Upcoming Surgery
Well, looks like I'll be going in on Dec.27th for surgery. They are going to remove the part of the esophagus with the stricture, because the doctor said, without the surgery, it would keep reclosing, and I'd probably have to come back every month or two for more dialations, running the risk of rupturing the esophagus, which would create a huge emergency.
The good news is no cancer was found in the biopsy, so that's one less thing I have to worry about. It's most likely caused by a hiatal hernia and long time acid reflux (which I was diagnosed with in the late 1980's). They believe they will be able to access the problem area via the stomach, but if that fails, they'll have to go in via the chest.
They said I'd have until I was on the table to be able to change my mind about the operation, but a possible ruptured esophagus doesn't sit well with me, and I'd like to get this out of the way and not worry about it flaring up every month or two, so I DOUBT I'll change my mind. I'll be "knocked out" anyway, so hopefully I'll have no clue what is going on.
The good news is no cancer was found in the biopsy, so that's one less thing I have to worry about. It's most likely caused by a hiatal hernia and long time acid reflux (which I was diagnosed with in the late 1980's). They believe they will be able to access the problem area via the stomach, but if that fails, they'll have to go in via the chest.
They said I'd have until I was on the table to be able to change my mind about the operation, but a possible ruptured esophagus doesn't sit well with me, and I'd like to get this out of the way and not worry about it flaring up every month or two, so I DOUBT I'll change my mind. I'll be "knocked out" anyway, so hopefully I'll have no clue what is going on.