Six Month Check-Up

I stopped publishing about coming off of oxycodone because of something that I saw on facebook - took personally - and felt shamed. I don’t really want to go too much into it now, because that’s not really the focus of this entry, but I’m still shocked by who the secret jerks are.






That’s all I’ll say about that.
Anyway - I had my six month check-up for my stem-cell transplant! For a clear re-cap, since one hasn’t been provided; after the stem-cell coated plug placement, I ended up re-fistulizing not once, but twice, which resulted in many emergency trips to Rochester by myself in screaming pain, and two extra surgeries. As I’ve said, I still have an open tract, and I’m being treated bi-weekly with silver nitrate (which chemically burns the tissue, theoretically getting it to fuse together). It hurts intensely (have someone put out a cigarette directly on your bum), and causes bleeding and weeping for days afterwards.



Pictured: Hell sticks
All in all, not fun.


However, at my check-up, the GI doc tells me that since the tract hasn’t healed, that I might be a candidate to do the stem-cell treatment a *second* time. They are in the process of re-applying to the FDA for the second round of the trial. I’ve touched base with everyone involved, from my surgical nurse to Jessica and Janell (the Research Assistants who are amazing), and they all seem hopeful that I could be helped again. Small bonus - my stem-cells are still...on file??...at the Mayo Clinic, so I wouldn’t have to undergo a second belly-fat biopsy. (Not that I don’t have the belly fat to spare, but I do have a gnarly scar from the first one that I’m way proud of! Can’t really show off the other scars. It’s frowned upon, generally.)
I’ve seen the other scars. They take pictures. Every time I have a check-up. With a big, fancy, paparazzi camera. They take a picture - BAM - it pops up on the computer screen, in my file. It’s intense. I have seen my butt WAY more than I have ever cared to.
In an extremely silly way, I’m proud of my butt. It goes through *so much*. I’ve had far too many surgeries (any more than one is too many, and I’ve had at least six, and five colonoscopies), invasive testing (CT scans, MRI’s, digital rectals), not to mention the actual crohn’s disease. Once this tract has healed, I should really do something to pamper it. Not literally PAMPERS, I’m not into that.





Seriously, though. My ass has been through a lot.


xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

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