Yesterday, our gastroenterologist ran into Kate at the hospital while she was working. Kate told him about the past four weeks including the Meckel's Diverticulum that had gotten infected and removed. The doctor said something that surprised both of us: the Meckel's Diverticulum is made up of both stomach and pancreatic tissues, which means that I … Continue reading Lessons Learned #1: Sunny Side Up
The Lottery Continues
Well, it took me a while to write this one because to be honest, the number of times I've had to go back to the hospital has been embarrassing. This past Tuesday night I spent 8 hours throwing up bile and had to get admitted once again on Wednesday the next morning. I decided I … Continue reading The Lottery Continues
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6 More Inches of Story
Well, that one was one crazy week. I get a bowel obstruction, find out I have a hernia, an extra organ that only 2% of people are born with, had a hand full of doctors at two different hospitals look at my CT scan and say, "I don't know", take an ambulance ride up back … Continue reading 6 More Inches of Story
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Set Backs… and Practicing What you Preach
Set backs are not something I totally prepared for during this process... At least not to the extent in which I would have to come back to the hospital. On Thursday afternoon I experienced some of the worst abdominal pain I've felt since I got my stomach removed. It felt like I had gotten stabbed … Continue reading Set Backs… and Practicing What you Preach
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It’s on… like Dunkirk Spirit
According to the British idiom dictionary, "Dunkirk spirit is when people pull together to get through a very difficult time."
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Surprised!
I could not have thought of a better way to begin my 3rd decade of life then celebrating with the people I love. To think think of our journey this past year and the bullet we dodged has been a little overwhelming and I was left speechless, but thankful.
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Kinked Plumbing, Jose Conseco and Turning 3-0
It has been a little while since my last update, but I'm now 14 weeks out of surgery. I have been busy wrapping up the school year with my students which has been fun, but unfortunately I have not been feeling well in the middle of it all. Weeks 12 and 13 were very rough with particularly … Continue reading Kinked Plumbing, Jose Conseco and Turning 3-0
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Long Week. Ends.
It's been 11 weeks since I've been out of surgery, and this week has been tough. I had a lot of stomach cramps that would last anywhere from 40 minutes to 90 minutes and the return of the dreaded "cat and hair ball" syndrome during certain meals. After making some gains in the weight department … Continue reading Long Week. Ends.
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I Still Have a Torso
One of our amazing middle school students this past Wednesday gave me a hug, but thought removing my stomach would leave me without a torso. This is hilarious, but I definitely see the confusion. We often refer to and think of our torso's as our stomachs rather than the organ itself. The two most common comments as I've … Continue reading I Still Have a Torso
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Stats can be Brutal, Orange Sauce Heals
It's week 5 of my recovery and this week we found out that my little brother Austin also came up positive for the CDH1 gene mutation. In a couple weeks we start the process of meeting with doctors and surgeons at Stanford. I think going through this process first helps, but it is strange on … Continue reading Stats can be Brutal, Orange Sauce Heals
Steve Dang 