Sam's update
Sam got to see our family doc today. As soon as I told the doc what Sam's symptoms were, he said, "Wow, this sounds all too familiar!" Yes it does! He remembered how it took almost three months to diagnose him because he didn't present in the usual way with an intessuception.
His xrays and abdominal exam came back normal which are good signs. When he had surgery three years ago, rather than remove the part of his small intestine that had telescoped back in itself, the surgeon was able to pull it out and straighten it back but it left a crease. The surgeon felt that his body would naturally 'smooth' the crease out over time. Since the surgery, various colonoscopies have shown that Sam has enlarged lymph nodes throughout his intestine indicating some inflammation.
There's a chance that the crease is getting caught up on some lingering lymph nodes that are larger than they should be for whatever reason and at times, narrowing the diameter of his intestine causing all the problems. The other theory is that he has inflammatory bowel disease which we have battled before.
Our doc is sending us back to the surgeon for his opinion and sometimes, they can do a test similar to a colonoscopy but they shoot air into the intestine and 'pop' the creased part out kind of like you would a dent in a something. It will be interesting to hear what the surgeon has to say and that will take place on Wednesday. I'm glad I didn't take the wait and see approach. We have more options now to turn things around before it gets too bad.
On a side note, can I just say that Spencer is beat! He has been working 10 hours days since last Wednesday and tonight when he got home from work, he had no feeling in his legs. They weren't just asleep, he couldn't feel them at all! Saturday night, he slept over 12 hours, went to church then slept for three hours, stayed up for a couple and went to bed and slept through the night. I am really worried but at the same time, this experience of working and being responsible is a great life lesson. It's tough to watch.
His xrays and abdominal exam came back normal which are good signs. When he had surgery three years ago, rather than remove the part of his small intestine that had telescoped back in itself, the surgeon was able to pull it out and straighten it back but it left a crease. The surgeon felt that his body would naturally 'smooth' the crease out over time. Since the surgery, various colonoscopies have shown that Sam has enlarged lymph nodes throughout his intestine indicating some inflammation.
There's a chance that the crease is getting caught up on some lingering lymph nodes that are larger than they should be for whatever reason and at times, narrowing the diameter of his intestine causing all the problems. The other theory is that he has inflammatory bowel disease which we have battled before.
Our doc is sending us back to the surgeon for his opinion and sometimes, they can do a test similar to a colonoscopy but they shoot air into the intestine and 'pop' the creased part out kind of like you would a dent in a something. It will be interesting to hear what the surgeon has to say and that will take place on Wednesday. I'm glad I didn't take the wait and see approach. We have more options now to turn things around before it gets too bad.
On a side note, can I just say that Spencer is beat! He has been working 10 hours days since last Wednesday and tonight when he got home from work, he had no feeling in his legs. They weren't just asleep, he couldn't feel them at all! Saturday night, he slept over 12 hours, went to church then slept for three hours, stayed up for a couple and went to bed and slept through the night. I am really worried but at the same time, this experience of working and being responsible is a great life lesson. It's tough to watch.
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