Stomach Problem: Act II

Mayo Clinic Complex as you approach downtown Rochester from the South

When you live in a close-knit community of folks who have become your friends and neighbors over the last several years, there are few secrets, including health secrets. Therefore, most of you are familiar with Act I of my stomach problem. Synopsis: In mid-January, I made two trips in one week to the ER at CARE Regional  Medical Center (formerly North Bay Hospital) in Aransas Pass due to severe stomach pain. The best they could figure out, and as no surprise to me, the output of my stomach was blocked for a reason unknown.

In my opinion, it wasn't completely unknown, only the exact mechanism was unknown. The basic cause was due to a large hiatal hernia, I felt.

I din't ever want it to happen again!

Act II took place last week when  I spent two days at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. It took the gastroenterologist but a very short time to conclude that in all likelyhood my stomach had "twisted"  which prevented the stomach from emptying.

It took him an equally short time to say that it had to be fixed. Hernias in themselves are usually not a significant health issue. Many people have them. But large hernias and twisted stomachs are bad news. In the worst case, they can interrupt the blood flow to parts of the stomach, which requires prompt attention or it can become life threatening. We don't want that!

Surgery to repair the large hernia and pull the stomach back down out of my chest and into my abdomen is scheduled for June 21. The plan is to do it laproscopically, but if that becomes impossible they'll open my abdomen and finish the job. If they can do it laproscopically, I should only be in the hospital for a couple of days; a few days longer if the "long form" is required.

Main patient entrance at the Gonda building

The Mayo Clinic is a marvelous place. They really know how to handle people, dealing with hundreds if not thousands of patients each day. Between 10:30 Monday morning and 2:00 Tuesday, I had met with my gastro  doctor twice, my surgeon and his team once, had two blood tests, an ECG, an upper-end endoscope, a stomach x-ray, and had my picture taken. That completed everything necessary before surgery.

Pat and I were very pleased with the process and the outcome. We hope we can say the same a month from now!

Two of the many Mayo Clinic buildings: Gonda (left) and Mayo

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