Ugh.
My plans have changed. I'm staying in Waltham for the foreseeable future. My mom's condition has changed again. Not imminent-kickoff change, but things are once again more serious, and the doc said when asked that it would be better if I stayed. So I am.
My mom's bleeding from somewhere in her upper GI tract. They've done two endoscopies and one colonoscopy (via the stoma), and the bleed is somewhere in between where the gastroenterologist was able to see. The bleed had slowed significantly by itself, and so they started letting Mom eat again. Three days later, the bleed is back to its former high levels. When I was there with her yesterday, I saw her colostomy bag quickly fill with a gush of what looked like mostly blood. It was distressing, to say the least.
The doctor repeated my mom's options for dealing with the bleed again this morning. She agreed to the initial, least invasive diagnostic. They will radioactively tag some of her red blood cells and then re-inject them into her. Then they stick her under a scanner and hope the radioactive RBCs show up and pinpoint the location of the bleed.
If it's successful, the next possibilities are
- A procedure where they go in through a vein in the groin and essentially stick a biodegradable tube in to the damaged blood vessel(s). The tube is eventually absorbed by the body; hopefully, after the blood vessel has healed. The doctor wasn't sure my mom is a candidate for this, given how poorly her blood is clotting, and the high-pressure nature of the blood vessels in the groin.
- Surgery. Mom's an even worse candidate for surgery. Take all the bleeding issues, add a ton of previous abdominal surgeries with their associated scar tissue and adhesions, and tack on her generally poor current condition.
Unsurprisingly, I'm feeling pretty low right now. I called D. to take him up on his standing offer of cuddles, so I'll be feeling better soon.