Re: Melisa's Checking in Again!

[Guest guest]

Melisa,

I'm so happy that Dr K was able to help you and you're gaining the

weight and muscle back that you need to be healthy. I've been out of

the loop myself, but whether Dee was reading the list or someone gave

her a nudge, I'm glad Dr K have the opportunity to intervene when you

needed him.

*love & hugs*

Anita in San (instead of Denver)

>

> Hey Guys! It's been a while, I've been reading, just not saying

> anything. Thought I'd bring everyone up to speed...

>

> March 12th, Dr. K removed three feet of redundant colon. The

> following week I was in my local urgent care running a fever and

> unable to use the restroom. Dr. K tried to get me air lifted to

> Delano, but they kept telling him they didn't have a contract with

> him, but they did with Cedars Sinai and I could go there. As Dr. K

> said, He was the same distance and NOT in Beverley Hills, therefore,

> Money wasn't the mitigating factor on that. Anyway, they ended up

> keeping me here in Lancaster and performing surgery at 1230A. They

> found a pool of blood under the incision, a stitch that had no

> seemingly obvious purpose that they removed, an intestinal leak where

> he rejoined my bowel together, but it had sealed itself off and my

> transverse colon swollen to ten times the size it should have been.

> They performed a cecomostomy and had a foley bag hanging out of my

> side for almost two weeks. They called it a " relief valve " , as I

> supposedly passed gas through the bag rather then the conventional

> way, I guess. LOL

>

> Never get sick in the Antelope Valley though and have to use AV

> Hosp. I was made to stay in bed, unbathed, on dirty sheets, with a

> five lumen IV in my jugular that was pulling and causing pain for

> four days. I begged to be able to get up and walk around to move

> some of the gas. I was told that the primary care physician was not

> on call, and that as far as the weekend physician was concerned, I

> did not have approval to get out of bed and ambulate. I was given

> permission to have a sponge bath, which I was expected to give

> myself, by myself, and if I wanted clean sheets, I would have to

> wait. Then the day before I was checked out, the student nurses show

> up. The instructor comes in and asks about my condition, asks if I'd

> be willing to work with a student nurse today, and she starts taking

> care of all the things I had requested for four days. The first

> thing was to fix my IV in my neck. She looked at it and

> said, " that's in a bad place and it's hanging very precariously, may

> I please fix it for you? " Then she asked to see the wound, and asked

> if I had showered or bathed. I gave her that answer, and within five

> minutes, the student nurse has clean dressings, clean gown, bucket of

> hot water, soap and shampoo and towels. While getting to sit in a

> chair for the sponge bath, and getting help, they changed the sheets

> in the bed. The nurse instructor asked me if I was ambulatory and I

> told her I had been asking for days to ambulate but no one would walk

> with me, therefore I could not go. She got two students, to walk

> with me as long as I wanted to walk. Then when I finally had my

> first BM, they were right there, ready and willing to help. The next

> day I was discharged. But I tell you, without those student nurses,

> I never would have walked, had a BM or a bath! Anyway...

>

> I saw Dr K last month and he did not like my new incision from the

> doctor here. Dr K had my tummy tuck nice and flat and the skin

> taught. But right now, I look like an a$$ coming and going. My

> incision is now a good 13 " long. Dr. K check all the muscles and

> everything and asked me about the doctor that did the surgery. He

> was under the impression that the doc he spoke with in the urgent

> care would be the primary surgeon, and instead, this other guy was.

> Here I am, outside the OR at 1230 at night, an emergency surgery, the

> doc comes out, walks up to me with a crude drawing and says, " is this

> something like what your stomach and bowels looks like now? " I start

> to freak out. I look at and tries to calm me, and draws

> a picture of my insides for this guy. Dr. K was not pleased. Wanted

> his name and number and wanted him on the phone as I was leaving the

> office. You can always tell when Ara is a little peeved... He was a

> little peeved. Dr. K said we'd tighten up all my loose skin in 6

> months to get it back to where it was before, nice and flat, not

> flubbery.

