Medical Status of Boardmembers

Started by Ball Hopper, December 19, 2019, 03:25:19 AM

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Wildweasel74

#285
Waste of time, I have the same issues, had operation cancelled last May 20 after a few yrs on the list. They can't give u any date now, cause they are so far behind they dealing with cancer patients first. I know of an elderly lady had a compound fracture if the ankle, need plate inserted, waited in Hospital 9 days before a priority operation, brutal.

Tony Baloney

Quote from: Nanderson on June 27, 2021, 10:21:08 AM
Hi All, was just wondering if anyone has found a way of knowing where you are on the NHS waiting lists. I've had a letter saying i was put on the waiting list for bowel problems in July 2019 and I know that covid has delayed the whole process and Northern Ireland are in a bad way with waiting list times as a result.
If you can afford it get your GP to make a private referral. The initial consultation is prob about 200 which is okay. It's the ongoing stuff which will rack up. Unfortunately for consultations private is the only reasonable option nowadays which defeats the purpose of the NHS.

Milltown Row2

Quote from: Tony Baloney on June 27, 2021, 05:19:56 PM
Quote from: Nanderson on June 27, 2021, 10:21:08 AM
Hi All, was just wondering if anyone has found a way of knowing where you are on the NHS waiting lists. I've had a letter saying i was put on the waiting list for bowel problems in July 2019 and I know that covid has delayed the whole process and Northern Ireland are in a bad way with waiting list times as a result.
If you can afford it get your GP to make a private referral. The initial consultation is prob about 200 which is okay. It's the ongoing stuff which will rack up. Unfortunately for consultations private is the only reasonable option nowadays which defeats the purpose of the NHS.

Yeah, if you can afford it, go private, I wouldn't be waiting around on the NHS if Im being honest at the minute the way waiting times are. Something like a bowel problem needs looked into straight away
None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Ea

Rudi

Anyone ever try or know of people who tried bio-energy treatment for any range of health dis-orders & what did they think?

Ball Hopper

Quote from: Ball Hopper on June 19, 2021, 05:36:11 AM
Well folks, the news is not as good as I'd hoped. 

The pressure of the leak test was enough that a small track was noticed at the site of the previous space.  This little space measured 2 cm, versus the 5.5 cm original gap.

It seems the vacuum therapy did not close the space from the inside to the surface, but got a covering over what was left of the opening.  This covering was easily punctured during the leak/pressure test.

Consolation is taken in the much smaller space that remains.  Most of the progress was due to the vacuum therapy, but that is no longer suitable as the sponge can't really fit in the space and it is not so effective if only at the "mouth", so to speak.

So the plan to finally close it off involves placing a treated gauze over the space.  It will work like a desiccant and dry out the area which will encourage everything to come together in a more solid way, along with salts and whatever else to encourage healing.  I guess the natural wetness doesn't allow a more solid scab-like cover to form.

The gauze will be replaced every week in the surgeon's clinic and photographs will be used via flexible sigmoidoscopy to monitor progress as well.  There will be no anesthesia for any part of this procedure, with all tools and equipment inserted via the closest opening. 

Starting next week, the surgeon expects about 4 or 5 visits will be enough to close the space fully.  Another leak test will be held at that stage.

It is good that nobody is rushing the reversal surgery until I'm 100% healed internally and ready.  I'd much prefer that than going ahead now and running the risk of serious infections down the road. 

Oddly enough, I didn't feel any great disappointment in failing this leak test - I just took it as another small step to take on my journey back to full health.

Diet and exercise are doing great, all blood tests are normal and the peripheral neuropathy is fading, even if very slowly. With the warmer weather, I can actually walk barefoot on normal surfaces without any great sense of cold, although the sole of my left foot feels like there is an insole attached to half of it.  I'm not sick in any way, just waiting for a wound to heal fully. 

The month of weekly gauze placement will be up in no time at all and I'm pleased that the finish line is almost in sight, but even more pleased that I'll be back to 100% in no time really.  Thanks again for all the support - it really does mean a lot to me.  I'll update again in about a month, say mid to end of July.

So I'm looking at end of July for the next leak test and if all goes according to plan, maybe I'll have the ileostomy reversal surgery on 5 August, exactly a year after the major surgery of 2020. 


I should be in great shape for the All-Ireland final.

Looks like I'm doubtful for the All-Ireland final.  Healing is slow, but at least moving in the right direction. 

The gauze/packing material seems to have helped, or else I'm healing a little bit anyway. 

Next appointment on 9 Aug will be with full endoscopy and live on the screen in front of me. 

We will probably schedule the next leak test for that week or the next - by 20 Aug for sure.  The surgeon thinks the "hole" will not be so deep next time and will be more of a "dent".  Such a dent means nothing will be trapped that might cause infection later, so ileostomy surgery can be scheduled if that be the case, probably early September. 

