So, the surgery thing was a success. They stuck stuff down my throat to see if they could locate and reopen the hole between my stomach and the pseudocyst. Oh boy could they. There was pus coming out of it and everything (eew!). So, they opened it up and put a stent in to keep it open for a while (I have to come back in 10 days to get it removed). I'm not exactly sure what they did, but it included debriding the necrotic tissue out of the remainder of the pseudocyst. There was saline flushing involved, too. I have some printouts of pictures through the procedure. One shows a big circle where the necrotic tissue was, and then the after picture of healthy tissue (the pseudocyst wall). The surgery went better than expected - they expected to leave me with a draining tube from the pseudocyst and a feeding tube into my jejunum or lower in the intestines. I woke up worried because I had neither. In the morning, I will be allowed a clear liquid diet (I really hate missing out on real breakfasts), and I should be discharged tomorrow or Saturday (more likely).

My throat is in lots of pain (similar to the initial surgery). Hate talking and swallowing. They gave me chloraseptic spray (with Phenol). It doesn't help. I also requested bags of ice for my throat, which I got. Not sure it really helps with the pain, but it still felt nice on the outside. Attempting to gargle with the melted ice can be nice, and trying to get a small ice chip to melt in just the right spots is good, too. Morphine is ineffective against it. And, from last time, hurriciain spray (benzocaine?) didn't help, nor lozenges. Basically, nothing I can do but keep my mouth shut and try not to swallow.

My abdomen confuses me. I think initially, I could "feel" the stent or some sharp pain with certain movements. It is not that bad now. I think it feels better than before. I can even press on the parts of my upper belly that were very painful before (and even hard from inflammation without using my abs muscles). I am afraid it may be tender, but I really haven't found any tender spots. I guess I'll find out when the docs come by in the morning and press away.

I'm not positive what to expect for recovery (I really wasn't expecting this procedure to work). Not sure how the stent removal will play a part.


post-surgery TMI
As I was being woken up after the surgery (I was even alert when they extubated me), I had the lovely sensation of sharting. Just super wet farts that came complete with the surgical (scissors) removal of my underwear, and a linens change. I think that could have been a combination of the loose stools I've been having (blaming all the antibiotics) and being pumped with air during the procedure. It happened, kinda gross, but not the end of the world. So, now I have shit myself in bed. A humbling experience.