Mayo-Week 2

[Guest guest]

Well, now I know what pancreatitis feels like.

The pain in my belly after the ERCP on Thursday just wouldn't go away.

In fact, it got progressively worse over the weekend. A couple extra

strength tylenol would put some water on the fire for a little while,

but not enough to allow me to sleep, and I couldn't eat much of anything.

(I did feel well enough to visit the Spam Museum on Sunday. It's

about a 45 minute drive from Rochester, and it's a MUST see. At the

very least, it will take your mind off all of your physical issues for

a while.)

Finally, on Sunday night, I couldn't tolerate it anymore and headed to

the emergency room at St. 's Hospital, where a CT scan revealed

some mild pancratic inflammation and several pockets of trapped air.

The blood tests were near normal, possibly indicating that it was

starting to resolve itself. The cipro may not have fully prevented

infection, but it certainly kept its impact minimal. I was admitted

and started on morphine, which took the pain away and allowed me to

sleep. By Monday afternoon, the inflammation had reduced and the pain

(without constant morphine reinforcement) had diminished to a point

where I could be released.

Like every other Mayo facility, St. 's Hospital is outstanding.

They do a couple great things in particular which makes them stand

out. First, meals don't come at regular times. You decide when you

want to eat, and then you call " room service " and place your order.

Your food is delivered within 45 minutes. I was restricted to clear

liquids, but I was impressed nonetheless. Next, you get free video on

demand in your room...a great idea, particularly for me, since I

didn't bring any books or reading material with me. Those movies kept

me occupied, thankfully.

I'm still struggling with a painful gut today, but it's tolerable. I

can't eat much yet, mainly because my belly is so swollen that there

is no room for my stomach to expand. It's slowly getting better, and

I'll be interested in Dr. Gores' assessment tomorrow.

This whole episode got me out of a colonoscopy today. I'll take care

of that little project at home.

The only other item on today's agenda was a meeting with the

transplant coordinator, who walked us through what we had done so far,

follow up procedures, and other miscellaneous stuff.

Next, we visited the Gift of Life Transplant House. This 38-room

facility provides $25/night lodging for transplant patients and

caregivers. You can even stay there during the evaluation process.

If they cannot accommodate you, they have arrangements with other

hotels in the area for deeply discounted rates that are much lower

than you can get on any of the internet sites. One catch: you must

take a tour of the house and meet a few simple criteria to qualify.

My advice to anyone coming here for a transplant evaluation: take a

tour early, and then see if they can accommodate you for the rest of

your visit. Had I known this, my lodging bill would be about $1,000 less.

Tomorrow is our last full day here. A final meeting with Dr. Gores is

the only agenda item. It will be nice to be finished.

Tom