Day 8 in the hospital -update, now day 10

Kathleen808
Kathleen808 Member Posts: 2,342 Member
edited November 2013 in Colorectal Cancer #1

Hi Friends,

Well, here we are on our 8th night in the hospital. Roller coaster is an understatement.  I know I am preaching to the choir when I say this is such an emotional swing.
****'s surgery, to clear the small bowel from adhesions went well Monday night.  It has been real up and down with getting the bowels to wake up and they have been concerned that the part of the bowel that was hung up might have been too damaged to heal. Finally today, Friday, they think it is starting to work.  The surgeon showed us the video of the operation on his ipad. It was incredible to watch them cut the adhesions away.  The movie was from the tiny camera that was inserted inside of ****.  Truly incredible.
They have been working on getting ****'s blood pressure down.  **** started the day great, walking around (with his IV, pain meds, etc), shaving and having a friend visit  Then he has quite a headache that came on today and they are not sure if that is from lack of nutrition or the high blood pressure.  They started nutrition going in his port tonight. Of course we first had to deal with them not being able to draw blood from the port and having to put in a thinner of sorts. Finally 1.5 hours later they were able to draw blood and start the nutrition.  He is not happy that he has been pushing his pain medicine button for the headache.  He had really come down on it and then he started back up today.  Hopefully that damn headache will go away.
Family has arrived to help and our college aged daughter flew in from California for the weekend. **** loved seeing her today!  She will spend the day here at the hospital tomorrow and then fly back to California on Sunday.  It is wonderful having her home.
That's our update. Family and friends have been incredible.    Please hold **** in your prayers and loving thoughts. 

Aloha,
Kathleen

 

update on bottom of thread

Comments

  • wolfen
    wolfen Member Posts: 1,324 Member
    #2
    Kathleen

    So glad to hear that everything is going better, except for the headache. I certainly hope things start working & that he is not facing another surgery.

    It's so nice that your daughter made it there. How is your special needs daughter coping?

    I'll update JBG on **** when I talk to her tomorrow. Her docs are still stymied, but for some reason think she may be constipated because of something they saw on the CT. Don't know how since she's had diarrhea for 6 days.  They don't want to do a colonoscopy because the bowel is inflamed.

    Both she & **** have been through enough! My heart goes out to you & your family.

    Luv,

    Wolfen

  • Lovekitties
    Lovekitties Member Posts: 3,364 Member
    #3
    Dear Kathleen

    I am so sorry to hear that you are both still in the midst of all this.

    Unfortunate about the port, but I know with my sister's they said it was not unusual for some kind of fiborus stuff to cause the blockage even when getting the flushed regularly.  Fortunate that there is a med to act as draino to clear the clog.

    Hope that the nurtition is the key to making the headache go away.

    I am glad that your family has been able to get there to help you with all that is on your own plate.

    Please know and tell **** that we are all praying, sending good vibes or wishes for his recovery.

    Hugs,

    Marie who loves kitties

  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    #4
    We are sending our thoughtd

    We are sending our thoughtd snd prayers for ****'s strength and recovery.   Hospital stays are no fun.   I had to advocate for more food every time I am in the hospital.  They try to starve one out at 1000-1200 calories a day.  When they finally allowed me food, I found out one can put x2 on each item.  

    The Docs would not allow me to do x2 the first couple of days. Mistakenly they served me a meal early and then would come back and serve me a second meal. Laurie had bussed the dishes so, I ended up gettting a second meal. Else, I would have been starving. lol

     

    Feel Better and get stronger.

    Best Always,  mike

  • Kathleen808
    Kathleen808 Member Posts: 2,342 Member
    #5
    thxmiker said:

    We are sending our thoughtd

    We are sending our thoughtd snd prayers for ****'s strength and recovery.   Hospital stays are no fun.   I had to advocate for more food every time I am in the hospital.  They try to starve one out at 1000-1200 calories a day.  When they finally allowed me food, I found out one can put x2 on each item.  

    The Docs would not allow me to do x2 the first couple of days. Mistakenly they served me a meal early and then would come back and serve me a second meal. Laurie had bussed the dishes so, I ended up gettting a second meal. Else, I would have been starving. lol

     

    Feel Better and get stronger.

    Best Always,  mike

    Mike

    I love your strategy to get more food!   Clever guy.  :)   Right now **** is still getting all nutrition through his port. My guess is they will keep that nutrition going while he starts with liquids and then solids.  Hope that happens today.

     

    Aloha,

    Kathleen

  • Kathleen808
    Kathleen808 Member Posts: 2,342 Member
    #6
    morning

    I am happy to say that this morning is better than last night.  ****'s headache is gone and he was up and walking earlier today. They called for another x ray today to see if he can get the ng tube out.  Man, this has been hard. 

