Be careful what you swallow.
Eight weeks into experimental-drug injection treatments for a Crohn's Disease study, I swallowed an endoscopy capsule just like the one I'd swallowed before starting the treatments. Late that night, the resident who was comparing the before and after photos called me.
"The photos show another capsule just kind of hanging out in there," she said.
Each capsule was the size of a larger-than-normal vitamin, and was flashing when I swallowed it. When the endoscopy capsules got stuck, the investigators booted me from the study and sent me to a GI surgeon.
After surgery, I remember trying to focus as the surgeon excitedly showed me and Dave (my husband) photos of my bowel, pulled through a laparoscopic wound where my naval used to be. He explained that he made me a new belly button. "I gave you an innie," he said.
"This is classic Crohn's," he said, and asked to show the pictures to his medical students. He described the surgery -- removing the two capsules, and 50 cm of bowel. He said that nothing wider than a strand of yarn could have passed through that diseased section.
Three days in the hospital was the plan -- 14 dicey, groggy, painful, central-line infusion, blood transfusion-filled days were what I got.
I remember Dave watching World Series games on the small TV bolted to the wall in the room as I drifted in and out of consciousness. And I remember the beautiful flowers friends and family sent that ended up smelling like old broccoli by discharge day. But the details are fuzzy.
That was 7 years ago, five years after my Crohn's Disease diagnosis.
The surgeon said I may have eventually needed the surgery later. But there is no way to tell for sure. As it was, the surgery and hospital stay were free of charge. And they compensated me for the time missed at my new job.
Not that I'd ever want another bowel resection, free or not. I don't think I'll be part of any more drug studies either, though I am grateful for those who are.
And I won't swallow any more flashing indigestibles.
Beth - this is your sister, Sam. I've been reading some of your old posts. I think this is a great thing you're doing. I'll bet if a few gastrointestinal Dr.s knew an RN was posting a blog on Chrons, you'd get lots of referrals.
ReplyDeleteWould be good if you signed off with your name or a user name to make it a little more personal.
Anyway, this is a great thing you're doing.