Comments | boeluen: Ready to rock-n-roll

boeluen

Ready to rock-n-roll

Jan 31, 2007 10:46

The scan looks promising - the right stuff is shrinking properly and the other stuff is increasing in size. Going over the detailed post-op report (like an extensive play-by-play version of the post-op report we had already received) The Professor told us that he removed my appendix in November. Cool - I didn't even realise it and I certainly don't ( Read more... )

surgery, friends, shopping, results

Comments 15

canutius January 31 2007, 17:39:29 UTC

Sounds like things went well, so yay for that. What will they be doing to you in March? Oh, and I think the appendix doesn't actually do anything any more. I think that it's just a left over bit from something that had a function earlier. I wanted them to take mine out when the did the gall bladder, but they wouldn't. Too bad, the only thing an appendix ever does for you is make you sick.

By the way, my aunt and I have been having some pretty hefty discussions about the state of the health service in various countries (aka it's a complete disaster in the States, at least the insurance bit is). To make a long story short, she keeps harping on about how bad it is in France. She had a friend there once who had cancer and she said the hospital was something out of the 30's and that most of the equipment was antiquated. Ergo, social medicine is a mess. Is it really that bad or was that just the one hospital?

boeluen January 31 2007, 23:20:56 UTC

In March they'll lop off the right lobe of my liver. Considering all that they did in November this upcoming surgery should be a walk in the park. Of course, liver-lopping is always delicate ( ... )

canutius February 1 2007, 08:13:52 UTC

Really? You call that a walk in the park? Gad. They must have really tortured you last time. wow. Good luck again. We'll be crossing fingers as per always.

Thanks for your answer. I took the liberty of passing it on to her. I think I mentioned that we are currently having a huge "discussion" about the health services and that comes in very handy. She seems to think that the Americans are the only ones to provide cutting edge medicine and that everyone flocks to the States when they get sick. Okaaay enough of that since it tends to get me upset. Anyway, thanks again for the reply. "Discussion" aside, it's always interesting to hear how people see things in other countries.

Hope you have a good day!

boeluen February 1 2007, 10:46:23 UTC

I completely understand. I hear it quite frequently actually: "The USA has the best health care in the world." or "American doctors are the most talented." or "Hospital in the States are the best in the world." or variations on those themes.
My mum and dad were seriously considering bringing me back to Houston for treatment and or surgery. I even ended up having a conversation with a surgeon. But luckily for me I was able to show them that I was confident in the care I have and continue to receive here. And then they met my doctors and understood for themselves.
I think we always assume that things are better where we are at. Especially when we are in arrogant countries such as the USA or France. It's part of social conditioning but that's another can of worms.
How's the car?
*hugs*

Thread 6

dead_sexydexy January 31 2007, 22:37:49 UTC

The news sounds wonderful! Glad to hear it all went as expected.

boeluen January 31 2007, 23:22:27 UTC

I'm slowly realising just how fast the shortest month of the year is going to fly by!

belladoragirl February 1 2007, 07:43:23 UTC

Glad to hear everything is going well with you!

The appendix, if I remember correctly, was used by our ancestors to help digest raw meat. Since now we cook our meat, we don't need it, now do we?

boeluen February 1 2007, 10:47:21 UTC

Nope I'm not allowed raw meat. ;-)

norus February 2 2007, 11:15:42 UTC

It's just a blind-ended pouch, a tiny little thing. Most people's are about 3cm long and that's it. Then it has lymph glands on it at the end that opens out into the normal bowel (it enters the ascending colon right next to where the small bowel does; you're probably familiar with this anatomy). These lymph glands can get it into their heads to swell up and block off the appendix, which then gets jammed up with secretions and causes appendicitis ( ... )

boeluen February 2 2007, 15:10:07 UTC

Re. predisposition: nope, none. That was the big shocker. My age was cited as the primary reason that the emergency staff at the geriatric-focused hospital where Froggy took me initially in Dec 05, didn't diagnose the occlusion let alone consider colon cancer. Froggy even went back there after I had undergone the surgery at the larger hospital to question them. I think he suffered a lot watching me suffer and he needed to get some answers from the people who saw me first ( ... )

norus February 2 2007, 15:50:38 UTC

I suspect medical jargon is quite similar across languages - the "splenomegalie" in French is "splenomegaly" in English... they all basically come from Greek and Latin and aren't that different. I'm guessing your op was called either a right or left hemicolectomy, or an extended right hemicolectomy. Did they pull out a bag or just join the two ends up? The former is called a Hartmann's procedure in English and I've assisted at one ( ... )

norus February 2 2007, 15:51:03 UTC

Sorry, that was me. I forgot to log in. Muppet.

Thread 5