Hi There
I am Hawkeye's wife. I thought I would drop in to give everyone a little update on his resection surgery.
He went on Feb 20 for the surgery. It took a little longer than we thought but he came out feeling ok. Had his "happy button" as he called it giving him shots of dilaudid as he needed them. He was in a little pain but it was manageable. Day 2 of the surgery he was feeling better. Day 2 he was allowed some apple juice and said it was the best thing ever.
Day 3 he felt worse looked awful. I learned from friends and family who have had surgery day 3 was always the worse.
I thought I was coming down with something so I stayed away on Days 4-5 but his parents visited him and said he developed a mild fever on day 4 but was in good spirits and the doctors were not concerned. He was in a ward room an amputee who developed an infection and they moved him. The next day his fever was gone on Day 5. On day 5 they started him with solid foods at supper time and were waiting until he pooped to make sure things were good so they can look at sending him home.
Day 5 he had started doing some laps of the nurses station. Really pushing himself and I had to make him go slower so he had the strength to finish. He can be a little stubborn at times. I've told him that a lot.
Day 6 I was able to visit and he was laughing and joking doing his laps my often and a little more frequently. He kept saying he was looking forward to coming home. Having lots of heartburn.
Day 7, what they were waiting for happened and he had no issues so they gave him his walking papers. He came home and settled in to the recliner in the living room and had a really good sleep in his own bed that night.
Day 8. Things turned ugly. He wasn't himself. Diarrhea set in and he started vomiting. I tried to get him to go to the ER but he refused. He wasn't eating. By the time we were ready for bed he told me he had thrown up the night before and twice that night. Sigh. He finally agreed to call telecare. They asked him questions and recommended he return to the hospital. It's midnight when we called, about 1 before we make it there. He did not have the strength to go again because he needed to go to the bathroom and throw up at the same time.
At the ER Thursday night, the triage nurse said something softly that sound like "he may have been released too quickly." He gets his room and I push the two chairs in there together and take out the blanket I brought and settle in for a long night. Pain meds, IVs and monitors are hooked up. The pain was localized in the diaphragm area. They tested the heart, did an x-ray and he waited for the doctor. Surgical resident came to see him. Pushed on the abdomen, checked the incision all seemed well. He asked us questions about the people in the house. I mentioned our 2 yr old. He seemed to lean towards possible gastro from the toddler. Our 2 yr old has has gastro with no other symtoms than runny poop but someone like DH can be hit really hard by that...
So gastro was where they were leaning until they saw the x-ray. As expected some pockets of air... but yup an obstruction. So, given more pain meds and an NG tube ordered. He was being admitted again to the hospital. That was 6:30 in the morning. I was able to sleep periodically throughout dr and nurses coming in the room off and on for a couple of hours but I had to leave for work. Thank goodness for my in laws staying with us. They watched DS and got him off to daycare for me.
So DH was placed in the only room close to his unit available, a semi private in the orthopedics wings. His roomie had LOTS of visitors and they were very boisterous. All he really wanted was sleep but he's also not one to rock the boat so he said nothing.
This evening, he was moved back in to his old ward room, with all the exact same players there. They were quite surprised to see him. It was like old home week. Spirits are much better and this new room, although a ward room, is a LOT quieter. NG tube is still hooked up and lots of liquid still coming out.
Right now, the theory as to what is going on is that with moving everything around in there, they may have cause a kink in the small intestine causing the obstruction. Not sure if there will be another surgery or if things could fix themselves once things settle down in there. That's where you all could come in I guess. Telling me if that is something that is likely to happen; things fixing themselves?.
In the last week he's lost another 8lbs. So since we've started this journey waiting for surgery he lost 52lbs total. He's a shadow of his former self. MY deal with him is for him to gain 30lbs and I will lose 20. I think that's fair.
I am Hawkeye's wife. I thought I would drop in to give everyone a little update on his resection surgery.
He went on Feb 20 for the surgery. It took a little longer than we thought but he came out feeling ok. Had his "happy button" as he called it giving him shots of dilaudid as he needed them. He was in a little pain but it was manageable. Day 2 of the surgery he was feeling better. Day 2 he was allowed some apple juice and said it was the best thing ever.
Day 3 he felt worse looked awful. I learned from friends and family who have had surgery day 3 was always the worse.
I thought I was coming down with something so I stayed away on Days 4-5 but his parents visited him and said he developed a mild fever on day 4 but was in good spirits and the doctors were not concerned. He was in a ward room an amputee who developed an infection and they moved him. The next day his fever was gone on Day 5. On day 5 they started him with solid foods at supper time and were waiting until he pooped to make sure things were good so they can look at sending him home.
Day 5 he had started doing some laps of the nurses station. Really pushing himself and I had to make him go slower so he had the strength to finish. He can be a little stubborn at times. I've told him that a lot.
Day 6 I was able to visit and he was laughing and joking doing his laps my often and a little more frequently. He kept saying he was looking forward to coming home. Having lots of heartburn.
Day 7, what they were waiting for happened and he had no issues so they gave him his walking papers. He came home and settled in to the recliner in the living room and had a really good sleep in his own bed that night.
Day 8. Things turned ugly. He wasn't himself. Diarrhea set in and he started vomiting. I tried to get him to go to the ER but he refused. He wasn't eating. By the time we were ready for bed he told me he had thrown up the night before and twice that night. Sigh. He finally agreed to call telecare. They asked him questions and recommended he return to the hospital. It's midnight when we called, about 1 before we make it there. He did not have the strength to go again because he needed to go to the bathroom and throw up at the same time.
At the ER Thursday night, the triage nurse said something softly that sound like "he may have been released too quickly." He gets his room and I push the two chairs in there together and take out the blanket I brought and settle in for a long night. Pain meds, IVs and monitors are hooked up. The pain was localized in the diaphragm area. They tested the heart, did an x-ray and he waited for the doctor. Surgical resident came to see him. Pushed on the abdomen, checked the incision all seemed well. He asked us questions about the people in the house. I mentioned our 2 yr old. He seemed to lean towards possible gastro from the toddler. Our 2 yr old has has gastro with no other symtoms than runny poop but someone like DH can be hit really hard by that...
So gastro was where they were leaning until they saw the x-ray. As expected some pockets of air... but yup an obstruction. So, given more pain meds and an NG tube ordered. He was being admitted again to the hospital. That was 6:30 in the morning. I was able to sleep periodically throughout dr and nurses coming in the room off and on for a couple of hours but I had to leave for work. Thank goodness for my in laws staying with us. They watched DS and got him off to daycare for me.
So DH was placed in the only room close to his unit available, a semi private in the orthopedics wings. His roomie had LOTS of visitors and they were very boisterous. All he really wanted was sleep but he's also not one to rock the boat so he said nothing.
This evening, he was moved back in to his old ward room, with all the exact same players there. They were quite surprised to see him. It was like old home week. Spirits are much better and this new room, although a ward room, is a LOT quieter. NG tube is still hooked up and lots of liquid still coming out.
Right now, the theory as to what is going on is that with moving everything around in there, they may have cause a kink in the small intestine causing the obstruction. Not sure if there will be another surgery or if things could fix themselves once things settle down in there. That's where you all could come in I guess. Telling me if that is something that is likely to happen; things fixing themselves?.
In the last week he's lost another 8lbs. So since we've started this journey waiting for surgery he lost 52lbs total. He's a shadow of his former self. MY deal with him is for him to gain 30lbs and I will lose 20. I think that's fair.
