Suzy, are you talking to an MD about this?

[Guest guest]

Suzy:

I've gone back through your posts and also our private

correspondence, and I'm not clear on the following.

I think that most of us would feel more comfortable making

suggestions to you if we were confident that you are also working

with a medical team.

Are you, or are you not, in contact with Jo-An about the problems

that you are having with your abdomen, your digestive system, and

your urinary problems? (For everyone else, Jo-An is Bervin's nurse-

care manager, and the person who runs front-line interference to get

patients taken care of.)

I understand that you have issues with Dr. Bervin's office and with

UCSF. (Believe me, I've been there. Literally.) However, they are

your surgical team, and they know your case. If you don't want to

work with them anymore, are you in touch with an MD in your area?

Basically, you're in a very serious post-op situation, and it should

be managed by a medical team, not by secondhand advice from people

who are responding only to the limited information in your posts.

There are all kinds of things about everyone's individual post-op

situation that can only be assessed by medical professionals who've

actually seen you and who have access to the full case record.

Please, I think we'd all feel much better if you assure us that

you're in touch with a doctor--ANY doctor if you don't want to work

with UCSF anymore--who's qualified to deal with the serious post-op

recovery problems that are typical of this operation. We're not

doctors, we haven't examined you, we haven't seen your records.

Please know that it is not my intent to offend anyone or to overstep

boundaries or to anger people or to tout UCSF or to do ANYTHING

other than seek assurance that you're getting medical advice about

your problems and activities beyond the very good lay advice of this

group.

Elissa

> Suzy, I know at one point you mentioned that you were going to

cut back on

> water ? I think you said that. I have always been told that you

should make

> sure you get plenty of water when eating fiber. Water and

exercise have

> always done the trick for me along with fruit and occasional stool

softeners.

>

> What has your doctor said about it ? Barbara