Denise in Ark
April 9, 2007
Apr 09, 2007
Note to self: make notes at every conversation with the dr or nurse! Les and I both misunderstood. We thought that the j-tube could come out whenever the stitches were dissolved and he tube was loose. So, we checked them at about 2 weeks and they were loose. We were really glad to get rid of them. Until...
He took his out on Monday at his 2 week anniversary and mine the next day at my 2 weeks. Within two days for each of us, the site was even more sore than it had been and was definitely infected.
Turns out what we'd been told was not to leave it in 2-3 weeks until the internal sutures dissolved, but that the sutures would dissolve in 2-3 weeks but it has to stay in for 3 weeks. The reason is that the hole where it goes into the intestine has to heal enough to keep bile from leaking into the abdominal cavity. Bile - which causes infection. boooo
Worse, I had to call Dr. A on a weekend, a holiday weekend, and I'd heard that he might be a little under the weather. Man I wanted to wait till Monday to call him. But everyone here at the DS board said for sure it had to be addressed TODAY. Lesson learned...pay attention, or be one of *those* kind of pts that doesn't listen, makes their own problem, and have to bother the doc on his (and his family's) time. booooooooo.
On a good note, today I actually felt pretty good, almost all day, for the first time. We've been having spans of 30 minutes or so a few times a day where we felt pretty good. The rest of the time we didn't feel BAD...just wished we felt good. I only got shakey a couple of times today.
I really think it's a matter of nourishment. I'm sure I need to have at least one more protein drink a day and the shakes have likely been blood sugar related. I started with a protein drink this morning. Went to knitting class and I was real hungry before we broke for lunch. Only ate the fish and one bite of a deviled egg. That was likely more about eating too fast than anything, but I spent a good 20 minutes trying to walk that one down. Finally, I sat back down and was able to have th brocolli cheese soup- very soupy soup. Took the rest of my plate home and literally worked on it teeny bite by teeny bite for the next two hours.
Les and I went walking for a while today. It's our first time to walk together. I enjoyed it and hope that he will want to do more each day. He is still pretty bleh and doesn't want to do much.
I've decided that DEFINITELY tomorrow I am going back to one of the houses I clean. It may take everything out of me, but it's time to get back into the swing of things. 3 more weeks back to f/t work will be here before we know it.
He took his out on Monday at his 2 week anniversary and mine the next day at my 2 weeks. Within two days for each of us, the site was even more sore than it had been and was definitely infected.
Turns out what we'd been told was not to leave it in 2-3 weeks until the internal sutures dissolved, but that the sutures would dissolve in 2-3 weeks but it has to stay in for 3 weeks. The reason is that the hole where it goes into the intestine has to heal enough to keep bile from leaking into the abdominal cavity. Bile - which causes infection. boooo
Worse, I had to call Dr. A on a weekend, a holiday weekend, and I'd heard that he might be a little under the weather. Man I wanted to wait till Monday to call him. But everyone here at the DS board said for sure it had to be addressed TODAY. Lesson learned...pay attention, or be one of *those* kind of pts that doesn't listen, makes their own problem, and have to bother the doc on his (and his family's) time. booooooooo.
On a good note, today I actually felt pretty good, almost all day, for the first time. We've been having spans of 30 minutes or so a few times a day where we felt pretty good. The rest of the time we didn't feel BAD...just wished we felt good. I only got shakey a couple of times today.
I really think it's a matter of nourishment. I'm sure I need to have at least one more protein drink a day and the shakes have likely been blood sugar related. I started with a protein drink this morning. Went to knitting class and I was real hungry before we broke for lunch. Only ate the fish and one bite of a deviled egg. That was likely more about eating too fast than anything, but I spent a good 20 minutes trying to walk that one down. Finally, I sat back down and was able to have th brocolli cheese soup- very soupy soup. Took the rest of my plate home and literally worked on it teeny bite by teeny bite for the next two hours.
Les and I went walking for a while today. It's our first time to walk together. I enjoyed it and hope that he will want to do more each day. He is still pretty bleh and doesn't want to do much.
I've decided that DEFINITELY tomorrow I am going back to one of the houses I clean. It may take everything out of me, but it's time to get back into the swing of things. 3 more weeks back to f/t work will be here before we know it.
April 7, 2007
Apr 06, 2007
Now about 18 days post-op. Our recovery has been uneventful. It's a chore getting in the fluid and protein simply for lack of being hungry. It's easier than ever to eat, and, actually, I'm getting hungry in the evenings and need some yogurt or something before bed.
