Validation Is Something ...

For those who have followed Chad's journey, you know he's had a hell of a time with various issues. We are no closer to figuring out his digestion stuff and he started vomiting again more frequently for a little while there. I am not sure what the next step is here.

Yesterday we went to Marion IL where he had an MRI done on his knee to try and see what is wrong there. The earlier X-Ray showed some areas of concern so the MRI was the next step. We should have results for that in a few days.

In Other News:  Chad also has on-going issues with his neck and arms/hands. He's already avoided surgery because his C4 and C5 discs are shot. That was largely affecting  the left side of his body.  He avoided surgery by getting pain management shots and has been doing okay there for the past 2-3 years. Now his left side is bad. The doctor we went to originally (I think I complained about him last time) did absolutely nothing for him. Basically told him he had Tennis elbow.

Chad had a nerve conduction study done yesterday and that doctor determined he does in fact have issues in his C6 and C7 now.  He will recommend oral steroids to see if that helps and new imaging (MRI) If the steroids do not help, then he will recommend actual pain management. I expressed my concern with his referring us back to that doctor because he has been completely useless thus far. Not surprisingly, this doctor did not have a high opinion of the Pain Management doctor either. He said he thinks he works for the VA just so he can say he works for the VA. So God willing, if Chad does require actual pain management, we should get a referral to someone outside the VA.

So while the news isn't awesome, it is validation (finally) that there is something wrong and we have a few options on how to proceed to treat it. This doctor visit was the first, in a long time, that we left with a little bit of hope that maybe at least ONE thing can find some improvement.

When I know more, I'll keep you posted xo

Biopsy Results

Chad got a (very uninformative) call from the doctor today. Brief re-cap. During his endoscopy, Mr Finch (Gastroenterologist) discovered what he thought to be Barrett's Esophagus.  It was my understanding they were sending that away to determine at what stage it was to determine follow-up care.

Options:

• No dysplasia, if Barrett's esophagus is present but no precancerous changes are found in the cells.
• Low-grade dysplasia, if cells show small signs of precancerous changes.
• High-grade dysplasia, if cells show many changes. High-grade dysplasia is thought to be the final step before cells change into esophageal cancer.

The doctor's office called today to report that Chad did test positive for Barret's Esophagus (Boo - but expected). They also reported that it was benign for cancer. (Great News!!) That's all I know and since they called Chad, he didn't ask any further questions. They never mentioned a treatment plan or anything either. I know there isn't much to do for treatment other than monitoring it and reducing acid reflux, which Chad does anyways with his various medications and removal of gallbladder, etc.,  

I put a call in with the office. Once they get back to me, I will update this post. x

Thanks for your love and support <3 


Post Update:  The doctor's office has phoned me back and confirmed there is no dysplasia. His esophagus presents features of Barret's Esophagus but there are no precancerous changes. We will continue to control his GERD and follow-up with routine endoscopies! This is our best case scenario with a confirmed diagnosis. Thank God and this beloved Universe <3