Still Miles to Go

The more people I meet the happier I become. From the meanest creature one departs wiser, richer, and more conscious of one’s blessings.
-Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot

I guess when it comes down to it, I’m a pretty lucky girl. I’ve been asked on numerous occasions where my outlook comes from. It comes from you, the people who surround me. The people who love me. The people who help me learn from encounters with the “meanest creatures.” The people who remind me each and every day that I am blessed.

In my last post, I had mentioned how I hardly realized that it was Christmas. But my amazing friends have taken care of that.

The following day my amazing friend Erin stopped by to say “hi” and bring me a REAL mini Christmas tree, decorated with lights and all! Later that evening, my “Massachusetts Family,” including my favorite little munchkins (Sasha and Will), came and decorated the room with garland, lights and holiday figurines.

I must say that while looking around the room, it’s a TON easier to get in the holiday spirit. So I would like to thank them (and the multitude of other friends who have stopped by to keep us company). I don’t know where I’d be without each and every one of you!

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On a different note, things here at MGH are progressing slowly. I’ve been poked and prodded every which way and the doctors discovered exactly what I had told them over a week ago when I was first admitted: my digestive tract SUCKS.

At this point, we’ve exhausted most of our options. Medication was a bust and the least invasive procedure seemed to make things worse. That means we’re moving on to more drastic procedures to ensure I get the proper nutrition. I previously mentioned what options we’re looking at a few months ago. After my primary care, GI motility, and mito doctors convened, it was decided that a gastrojejunostomy or GJ Tube was our best option.

So tomorrow (Thursday, December 16th), I’ll be undergoing a surgery to have the GJ tube placed. As you can see below, I will have a “port” coming out of my stomach.  The port is connected to two tubes, one of which terminates in the stomach (gastro-) and the other in the jejunum (jejuno-). This will allow me to feed directly into the small intestine (specifically the jejunum) and drain built up gas and gastric juices from my stomach due to the gastroparesis.

Luckily, the GJ tube does not preclude eating by mouth; rather, it ensures that I fulfill my nutritional needs. All-in-all, it’ll make things a ton easier on me and I should be able to (at the very least) keep weight on my bare bones.

I’ll certainly update after the procedure to let you know how it all goes!