    Our college daughter is here today and leaves tomorrow morning.  It is so good having her here.  Our daughter with special needs has been in good hands, thank God.  Family has flown in to take care of her and before that one of her former teachers did a great job caring for her.  The good news is our college daughter will be home in a few weeks for Thanksgiving.  I am so glad I bought her a ticket a few weeks ago.  It will be great to be all together as a family.

    I'll keep you posted.   Thinking of all of you.  Thanks for the love and prayers.

     

    Aloha,

    Kathleen

  • Trubrit
    Trubrit Member Posts: 5,796 Member
    #7
    Kathleen808 said:

    morning

    I am happy to say that this morning is better than last night.  ****'s headache is gone and he was up and walking earlier today. They called for another x ray today to see if he can get the ng tube out.  Man, this has been hard. 

    Our college daughter is here today and leaves tomorrow morning.  It is so good having her here.  Our daughter with special needs has been in good hands, thank God.  Family has flown in to take care of her and before that one of her former teachers did a great job caring for her.  The good news is our college daughter will be home in a few weeks for Thanksgiving.  I am so glad I bought her a ticket a few weeks ago.  It will be great to be all together as a family.

    I'll keep you posted.   Thinking of all of you.  Thanks for the love and prayers.

     

    Aloha,

    Kathleen

    Our greatest blessing

    Family can be our greatest blessing. 

    I am so glad that your college daughter came over to visit. The lift it will give **** can be better than amy medicine. 

    Here's to his continued improvement so that he can get out of hospital and back into his own home and bed.

    Will continue to keep him in my prayers. 

  • annalexandria
    annalexandria Member Posts: 2,571 Member
    #8
    Kathleen808 said:

    morning

    I am happy to say that this morning is better than last night.  ****'s headache is gone and he was up and walking earlier today. They called for another x ray today to see if he can get the ng tube out.  Man, this has been hard. 

    Our college daughter is here today and leaves tomorrow morning.  It is so good having her here.  Our daughter with special needs has been in good hands, thank God.  Family has flown in to take care of her and before that one of her former teachers did a great job caring for her.  The good news is our college daughter will be home in a few weeks for Thanksgiving.  I am so glad I bought her a ticket a few weeks ago.  It will be great to be all together as a family.

    I'll keep you posted.   Thinking of all of you.  Thanks for the love and prayers.

     

    Aloha,

    Kathleen

    Glad to hear that things have improved!

    I wonder if the lack of nutrition was contributing to the headache?  I had to be on TPN for a week or so after one surgery, and it made me feel quite a bit better.  One tip...if they want to start encouraging regular eating again, it helps to cut back on the amount of TPN going in at least part of the time.  They had to do this with me to stimulate my appetite.

    And I hope his hospital is like mine, and not thmixer's!  I could order food from morning to 11 pm, with no limits.  It will make it easier to eat when he can try out lots of different things whenever he's in the mood. 

  • lp1964
    lp1964 Member Posts: 1,239 Member
    #9
    Just hang in there guys.

    This is never easy, but in a few days this will be a distant memory. There is always something. Right after my surgery I had non-stop hiccups for 5 days so I could not sleep or rest. Crazy, but everything is gonna be fine. You are very kind amazing people.

    Laz

  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #10
    Wow

    Can't believe you've all been through so much.  Glad that he is feeling a little better and that the daughter has come to visit.  Hope he gets to come home soon.

    Kim

  • relaxoutdoors08
    relaxoutdoors08 Member Posts: 521 Member
    #11
    Kathleen808 said:

    morning

    I am happy to say that this morning is better than last night.  ****'s headache is gone and he was up and walking earlier today. They called for another x ray today to see if he can get the ng tube out.  Man, this has been hard. 

    Our college daughter is here today and leaves tomorrow morning.  It is so good having her here.  Our daughter with special needs has been in good hands, thank God.  Family has flown in to take care of her and before that one of her former teachers did a great job caring for her.  The good news is our college daughter will be home in a few weeks for Thanksgiving.  I am so glad I bought her a ticket a few weeks ago.  It will be great to be all together as a family.

    I'll keep you posted.   Thinking of all of you.  Thanks for the love and prayers.

     

    Aloha,

    Kathleen

    Prayers for healing

    So happy to hear things improving. We will think of your family together for Thanksgiving. We just fort a email from our son in Honolulu that he will meet us in WI for Thanksgiving. Prayers for continued healing .

  • Kathleen808
    Kathleen808 Member Posts: 2,342 Member
    #12
    Day 10

    Hi Everyone,

    We are on day 10 in the hospital.  **** seems to be inching toward getting better. I think we are at 3 steps forward and 1 step back. Right now we are going forward.  I know that **** is eager to get better as he knows he has to get back to beating back the cancer.  Such a hard thought.

