Crap - what is it with surgeons and surgery? I've again been bumped. I was supposed to meet with this other surgeon today at 3:00, but got a call telling me she had to go into surgery. I'm important, dammit! Let the other guy bleed out and meet my needs now!

Well....maybe not. I'll have to wait until tomorrow at 8:30am.

That happened to me when I had cancer. What? I have cancer and I got bumped???? Well, somehad it worse than me, I guess.

Cancer....yikes....my problem is so small. Non-fatal has such a nice ring to it in the grand scheme of things.

Eh, my cancer was a piece of cake, or boob. No biggie.

Well, not anymore it isn't.

Arr! It's stressful to wait for these things. Keep us updated tomorrow, will you?

Yeah, 5% is a high rate-- but statistics cannot always be trusted. Is that a total number, or a selected number of surgeries ever performed?

Also, a question of PICC lines-- how are your veins? My mother (who must have a PICC whenever she gets sick now, annually or so) has terrible veins. She's on her last uncollapsed major arm vein and God help this one if they blow it next time.

I'm not sure....I've never had circulatory issues, and drawing )or donating) blood has never been a problem. Would a PICC line cause them problems?

I am a hamster. I have a shiny wheel in my cage. I run on it. I run hard. I don't get anywhere except back to the place I was before.

Well, at least the surgeon I saw today (who trained at Mayo) didn't think I need an esophageal resection. She actually thought that was a bit ridiculous. Good news. She thinks I need a redo of my first surgery (Heller myotomy) to extend the weakening of the muscles around the esophagus. I have also developed a hiatal hernia (top of the stomach starts extending above the diaphragm) that can be easily fixed when the redo is done. Apparently, that's not uncommon after a heller myotomy.

This surgeon feels unqualified to do a redo of a heller myotomy. Much trickier than the first. She's never done one. So she recommended the SAME SURGEON I'VE BEEN WANTING TO SEE AT THE MAYO CLINIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a hamster. I have a shiny wheel in my cage. I run on it. I run hard. I don't get anywhere except back to the place I was before.

I have a message in with my insurance case manager. I wonder if the insurance will finally approve me going to see a surgeon at Mayo Clinic. When the surgeons they send me to tell me that the only people that can do it are at Mayo, and the doctor I saw at Mayo says the only people that can do it are at Mayo, maybe the insurance will figure out the there IS NO OTHER FLIPPIN' OPTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a hamster. I have a shiny wheel in my cage. I run on it. I run hard. I don't get anywhere except back to the place I was before.

(takes a deep, cleansing breath. takes several. is OK now.)

DAMN. You ARE a hamster!

Jeebus, what a circus.

So, have you checked if the Mustard Clinic or the Relish Clinic has anyone that can perform the procedure?