Tomorrow morning I have another important appointment with one of my specialists.
This particular specialist has been working with me and my health since I was about 17 or 18 years old. He is phenomenal and has helped immensely in coping, accepting, and fighting through certain chronic pain conditions.
In December of 2014, it was decided, by several specialists, that I need surgery. It is the final attempt to even slightly improve some of my symptoms and associated chronic illnesses.
It has been 8 months, and not only do I not have a surgery date, but there is no official lead surgeon, there is no agreed-upon decision of HOW to perform the surgery, WHICH organs to remove (1, 2, or 3), or even where to send me.
My specialist is no longer performing surgeries and, in fact, is planning to retire within the next few years (as far as I understand it).
My specific medical situation is very complicated. There are SEVERAL reasons why it is difficult to find a surgeon who is confident, practiced, and willing to come on board with this surgery. With Hereditary Angioedema and its risk of fatal swelling during surgery, allergies to most antibiotics, missing and shifted organs, adhesions from prior surgeries, and other complications, I am considered a 'high-risk' patient.
They all seem to agree that I need this surgery in order to improve my quality of life and alleviate some pretty severe symptoms, and they agree that it needs to be done as soon as possible, but no one wants to take the reins.
Unfortunately, this has me wondering and panicking - if they keep pushing and pushing and pushing it back, it may wind up being an emergency situation where they have no CHOICE but to open me up and remove those organs.
I really hope that someone, somewhere, across Canada or even the United States, will be able to perform this surgery in the near future. I would like to start recuperating and evaluating what my 'new normal' will be like without all of the hormones that have been a monumental contributor to excess pain, nausea, and life-threatening angioedemic episodes.
This is my final opportunity for those symptoms to improve. There are no more options. This is the last possible 'treatment'. So let's get this going, cross our fingers, and hope for a set surgery date and a positive outcome.