>

> But, I have to tell you, I forgot what it felt like to be a DS

> patient. I had re-learn everything. After the bowel obstruction in

> August that had me barely eating and going to the bathroom for 7

> months, then trying to bounce back from the severe malnutrition, yet

> still not being able to eat right, for another 6 months, and BM's

> being difficult to say the least, I forgot that cheese can clean you

> out! I forgot, alcohol can make the bowels move a little quicker

> as can coffee! I forgot about the loose, sometimes foaminess of the

> BM. So, when Dr. K asked how I was going to the bathroom, I

> laughed. I said, " I'm a DS patient again! "

>

> I see him again in November and he'll tighten my tummy for my

> birthday. I cannot tell you now how many times this man has

> saved my life, literally. He saved me with the GRDS by helping learn

> to eat differently, and helping my body get rid of Diabetes and high

> blood pressure. Then he saved my life again last August, when he

> told me that had I not come in, I would have died within four days

> from malnourishment. I was so sick at that time, I don't even

> remember the events of the day I got there. I do remember hearing

> him on the phone with Kaiser, raising his voice to them telling them

> that I was not being moved from DRMC to a Kaiser Facility. As he

> told me, They almost killed me once already, he wasn't about to give

> them a second chance. He then saved my life again, when I started to

> show the signs of obstruction and malnourishment again, knowing

> exactly where the problem hid. Of course, this time, he enjoyed his

> work, as he came out of the OR with a huge smile on his face, showing

> how much redundant colon he had removed, calling me the " Queen

> of Redundant Colon " . I was part of a new " theory " and proud to make

> him so happy that he could prove it. In fact, I had an independent

> survey company call me a couple days ago. The survey was to compare

> BM's and other things after the GRDS and after the removal of the

> redundant colon. There was about ten questions or so, and the lady

> asking the questions said that she hadn't ever met Dr. K. I

> explained that if she ever did she would be in the presence of

> angels. She giggled and said, " every patient I've spoken to, of his,

> has given rave reviews about what a great doctor he is. " I explained

> to her that when you have a physician who cares about his patients,

> really cares, enough to make money no object when it comes to doing a

> procedure to save your life, or that he is so gifted and educated and

> experienced in his field that he can listen to your symptoms and just

> know where the trouble lies and how to fix it, but has to do the

> tests to prove it so he can. And when you have a physician who knows

> your family, and thinks about them while he's working on you, you

> have been given the blessing and the rarity of what the hypocratic

> oath really means. You have a physician who takes that oath and

> lives by each letter of each word of each sentence. You truly are

> standing in the presence of greatness. I told her that I truly

> believed Dr. K and God are in league with each other. His hands are

> guided by God's hands. His knowledge and abilities are blessings

> that can only come from one place. And I'm not only proud to have

> him as my physician, but I'm even prouder to call him my friend. She

> said, " wow, makes me want to go meet him. " I told her she'd be

> better for it!

>

> So, now that I've gotten some semblance of normalcy back into my

> life, my husband is having a hard time pulling back a bit and letting

> me do things, like housework, prepare meals, clean the kitchen, do

> the laundry, you know, all the things I use to do before I got so

> sick and stayed that way for a year! He had to do everything, and he

> still went to school and made Dean's List! I'm so proud of him and

> so grateful for him. It was 's pure will and Love that kept me

> hanging on some days. I so wanted the pain and everything to just

> stop, I sometimes prayed that the Lord would take me in my sleep and

> relieve me. I was so weak, I was missing so many important school

> events for my kids... I found pictures taken of Mother's Day... I

> was white as a ghost, in my bed as usual, barely able to smile

> because I was so weak. It was my dear husband whose pure strength of

> will I hung on to. Monday is our 19th wedding anniversary. I'm so

> glad I'm here for that...

>

> I love being... normal. I'm gaining weight, which is a good thing!

> I'm at about 145 now, where I had gotten down to 130. I need to

> build my muscles back, but other than that, I feel GOOD. I feel

> really really good, and really truly, most definitely blessed. Thank

> you to those that emailed with me, sent me cards, visited me in the

> hospital. And I don't know if Dee actually read my email to list in

> August, or if someone here brought it to her attention. But if it

> was the latter, thank you, whoever you are. My children thank you,

> my husband thanks you, my mother thanks you, my sister thanks you and

> I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I truly was not really

> wanting to leave this earth plane yet, as I have yet to experience

> and do everything I think I need to do. So, if Dee did read my email

> Thanks Dee! But if someone brought it to her attention, I owe you my

> life, you have my undying gratitude and loyality as a friend. Words

> cannot say " thank you " sufficiently for me. Please let me know who

> you are though, so that I can show my gratitude.

>

> It's great to be back on the list as an active member again, rather

> than someone who just reads. And I think I'll try to stick around a

> little more... But, I'm going back to school, starting my own custom

> card, stationary and scrapbooking business, and getting busy with the

> family again, I'm pretty sure I will be busy, but I promise to be

> more active on the list. So, that one day, I can be there to help

> someone like someone helped me.

>

> Love,

> Melisa Rechenmacher

> Lancaster, CA

> Before: 326 pounds, BMI 52.8

> Now: 145 pounds, BMI 23

>