I do various operations as a general surgeon. Gastrojejunostomy is one of the operations which I specialize in. It's a kind of bypass operation of the alimentary tract. The stomach and upper intestine are connected by this method. When there's something in the stomach outlet or duodenum which narrows the alimentary canal or blocks the flow of food, the patient undergoes gastrojejunostomy if he/she wants to be able to eat something. If not, the patient would be fed by the intravenous hyperalimentation without any oral intake until his/her death. It means that the patient under this alimentation would never be able to leave the hospital.
The patient was a 55 year-old sincere man who had kept working for his family for a long time. His life looked like a thorny path. After his daughters got married, just when he was relieved, stomach cancer was found in him along with multiple hepatic metastasis. He consulted me complaining of frequent vomiting and that he couldn't eat meals. He was promptly diagnosed in the terminal stage of stomach cancer with a gastroscopy test and CT scan. He calmly accepted the reality. His daughters, however, were frantic. After going wild crying, they asked me to make him live longer to build good memories with him. They had never enjoyed family trips, and they hoped for a two-night family trip to a hot spring. This trip must be the first and last family trip for them. I took on their last desire. Their trip was scheduled on Feb. 11th, which is National Foundation Day.
I performed a gastrojejunostomy today. The inside of his abdomen was terrible and worse than I had expected. The operation was successful, but I was afraid the invasion of the cancer would advance to the anastomosis site in a few months. I just hope that he would be able to eat as early as possible and spend ordinary days at home for as long as possible.
In such cases, gastrojejunostomy isn't a curable method, but I think it is significant way of thinking for producing precious time toward the end of the life, though some surgeons don't think so.
(Vocabulary)
hollow〈行動・結果などが〉 むなしい, 無意味な, 価値のない
a hollow victory むなしい勝利
stomach exit / stomach outlet 胃の出口
thorny path いばらの道
frantically 半狂乱で
go wild doing 半狂乱で～する
take on（仕事・責任などを / 医者が患者を）引き受ける
anastomosis site 吻合部
Thank you. His condition is better that I expected. I think that I'm really a lucky man to become a surgeon.
Posted by: KUMO | Feb 17, 2011 at 03:53 PM
What a sad story. You at least were able to give him some time to show his love for his family...and they to him.
To be able to do great things for people must be wonderful way to live.
Posted by: Shiroi Tora | Feb 15, 2011 at 09:31 PM