Well, I think we've made progress toward getting the second surgery scheduled. My ultrasound with my OB/GYN showed small cysts on my ovary which "could" have caused the severe pain last weekend, but maybe not. He said I could also have had a cyst rupture last weekend and it's no longer there. Combined with my UTI and possible IBS (alphabet soup, huh?!), each could have contributed to a really lousy weekend! Anyway, he gave the green light for surgery (nothing acute happening right now in my system, as he sees it) and once I'm recovered from all this, I'll see him again to talk about how I'm doing.
THEN, later today, I had an appt with my family doctor, reviewed all this, and he agreed. He said that if it was something serious (like colitis, direticulitus, blah blah blah), I would have on-going symptoms and probably a fever, too. He also said that if I have any more symptoms like last weekend, he would order a CT scan right away, but in the meantime, let's get the surgery scheduled.
SO - I called the neurosurgeon and they said they would get moving on setting a date. Hopefully it will be within the next two weeks. A plastic surgeon will be involved in the surgery also (since there is work to do / clean up with my scalp) and I'll be meeting with him sometime between now and the surgery. What an ordeal.
I also seized the opportunity to ask the clinical nurse (Nurse Nancy...she is fabulous!) some questions about this current situation. I asked her what the difference was between this time (discovery of the infection the 2nd time) and the first discovery - the first time, it was an emergency situation and now it seems like we've got all the time in the world...whereas I'm scared that the more time that goes by allows the infection to spread throughout my body!! She calmly explained to me that the first time, they didn't know the source of the infection, what type it was, and I was really sick. They brought me in, did cultures, gave me powerful antiobiotics, monitored my white blood count throughout my stay in the hospital until they were convinced it was ok to send me home. Now, it's back, but they know what it is from the first cultures, I'm not sick, and my blood work shows that my white blood cell count is almost normal which means that it is not threatening to spread throughout my system. She said if I had a fever, was sick, or my bloodwork was questionable, then they would have admitted me right away. So, she advised me that in the meantime, if I start feelling bad or spike a fever, to call them immediately. That really put my mind at ease...I'm not the most patient patient, and my mind really works overtime to create worst case scenarios.
All this said, I am hoping that I have no more mysterious abdominal pains and I can sail through this next chapter.
Thanks for all the support... I don't know what I would do without all of you!!!
Kathy
