Today I was sedated with Propofol, the drug that killed Michael Jackson. After the procedure, the PA said to avoid moonwalking for the rest of the day.
As I’ve mentioned in several other posts, I’ve been having a difficult time with keeping liquids and solids down the last 10 days. I’ve been having some pretty violent vomiting, which can cause scarring on my surgical anastamosis (where the stomach pouch and small intestine come together.) At my 4-week post-op visit, Dr Smith told me that I probably had a stricture, and would need to have an endoscopy to see if I needed to be dilated. Unfortunately, the soonest I could get an appointment was Thursday (today), so I’ve had a tough few days. Monday night I was in the ER to get hydrated, and I’ve still been having a tough time getting enough fluids.
This morning I had to be at St. Marks at 7:30am for registration. Once all the paperwork was order, I was taken into endoscopy. I got in my gown, was hooked up to IV fluids and monitors, and had an EKG. I was asked the most comprehensive health history questionnaire imaginable. I’m allergic to fentanyl, which is commonly used in endoscopic procedures, so they said they would be using a different drug on me.
Once all the pre-procedure stuff was taken care of, the took me into the endoscopy procedure room. They put me on oxygen by nasal cannula, and the tech told me about the functions of the endoscope. The actual scope was smaller than I expected, much to my relief. Within the black cable (which is hanging down in the from the machine on the right), there are functions to insufflate (blow air) and suction, as well as the camera.
They called Dr. Simper (one of Dr. Smith’s colleagues), who would be giving me the procedure. He reviewed all the risks and benefits of the procedures, then I signed consent forms. They started an IV push of Propofol, and everything got fuzzy until I fell asleep.
The procedure took less than a half hour. The endoscopy showed that I indeed had a stricture. A normal anastamosis is supposed to be 10-15mm. Mine was 4.5mm. This is like the difference between the diameter of a dime versus a pencil. No wonder I had such a hard time keeping things down! They successfully dilated me, and said I should be having immediate relief.
As I woke up from the sedation, I felt so loopy. I was jabbering about how colorful my dreams were, and how the wallpaper border of the room looked like it was moving like a conveyor belt. They told me that I was coming off of Propofol, which was one of the drugs that killed Michael Jackson. I was told to take it easy for the day, and to avoid any moonwalking for the rest of the day. I was advised to have clear liquids for the rest of the day and to avoid any “activities that require good judgement.”
I was given some apple juice with Sprite to drink, so they could see if I could keep it down. I was excited that I was able to drink and keep the drink down without discomfort. After finishing more IV fluids, they released me. I spent most of the day sleeping, which wasn’t hard because I was still so groggy from the sedation. I sipped on broth and juice, and had some sugar-free popcicles. After being on clear liquids so much this week, I’m VERY excited to go back to soft foods tomorrow. Bring on the cottage cheese and yogurt!
But enough about Michael Jackson, endoscopic procedures, and liquid diets…how about The Ramones?
