Jim
RVF Supporter
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2019
- Messages
- 4,601
- Location
- North Carolina
- RV Year
- 2020
- RV Make
- Newmar
- RV Model
- Essex 4543
- RV Length
- 45
- Chassis
- Spartan
- Engine
- Cummins / I6 Diesel Pusher 605HP
- TOW/TOAD
- 2016 Jeep Rubicon
- Fulltimer
- No
Update on Buddy (Now With Upgraded Plumbing)
Wanted to give everyone an update on Buddy, who recently discovered that getting older isn’t for sissies and apparently not for people with improperly behaving esophagi either.
A while back he told us he’d been wrestling with a “mystery issue.” After enough tests to qualify him for frequent-flyer miles at the hospital, the doctors finally figured it out. Turns out he had a diverticulum, which is a fancy medical term for a side pocket his esophagus decided to grow without asking permission. This little pouch was catching his food, drink, and, most tragically, his Eagle Rare, refusing to pass any of it down the line to the stomach.
To make matters worse, the actual path from the pouch to the stomach had narrowed down to something roughly the size of the driveway at a poorly designed RV park. So instead of operating like a normal digestive system, his esophagus was basically running a traffic jam.
After reviewing the scans, the doctors unanimously agreed on a treatment plan: “Yep… that needs fixing.”
So Buddy went in for surgery on the 10th. It turned out to be a little more involved than the doctors first thought, apparently his internal architecture had made some design choices that didn’t appear in the original blueprints, but from what I understand, the surgical team got everything repaired:
I’ll pass along more updates as he continues healing, but for now, he’s doing well and appreciates everyone keeping him in their thoughts.
And yes… we fully expect his first test drink to be measured with scientific precision. For research, of course.
Wanted to give everyone an update on Buddy, who recently discovered that getting older isn’t for sissies and apparently not for people with improperly behaving esophagi either.
A while back he told us he’d been wrestling with a “mystery issue.” After enough tests to qualify him for frequent-flyer miles at the hospital, the doctors finally figured it out. Turns out he had a diverticulum, which is a fancy medical term for a side pocket his esophagus decided to grow without asking permission. This little pouch was catching his food, drink, and, most tragically, his Eagle Rare, refusing to pass any of it down the line to the stomach.
To make matters worse, the actual path from the pouch to the stomach had narrowed down to something roughly the size of the driveway at a poorly designed RV park. So instead of operating like a normal digestive system, his esophagus was basically running a traffic jam.
After reviewing the scans, the doctors unanimously agreed on a treatment plan: “Yep… that needs fixing.”
So Buddy went in for surgery on the 10th. It turned out to be a little more involved than the doctors first thought, apparently his internal architecture had made some design choices that didn’t appear in the original blueprints, but from what I understand, the surgical team got everything repaired:
- The pouch has been handled
- The passage is now open
- And hopefully the entire system will meet or exceed factory specifications
I’ll pass along more updates as he continues healing, but for now, he’s doing well and appreciates everyone keeping him in their thoughts.
And yes… we fully expect his first test drink to be measured with scientific precision. For research, of course.
