Knife Happy

In an earlier post I wrote that my general practice doctor, Dr. M., wanted to refer me to a surgeon (whom she called "knife happy") to talk about having my gallbladder removed. She believed that removing my gallbladder might be a way to alleviate the severe nausea and resultant weight loss that I was experiencing.

If "knife happy" is a surgeon who wants to take your gallbladder out, then I would call the doctor I saw as "knife ecstatic!"

I met with him to discuss my gastroparesis and whether or not, taking my gallbladder out would help me feel better.

His suggestion more than startled me; it depressed me. He said that he had talked to a surgical colleague of his - a bariatric doctor who performs gastric bypass surgery - and it would be a "slam dunk" for this doctor to perform something similar to a partial gastrectomy on me, in addition to taking out my gallbladder. In other words, this doctor thought that the best course of action for me was to re-route my digestive process.

I had, many times during the past year, felt "sicker than a dog" and I was willing to do just about anything to get my life back, but having a partial gastrectomy seemed extreme, especially after research suggested to me that one of the complications of gastric bypass surgery is gastroparesis, the very thing I was trying to be cured of!

Needless to say, I am determined to find another, less intrusive and better solution to my problem, but I feel like I'm running out of options. The acupuncture treatments that I've had, twice per week for the past three months, unfortunately, hasn't been helpful.

I have now lost four more pounds and I am down to weighing 140.

I've got a few more things I want to try and another integrative medical doctor that I want to talk to. So, hopefully, I will find something that helps because the status quo is not acceptable.