Although others might, I don't really think what happened to me was a complication.....just one of those things that had to be taken care of....a bump in the road.
A few weeks ago I noticed that I wasn't able to eat as much as I had been. And immediately after that, my precious little dog, Wesley, went to the Rainbow Bridge. I thought surely that was the reason for my lack of appetite. Immediately after that, I began to have symptoms I recognized of yet another urinary tract infection (which turned out to be the worst one ever).
I was worried that the meds that my pcp prescribed may not be the best, given my rny, so I called my surgeon. In that process, and with lots of questions and answers, the surgeon came to the conclusion that I probably have a stricture, and scheduled an endoscopy for this past Wednesday. He also said that the urinary tract infection (UTI) meds were appropriate, but to make sure I took them on a "full" stomach. Yeah, right, not easy with a stricture.
My overall symptoms were that I was always slightly nauseated, and had no appetite. I had to force myself to eat, and to smile. Was I a little bit scared? Sure! But when I felt fear rear its ugly head, I forced myself to smile.
Having said all of the above, I now will get to the
POINT of this post. I viewed this as a bump in the road of a miraculous surgery that gave me back my quality of life. No back pain. Cholesteral normal. And much more. I knew this complication was fixable, and I smiled through my nausea assuring myself that it would all be fine - a bump in the road.
I had the endoscopy. There was a stricture. The surgeon fixed it. Because of my UTI meds, the surgeon also found gastritis in my pouch (redness, also causing nausea, lack of appetite, etc.), and a daily Nexium fixes that right up.
I came home from the hospital, still smiling. And oh yes, by the way, I asked that my husband stop for a cheeseburger for me - I was FAMISHED!
And now, please forgive me as I wax a bit philosophical....after all, I'm the VERY senior member here agewise ----- for me, life is all about not just surviving, but THRIVING, not just enduring but SOARING. So what if I had a little bump in the road, a complication (that could be fixed). So what if I had a little discomfort. It's all about attitude, in my opinion. It's all about being positive and throwing out that positive energy, because that's what will come back to you.
We must keep things in proper perspective. There are those who do have some serious complications and discomfort, and my heart goes out to them. However, those incidents are rare. I am not addressing those, I am addressing those of you who will have the bumps in the road like I did, the discomforts that are fixable.
It's not a perfect journey. But life isn't perfect. It IS, however, as perfect as our attitudes toward our lives in general make it.
Even through those days when I felt like crap, I smiled. I knew there would be an end to it, and there was. And now I don't have to force myself to smile anymore - it comes naturally. I'm so proud of my journey. So what if there are bumps in the road called fixable complications.
I might also add here that I know what it's like to be dreadfully sick. I had a terminal illness, I've had countless and serious surgeries. But you know what? I always smiled. I always believed in sending out positive energy, AND IT CAME BACK TO ME. I'm here to tell the tale, which is truly a miracle.
Eric, Lynda, Patrick and Corrine, thank you for your loving support. You made my smile brighter through it all.
