Back in December, I helped Dr. Coppola do an operation on a 10 yr old boy with an appendiceal abscess that extended up posterior to his colon. In the process of draining the abscess and removing his appendix, we noticed a small hole in his duodenum (the first portion of the small intestines after the stomach). This part of the intestines is not easily mended. I did my best to patch the hole and left a drain in place. On the second day after surgery, we noticed bile leaking from the drain. This was an indication that a hole remained in the duodenum. We needed to divert as much as possible from flowing by the hole in the intestines, to allow the hole to heal with time. We also needed to give the patient an alternate route for nutrition. We took him back to the operating room and placed two tubes: one in the stomach to decompress the stomach of fluids and air, while the second tube was placed in the small intestines as a feeding tube. We kept him in the hospital for about a month as we treated with antibiotics and increased his tube feeds up to optimal level for nutrition. He was finally ready to be discharged, but the family had to continue tube feeds at home. I visited him and his family several times in their home. He progressed well and was finally able to start eating. He quickly began gaining his weight and strength back. He was so happy the day I removed his tubes.
It was great to develop a relationship with this kid and his family. I was able to pray with him and his family, hold his hand while he was prepped for anesthesia and spend some time encouraging him in the ward. His uncle is a local pastor who said that the patient has put his faith in Jesus because of this trial and that he is now attending church. For that, I praise God.
You can see the difference in his weight and demeanor between the photo from the hospital and after his recovery. I thank God for giving this child restoration of health and for giving me wisdom in the midst of complications. These kinds of cases exemplify the point of us being here. While his life was saved from illness, he heard and understood that Jesus, the great physician, is able to give him an abundant life now and forever.