Surgery: Round Two

Not What I Expected 

    I previously posted about my medical condition with certainty about what type of operation I was about to undergo.  However, the day of my surgery the nurse let me know that plans might change depending on what the doctor found when he operated. And change they did! A stent was temporarily put in my common bile duct for about two weeks.
    I don't remember much about the events that took place before or after my first surgery. Vanessa went with me to the hospital. Before I went into the operating room, the nurses had her sign some paper work about being my emergency contact. I was extremely pleased (and surprised) that the hospital allowed Vanessa to be my contact. It had a solidifying effect for me. I've understood that our relationship is permanent for quite a while, but that felt like a milestone to me. I often worry about whether or not we will be permitted to legally do important tasks for/with one another. I'm truly grateful to be alive in America during a time that my relationship with Vanessa is more often viewed as equal to a relationship between a man and a woman. I honestly wouldn't want to be without her. I need all of the support and care that she gives me. My dad was there to support me as well during the surgery. It was surreal that he wasn't the primary contact in case of emergency.
    It took me about the whole two weeks after the stent placement to recover. The pain was extreme for almost one week. I was asleep most of that week thanks to some good painkillers prescribed to me by my surgeon. The second week was better, but I was still experiencing some spasms in my common bile duct. It almost felt like being shocked by electricity in the same spot over and over for long periods of time. There was also a constricted, full feeling on the right side of my abdomen. By the second week, the spasms decreased in both severity and frequency.
    The surgery to remove the stent was much less painful, and the anesthesia wasn't as strong either so I didn't feel as groggy or exhausted afterward. The surgeon let me keep my stent. He gave it to me in a biohazard bag before I left the medical center. In true science nerd fashion, I thoroughly examined and measure it when I got home. I didn't understand why it was so painful when it was inside of me until I figured out that it was 3.5 inches long. Here are some photos I took of the stent. This was inside my body!

Fig 1. Stent measuring 3.5 inches in length

Fig 2. Stent displayed next to a quarter

Fig 3. Side view of stent with some bile sludge

       Since the surgery I have only had periodic spasms, mostly when I'm very hungry or very full. I noticed that occasionally if I have too much caffeine I may also experience a small spasm. I'm not sure whether or not there is an actual correlation between the two.
    I suffered with this for seven months. Suffer is not an exaggeration. Sometimes the pain would be so great that I would fall to my knees onto the carpet in my home. Lifting anything above 5 pounds would generate violent spasms. I tried to work out two or three times during this time period, and each time I had to stop or slow down because of the pain. I'm so glad for modern medicine. I'm so happy to finally be free of this constant pain. I'm thankful to all of the physicians, assistants, family, friends, and everyone else who listened to my problem, made suggestions, and encouraged me to seek help. As far as I can tell, I'm still recovering, but I'm so much better than before. Maybe now I will be able to try to meet my weight-loss goals.