We're taking Optisource vitamins because they're easy. Kathy and Dr. A both told us that they'd found some way to keep the iron from binding the calcium. I haven't been able to find documentation for this, so I'm taking a dose of cal citrate tabs at dinner, since we take the vits morning and night.
Our J-tubes came out on each of our two week surgiversaries. It was such a relief. Les caught his on the dishwasher door early out and that was bad. Those things kept catching and pulling. They are stitched to the skin as well as being stitched with dissolveable sutures right to the intestine. The skin stich was the only thing that pulled when they caught on something, but believe me, it was enough.
The hole for the j-tube has been a problem for both of us. Les had felt that his was infected and called Dr. A. He was told to stick a sterile swab into it as far as it would go and get it to open up, then keep neosporin on it. Mine had gotten a knot underneath it and was slightly red around it. Last night it opened up and drained while I was in bed. Wondering now whether to bother Dr. A with it or not.
We're taking Optisource vitamins because they're easy. Kathy and Dr. A both told us that they'd found some way to keep the iron from binding the calcium. I haven't been able to find documentation for this, so I'm taking a dose of cal citrate tabs at dinner, since we take the vits morning and night.
Our J-tubes came out on each of our two week surgiversaries. It was such a relief. Les caught his on the dishwasher door early out and that was bad. Those things kept catching and pulling. They are stitched to the skin as well as being stitched with dissolveable sutures right to the intestine. The skin stich was the only thing that pulled when they caught on something, but believe me, it was enough.
The hole for the j-tube has been a problem for both of us. Les had felt that his was infected and called Dr. A. He was told to stick a sterile swab into it as far as it would go and get it to open up, then keep neosporin on it. Mine had gotten a knot underneath it and was slightly red around it. Last night it opened up and drained while I was in bed. Wondering now whether to bother Dr. A with it or not.
Our Hospital Experience
Apr 06, 2007
As I said before, our surgeries were scheduled for March 19 and 20, during spring break week. Our 25yo daughter wanted to come but couldn't miss school. Our 21yo son also came. The only way they would do ours together was if we had help. Dr. A forbids driving for two weeks postop.
On Sunday we left for Omaha and arrived at our room at the Marriot Residence around 4pm. Les had to start his bowel cleansing then with the Fleet's Phospho-Soda. Monday morning we had a 9am appt to see both Dr. A and Kathy. We had to weigh in; Les had been instructed to go on Atkins and lose 10lbs before surgery (he lost 26) I had been instructed not to gain anything and I had lost 7. So we were good to go. They told us that they would cancel the surgery if we didn't comply.
We had to be at the hospital by 11:30 for Les' check in. His surgery was scheduled for 1:30. We waited a while in the surgical waiting area, and then they called him back. We weren't allowed to go until he was ready for the anesthesiologist. He was in good spirits and we had 10 or 15 minutes with him. When the anest. came in, he ran us out, and we went to The Cheesecake Factory for my 'last meal'. I got an appetizer and a slice of cheesecake...it was all I wanted.
We went back to the hospital and waited. About 3:30 they came out and told us that he was done in surgery and that the Dr. would be out to talk to us before long. At 4pm I went ahead and drank my bottle of the Fleets and the water I was supposed to have, hoping fervently that it wouldn't kick in till time to go home.
He went up to ICU at shift change and nobody told us that he had made it to the ICU room for a long time. DD25 just happened to see him in the room when she went to the bathroom. That was about 6:30. We went in to see him for a few minutes but he was out of it and still on the vent. The Fleet's was kicking in so we went on back to the hotel. DD25 got some things together and DS21 took her back up to the hospital to spend the night. I took my anti-microbial shower and a sleeping pill and went to bed.
We left the hotel the next morning at 5am after my second anti-microbial shower and checked on Les. As early as it was, he was still on the vent. I went on down to check in by 5:30. When we went to the surgical waiting area, I had to go to the bathroom once more. While I was in there, they called me to preop. Things were moving fast.
Preop was busy even at that early hour. Shortly after the nurse got me ready, they let the kids come in but the anest. came in right behind them so they didn't get to stay long. The last thing I remember was him putting versed in my IV, and thinking, "well, this isn't going to do anything more than it did last time." (I had a cystoscopy about a year ago and it was like I had had nothing at all.)
The next thing I remember was being awakened and told that I was in recovery, the surgery went well, and I felt my tummy. The incision didn't hurt at all, but that was the first time it really hit me that this was real. It was all a little scary.
The first night was bad. My neck/shoulder was killing me. I thought it was from positioning but Dr. A said it was referred pain from gas that they use. My diaphragm was also killing me. I could only breathe tiny gasps without it seizing up like a charley horse. I couldn't even get two words out. The anesth. came in and said that we're giving you morphine and you have an epidural...you just have to suck it up. I couldn't talk enough to argue with him. As much as I loved that hospital and most of the staff, I hated that doc with a black heart.