The one possible issue that could cause the reversal surgery to be postponed is the presence of any small wisps or tracks at the back /inside part of the "hole".  Such tracks could trap any small particles that would result in infection.  We will cross that particular hurdle and the associated treatment/schedule when we get to that point.

So that's where I'm at for now.  All depends on leak test, as usual.  Doing well in every other aspect...weight about right for surgery (knowing a few pounds will be lost over the surgery and first few weeks thereafter).  Recent blood draw showed everything normal, except for glucose being a little high. 

Pleased enough to be making progress, although missing the one-year time frame for the reversal surgery dropped my attitude for about 10 minutes. 

Must make sure I'm not in hospital for the All-Ireland final and the replay.

As always, thanks for the great support - I think I can nearly see the finish line now (bit of a disclaimer there). 

Will update again in late August.




Milltown Row2

Such a difficult period but a period where things will improve
None of us are getting out of here alive, so please stop treating yourself like an after thought. Ea

Jeepers Creepers


Dire Ear


Ball Hopper

#293
Looks like I won't make the All-Ireland Final either.

Leak test on 25 August showed the space at 1 cm deep, which is half of the 2 cm depth in June.  There are no leaks at the back wall of the space, which is good news, but it did not convert into a "dent" as the opening is only 0.5 cm.  If the opening was up to 3 or 4 cm, there would have been minimal possibility of bacteria getting trapped in it, but now that the opening is so small the risk of proceeding with the ileostomy surgery is deemed too great.

Before continuing, additional scans were included on the day of the leak test and I'm delighted to report no evidence of any cancer anywhere – all clear everywhere in a comprehensive set of chest, abdomen and pelvis scans.

All other matters are well under control – weight is steady and the peripheral neuropathy in now mild and continuing to fade.  Diet is good and exercise picking up again, very much weather dependent as I don't walk in the rain or the heat.

So, what's next?  Well, my medical journey is going into another exciting and educational phase.  After the well-controlled chemo and the rotating radiation equipment, the robotic surgery was eye-opening, to say the least.  Recovery from the surgery was slow with this space/hole very slow to heal.  Several drainage procedures failed or had minimal success before the interesting vacuum therapy got things started.  As the space got smaller, a silver-based collagen matrix (like a desiccant) got me to where I am now, where the space is now too small to pack with the matrix.

Now I enter the world of medical nanotechnology.  Specifically: "nano-structured polymer scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine".      Yes...scaffolds!!!

First off, in our real-size world, imagine we are using regular size scaffolding that is made of something biodegradable but is coated with things that stimulate growth...and it is being used to bring walls of ivy together from both sides as well as above and below to try and form one solid ivy mass.  You can see how it would succeed – now reduce that in size so the scaffolding appears as a powder to the naked eye.  Then just place the powder in the space/wound.  It may well replace skin grafts as a treatment, per the final paragraph below.  Hopefully, it works on internal wounds as well, which is my case.

For a little further information, I'll quote from a journal rather than risking an incorrect summary.  These paragraphs are not consecutive, but overall, I think you'll get the picture:

"The structural features of tissue engineering scaffolds affect cell response and must be engineered to support cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. The scaffold acts as an interim synthetic extracellular matrix (ECM) that cells interact prior to forming new tissue."

"The focus is on nano-fibrous scaffolds and the incorporation of other components including other nanofeatures into the scaffold structure. Since the ECM is comprised in large part of collagen fibers, between 50–500 nm in diameter, well-designed nano-fibrous scaffolds mimic this structure.
A novel thermally-induced phase separation (TIPS) is a process in which a solution of biodegradable polymer is cast into a porous scaffold, resulting in a nano-fibrous pore-wall structure. These nano-scale fibers have a diameter (50–500 nm) comparable to those collagen fibers found in the ECM. This process can then be combined with a porogen leaching technique to engineer an interconnected pore structure that promotes cell migration and tissue ingrowth in three dimensions."

"Allograft tissue is another option, but has its own inherent risk for complications, including its limited supply, as well as the possibility of disease transmission and tissue rejection. The growth of replacement tissue using tissue engineering and regenerative medicine is one method of using technology to create an effective replacement for these types of graft tissue." 

 
I'll have this treatment next week and will report back shortly thereafter with expected duration and any other details that might be interesting, including hopefully a firmer date for the ileostomy reversal surgery.

As always, thanks for the support – it does make a difference.

My treatments have certainly been varied and educational.  I thought the robotic surgery was hugely impressive, but this nanotechnology scaffolding...all I can say is WOW.

Taylor

Fair play to you BH.

You are an absolute inspiration

Franko

Excellent stuff BH, it has been both enlightening and inspiring to follow this journey with you.

Denn Forever

I have more respect for a man
that says what he means and
means what he says...

Jeepers Creepers

Keep'er lit BH. Thank for the update!

ziggy90

Questions that shouldn't be asked shouldn't be answered

balladmaker

Fair play BH, you're inspirational to many here, keep it going!