Feeling a bit better
I stopped by the hospital on my way to work this morning. My Dad’s not a big TV guy and now that my Mom is back at work, I was imagining his days are pretty long, so I finally managed to get him to tell me something that might make that better and I delivered an FM radio so he could listen to NPR. It reminded me how many little blessings in life we take for granted.
Anyway, I’m pleased to report that he is feeling much better today. They had drained more than 3 liters out of his stomach and related areas and it has made a dramatic difference both in his appearance and the way he feels.
He is no longer distended and that has affected everything from his ability to breathe to his ability to move around. And by “affected” I mean improved.
Maybe more importantly the food from the PICC line (our good friend Sue who is a nurse informed me that it is “PICC line” standing for peripherally inserted central catheter, so there you have it), has really made him feel much better. He said that it has really lifted some of the mental fog he has felt since the surgery. He was able to read the paper and even though it was morning (not his favorite time), he seemed much more alert and sharp than I have seen him recently.
The downside is that the tube will have to stay down for at least 3 days. It is uncomfortable and gives him a bad sore throat and, of course, means he’s in the hospital for that much longer. But it is providing comfort at the moment at least. Since yesterday was so hard on him, the doctors are leaving him alone today. Tomorrow, they will run dye down this tube to see if they can determine the source of the blockage. There is some chance it will resolve now that the pressure is off from the fluid draining. We are very hopeful and prayerful that this happens.
If it does not resolve, they will have to do more surgery. It sounded to me like they may make that determination tomorrow. Please keep praying.
One more thing, while I’m here. I mentioned our friend Sue. Sue is one of many friends who have stepped up in amazing ways to help my family during this time. But Sue deserves special recognition. As I mentioned Sue is a nurse. She works at the hospital where my Dad is staying in a different unit. I believe she has come by to visit my Dad every day, even on her days off. She answers questions, she makes sure we have the right people helping us out, she takes care of things that other nurses and doctors have missed and has generally acted as our own private health care provider.
We have told her thank you, but we will never be able to thank her. She can not possibly know how much she has meant to my family. Navigating health care and especially health care in the hospital is scary and confusing no matter how savvy you may be. To have someone on the inside who genuinely cares as much as Sue does, is a monumental blessing. Sue, if you happen to read this, thank you again. I hope some day there is a better way to thank you and for now I hope you simply have some glimpse of how much you mean to us.
More later.
Anyway, I’m pleased to report that he is feeling much better today. They had drained more than 3 liters out of his stomach and related areas and it has made a dramatic difference both in his appearance and the way he feels.
He is no longer distended and that has affected everything from his ability to breathe to his ability to move around. And by “affected” I mean improved.
Maybe more importantly the food from the PICC line (our good friend Sue who is a nurse informed me that it is “PICC line” standing for peripherally inserted central catheter, so there you have it), has really made him feel much better. He said that it has really lifted some of the mental fog he has felt since the surgery. He was able to read the paper and even though it was morning (not his favorite time), he seemed much more alert and sharp than I have seen him recently.
The downside is that the tube will have to stay down for at least 3 days. It is uncomfortable and gives him a bad sore throat and, of course, means he’s in the hospital for that much longer. But it is providing comfort at the moment at least. Since yesterday was so hard on him, the doctors are leaving him alone today. Tomorrow, they will run dye down this tube to see if they can determine the source of the blockage. There is some chance it will resolve now that the pressure is off from the fluid draining. We are very hopeful and prayerful that this happens.
If it does not resolve, they will have to do more surgery. It sounded to me like they may make that determination tomorrow. Please keep praying.
One more thing, while I’m here. I mentioned our friend Sue. Sue is one of many friends who have stepped up in amazing ways to help my family during this time. But Sue deserves special recognition. As I mentioned Sue is a nurse. She works at the hospital where my Dad is staying in a different unit. I believe she has come by to visit my Dad every day, even on her days off. She answers questions, she makes sure we have the right people helping us out, she takes care of things that other nurses and doctors have missed and has generally acted as our own private health care provider.
We have told her thank you, but we will never be able to thank her. She can not possibly know how much she has meant to my family. Navigating health care and especially health care in the hospital is scary and confusing no matter how savvy you may be. To have someone on the inside who genuinely cares as much as Sue does, is a monumental blessing. Sue, if you happen to read this, thank you again. I hope some day there is a better way to thank you and for now I hope you simply have some glimpse of how much you mean to us.
More later.
Comments
I kept focusing on your Mom, and how terrible it must be for her to see her husband suffer so terribly.
I am praying for everybody, Dad, Mom, family, friends, medical staff, EVERYBODY.
A family in Eugene loves you...
BTW - "Handled" included at one point, telling the Doctor that one more medical test was simply uncalled for as my mother slipped away from this life. They were great.
Hang in there my West Coast Brother and let me apologized for the "whipping" my Orlando Magic seem to inflicting on their west coast road trip.