Les remained on the vent through Tuesday night and Wed morning. They had tried to take him off of the vent a couple of times but he wouldn't breathe, so he wound up being on there 24hrs longer than anticipated. The kids worried about him but of course I was out of it. He and I were ready to do our first walk about the same time.
The rest of the time our stay was wonderful. They were all very concerned about controlling our pain and nausea, so we were kept very comfortable. I gave up the morphine Wednesday and was on only flexeril and the epidural, which did a great job. I have never had incisional pain at all.
We were dismissed on Sunday, feeling great. We went back to the hotel and stayed there until Thursday. Les had an umbilical hernia before going into surgery, and they left that area of his incision open and packed. Dr. A wanted to see that area again on Thursday. When he saw that we were doing so well on our liquids and eating, he let us go home and on Friday, not quite two weeks out, we headed back home to finish our recovery.
On Sunday we left for Omaha and arrived at our room at the Marriot Residence around 4pm. Les had to start his bowel cleansing then with the Fleet's Phospho-Soda. Monday morning we had a 9am appt to see both Dr. A and Kathy. We had to weigh in; Les had been instructed to go on Atkins and lose 10lbs before surgery (he lost 26) I had been instructed not to gain anything and I had lost 7. So we were good to go. They told us that they would cancel the surgery if we didn't comply.
We had to be at the hospital by 11:30 for Les' check in. His surgery was scheduled for 1:30. We waited a while in the surgical waiting area, and then they called him back. We weren't allowed to go until he was ready for the anesthesiologist. He was in good spirits and we had 10 or 15 minutes with him. When the anest. came in, he ran us out, and we went to The Cheesecake Factory for my 'last meal'. I got an appetizer and a slice of cheesecake...it was all I wanted.
We went back to the hospital and waited. About 3:30 they came out and told us that he was done in surgery and that the Dr. would be out to talk to us before long. At 4pm I went ahead and drank my bottle of the Fleets and the water I was supposed to have, hoping fervently that it wouldn't kick in till time to go home.
He went up to ICU at shift change and nobody told us that he had made it to the ICU room for a long time. DD25 just happened to see him in the room when she went to the bathroom. That was about 6:30. We went in to see him for a few minutes but he was out of it and still on the vent. The Fleet's was kicking in so we went on back to the hotel. DD25 got some things together and DS21 took her back up to the hospital to spend the night. I took my anti-microbial shower and a sleeping pill and went to bed.
We left the hotel the next morning at 5am after my second anti-microbial shower and checked on Les. As early as it was, he was still on the vent. I went on down to check in by 5:30. When we went to the surgical waiting area, I had to go to the bathroom once more. While I was in there, they called me to preop. Things were moving fast.
Preop was busy even at that early hour. Shortly after the nurse got me ready, they let the kids come in but the anest. came in right behind them so they didn't get to stay long. The last thing I remember was him putting versed in my IV, and thinking, "well, this isn't going to do anything more than it did last time." (I had a cystoscopy about a year ago and it was like I had had nothing at all.)
The next thing I remember was being awakened and told that I was in recovery, the surgery went well, and I felt my tummy. The incision didn't hurt at all, but that was the first time it really hit me that this was real. It was all a little scary.
The first night was bad. My neck/shoulder was killing me. I thought it was from positioning but Dr. A said it was referred pain from gas that they use. My diaphragm was also killing me. I could only breathe tiny gasps without it seizing up like a charley horse. I couldn't even get two words out. The anesth. came in and said that we're giving you morphine and you have an epidural...you just have to suck it up. I couldn't talk enough to argue with him. As much as I loved that hospital and most of the staff, I hated that doc with a black heart.
Les remained on the vent through Tuesday night and Wed morning. They had tried to take him off of the vent a couple of times but he wouldn't breathe, so he wound up being on there 24hrs longer than anticipated. The kids worried about him but of course I was out of it. He and I were ready to do our first walk about the same time.
The rest of the time our stay was wonderful. They were all very concerned about controlling our pain and nausea, so we were kept very comfortable. I gave up the morphine Wednesday and was on only flexeril and the epidural, which did a great job. I have never had incisional pain at all.
We were dismissed on Sunday, feeling great. We went back to the hotel and stayed there until Thursday. Les had an umbilical hernia before going into surgery, and they left that area of his incision open and packed. Dr. A wanted to see that area again on Thursday. When he saw that we were doing so well on our liquids and eating, he let us go home and on Friday, not quite two weeks out, we headed back home to finish our recovery.
