The visit to Mayo Clinic this week was fairly productive I think. The urologist I saw there is certainly willing to help me figure out what the underlying problem is, rather than just saying it’s such and such and expecting someone else to fix it (that’s the case locally). As such, when my stent is exchanged later this month, it will be done as outpatient at Mayo, instead of outpatient where I live. Doing it there will also allow the urologist to run some tests while I’m under general anesthesia. It’s an easy enough procedure, but thankfully it is done under general anesthesia. Having one removed is uncomfortable enough (and is done in the office, with just some topical numbing). I can’t imagine having one placed while awake.

My urologist at Mayo is also putting in a referral to a colorectal surgeon to get their take on the situation. No one quite knows what the “mass” is and outside of an aspiration biopsy last fall, no one has really tried to figure it out. Tests done on the aspirated fluid indicate it’s not malignant, but not much else. The urologist was also going to talk to Interventional Radiology about other possibilities for my blockage issues on the right side.

Overall, I left Mayo with the feeling that I had seen a doctor willing to help me get “unstuck” and help me find the answers. She understood and agreed that the stent at this point is nothing more than a band aid for a problem no one understands. It’s a terrible thing to be caught between doctors. Hopefully having a urologist and colorectal surgeon at the same facility will help matters along.

I am feeling better today than I have in some time. That’s likely due to the increase in my fentanyl patch . I wanted to keep going down on the fentanyl patch, but unfortunately I’m not tolerating the stent well at all. The hope is that the increased dose will get me feeling better and allow me to be untethered to the heating pad. Only time will tell if it’s working.