Friday at around 10:30 after eating a couple of chicken wings, I got a piece of chicken well and truly stuck in my esophagus. Try as I could, I couldn't get it to go down or come up. It was still stuck when I met with my oncologist to get the green light on going back in this Tuesday to start high dose. Dr. Kaufman said that the Kepivance I took last Saturday-Monday in preparation for the scheduled high dose chemo as a proactive means of reducing the severity of the mucositis most SCT patients -- and, I'm told, definitely I, as a result of my esophageal strictures -- will get, caused my esophagus to swell and exacerbated my already severe problem swallowing.
So, after giving me the "all systems go" for going back in this Tuesday, Dr. Kaufman tried to expedite my getting an endoscopy to remove it in Emory's ER. He really did try, calling ahead and even walking over to muscle up some extra speed, but I still ended up spending 7 1/2 hours there for a 40-minute procedure. The GI doc had a really hard time getting it up because it was big enough to just completely block one of my strictures, and it ended up being pretty traumatic, painful and scary. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like I was drowning....it was pretty awful.
Lorraine and I had two of our favorite friends, a couple named Bob and Rick, come from Baltimore to spend the weekend with us. After picking them up at the airport at 5:00, Lorraine brought them straight to the ER, where the three of them waited for me until just after 12:30 a.m.
The good news is that I'm swallowing much better now that the swelling has gone down, and I'm very happy to know that day after tomorrow I'll start high dose. I'm not exactly looking forward to it, but I am absolutely ready to get in there and get it over with.
As Lorraine likes to say, "Git 'er done."
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3 comments:
Good grief lady! Poor You!
That sounds awfully scary. Glad you are feeling better~
That does sound unpleasant. I am so glad you are ok and everything is moving forward. I think about you and am definitely sending good vibes your way.
One question? How was the chicken?
Ok ok, not really that funny but I wanted to see if I could crack maybe just a wittle wittle smile!
Love ya!
Gretchen
Sarah, as if you didn't have enough going on. I think I'd have just sat and cried. Of course, maybe not if I felt as if I couldn't breathe.
May you have used up all your complications, and may you sail through the rest.
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