The events of 911, combined with ongoing symptoms of fatigue, labored breathing, and some muscle issues started me on a long list of doctors.

First on the list was my gastroenterologist who performed a couple of uneventful colonoscopies for me in recent years. He looked at the ER test results— the CT scan and a dozen blood tests—- and declared, “It’s not your gut” despite the fact that inflammation was found in the mesentery, the fatty tissue that covers part of the gut.

If it’s not the gut then what is it?

Our PCP (primary care physician) did a good job of setting me up with a growing list of medical specialists. Second on the list was a surgeon who also never had a patient with mesenteric panniculitis and was certain a biopsy would not help.

Third on the list was a rheumatologist who was certain the problem was vasculitis and thought the drug prednisone would take care of it.

Prednisone helped. But not in the way we expected.