. Because there’s so much to cover – and I’m having difficulties organizing my thoughts – we’re going to go about this bullet-style.

  • I’m home. I was discharged with a four-week course of IV Vancomycin (a very powerful antibiotic) at a very high dose. Because we never got those sensitivities back (i.e. what bug we’re fighting and what antibiotic is best to fight it) and my reaction to the infection scared them (though I assure you, it did not scare nor surprise me or Keith), the doctors are playing it safe. I guess that’s what they do best. I was also on Cipro (another antibiotic), but I have finished that course.

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