    We were so fortunate to have our college aged daughter fly home for the weekend.  It was pure joy to have her here. She is also old enough to help out.  It was a really good visit even though **** had a horrible headache on Friday.  Saturday and Sunday are much better and it appears that his bowels are starting to move. 

    Holding all of you in my prayers.

    Aloha,
    Kathleen

  • LivinginNH
    LivinginNH Member Posts: 1,456 Member
    #13
    Kathleen808 said:

    Day 10

    Hi Everyone,

    We are on day 10 in the hospital.  **** seems to be inching toward getting better. I think we are at 3 steps forward and 1 step back. Right now we are going forward.  I know that **** is eager to get better as he knows he has to get back to beating back the cancer.  Such a hard thought.

    We were so fortunate to have our college aged daughter fly home for the weekend.  It was pure joy to have her here. She is also old enough to help out.  It was a really good visit even though **** had a horrible headache on Friday.  Saturday and Sunday are much better and it appears that his bowels are starting to move. 

    Holding all of you in my prayers.

    Aloha,
    Kathleen

     
    Hi Kathleen,
    That's great! 

     

    Hi Kathleen,

    That's great!  Two steps forward a day will definately get him walking straight out the door!  :)    And I'm sure that having your daughter visit gave him an extra boost.  :)

    (And don't foregt to take care of yourself too!)

    Cyn

  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    #14
    Kathleen808 said:

    Day 10

    Hi Everyone,

    We are on day 10 in the hospital.  **** seems to be inching toward getting better. I think we are at 3 steps forward and 1 step back. Right now we are going forward.  I know that **** is eager to get better as he knows he has to get back to beating back the cancer.  Such a hard thought.

    We were so fortunate to have our college aged daughter fly home for the weekend.  It was pure joy to have her here. She is also old enough to help out.  It was a really good visit even though **** had a horrible headache on Friday.  Saturday and Sunday are much better and it appears that his bowels are starting to move. 

    Holding all of you in my prayers.

    Aloha,
    Kathleen

    We are glad to hear positive

    We are glad to hear positive progress!   Tell him a lot of people are on his side and thinking of him and your family!

     

    We are sending more thights and prayers for your family's strength.

     

    Best Always,  mike

  • Varmint5
    Varmint5 Member Posts: 384 Member
    #15
    Kathleen808 said:

    Day 10

    Hi Everyone,

    We are on day 10 in the hospital.  **** seems to be inching toward getting better. I think we are at 3 steps forward and 1 step back. Right now we are going forward.  I know that **** is eager to get better as he knows he has to get back to beating back the cancer.  Such a hard thought.

    We were so fortunate to have our college aged daughter fly home for the weekend.  It was pure joy to have her here. She is also old enough to help out.  It was a really good visit even though **** had a horrible headache on Friday.  Saturday and Sunday are much better and it appears that his bowels are starting to move. 

    Holding all of you in my prayers.

    Aloha,
    Kathleen

    Going forward...

    So much going on and I am so sorry that **** and all of you are having to deal with these problems. At least it's 3 steps forward and one back and not the other way around. I hope that things turn around for him quickly and he feels better all around soon and can go home. What an ordeal. Thinking of you.

    Sandy

  • tachilders
    tachilders Member Posts: 313
    #16
    I cant get my bowels working

    I cant get my bowels working right either since getting out of the hospital. Have been having a lot of bloating, cramping, nausea, heartburn, and vomiting. Yestarday i got sick every time after I tried to eat something. Have vomited at least 10 times over the past week. I am passing stool through my colostomy but just cant stop the vomiting, so i tend to just not eat which is not good either. My weight is dropping like a rock and I'm afraid I'm getting dehydrated. All this from the guy that was able to eat and pass anything through my colostomy for the previous 16 months. Now I can't hold down chicken broth for some reason. Not sure I can take chemo at this rate. would be nice to have normal stool output before jumping back on folfiri. 

  • herdizziness
    herdizziness Member Posts: 3,624 Member
    #17
    Kathleen808 said:

    Day 10

    Hi Everyone,

    We are on day 10 in the hospital.  **** seems to be inching toward getting better. I think we are at 3 steps forward and 1 step back. Right now we are going forward.  I know that **** is eager to get better as he knows he has to get back to beating back the cancer.  Such a hard thought.

    We were so fortunate to have our college aged daughter fly home for the weekend.  It was pure joy to have her here. She is also old enough to help out.  It was a really good visit even though **** had a horrible headache on Friday.  Saturday and Sunday are much better and it appears that his bowels are starting to move. 

    Holding all of you in my prayers.

    Aloha,
    Kathleen

    Kathleen

    I am happy to hear **** is doing better. Did he get the NG tube out?  May his bowels keep moving along nicely.

    How wonderful your daughter was able to visit and family is able to watch your other daughter, that is a blessing indeed.

    Thinking of you both and sending my best your way for a speedy recovery for ****.

    Winter Marie

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