Post Surgery

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cowman
cowman Member Posts: 61
edited March 2014 in Caregivers #1
My husband had colon resection and colostomy three weeks ago. He had some complications with blood clots in his lungs but the surgery went well and he has been home a little over a week. My question is that in the evenings around dinner time 6:00 pm he begins to feel very weak and tired and can barely make it to his bed. He then begins chilling and becomes emotionally upset. He usually will end up with an elevated temp then. After an hour or so (and Tylenol) he calms down and is ok. This always happens the same time of day. Anyone else with experience with this?
Diane

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  • CherylMike
    CherylMike Member Posts: 118
    #2
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    Bad Evenings
    Hi Diane~ My husband has been battling head and neck cancer for 2 years. It has metastized to his bones, liver, kindneys. . It seems that my husband is worse in the evening hours. He will get really confused and then will start the vomiting and raised temp. I do not know what it is with evenings. I remember when my kids would get sick - they seemed to feel worse in the evening hours also? I found the best thing for him is to try and be relaxed and calm around him. Any change in routine seems to make him have a hard time - the toilet in our bathroom clogged last night. The plumber could not get here until today. He got so upset having to use the second bathroom that he started vomiting, restlessness etc. I gladly paid the plumber extra to get out here a day early. I could not repeat last night (I got about 3 hours of sleep).
  • sue Siwek
    sue Siwek Member Posts: 279
    #3
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    CherylMike said:

    Bad Evenings
    Hi Diane~ My husband has been battling head and neck cancer for 2 years. It has metastized to his bones, liver, kindneys. . It seems that my husband is worse in the evening hours. He will get really confused and then will start the vomiting and raised temp. I do not know what it is with evenings. I remember when my kids would get sick - they seemed to feel worse in the evening hours also? I found the best thing for him is to try and be relaxed and calm around him. Any change in routine seems to make him have a hard time - the toilet in our bathroom clogged last night. The plumber could not get here until today. He got so upset having to use the second bathroom that he started vomiting, restlessness etc. I gladly paid the plumber extra to get out here a day early. I could not repeat last night (I got about 3 hours of sleep).

    cowman and cherymike,
    cowman and cherymike, almost sounds like young children when they don't get their nap. my husband as a result of radiation, and blood thinners for clots was very tired and cold. are either of your husbands on blood thinners? if so that could be the problem. also radiation can really be exhausting especially toward the end and for some time afterwards, could that be it. i would discuss this with the drs.
  • cowman
    cowman Member Posts: 61
    #4
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    sue Siwek said:

    cowman and cherymike,
    cowman and cherymike, almost sounds like young children when they don't get their nap. my husband as a result of radiation, and blood thinners for clots was very tired and cold. are either of your husbands on blood thinners? if so that could be the problem. also radiation can really be exhausting especially toward the end and for some time afterwards, could that be it. i would discuss this with the drs.

    blood thinner
    Sue,

    Yes, my hubby is on coumadin and he is very cold all the time and we are in a moderate climate right now. Going to be a long cold winter I guess. People have told me about the cold but not so much the tiredness as a result of the thinner. I did talk with the surgeon and he just says its from surgery-trauma. Thanks for your thoughts.
  • CherylMike
    CherylMike Member Posts: 118
    #5
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    sue Siwek said:

    cowman and cherymike,
    cowman and cherymike, almost sounds like young children when they don't get their nap. my husband as a result of radiation, and blood thinners for clots was very tired and cold. are either of your husbands on blood thinners? if so that could be the problem. also radiation can really be exhausting especially toward the end and for some time afterwards, could that be it. i would discuss this with the drs.

    No Radiation
    Sue~ Mike had gone through 2 different series of radiation - the one that focused on his neck and under arm was "he** on wheels". He ended up hospitalized twice. He finished the second radiation on his hip in March. He is not on blood thinners. He did fall and split his head open at 2:30am - he was also bleeding from his bottom. I have been in the ICU most of the early morning and afternoon. (my mother-in-law is spending the night tonight, we are alternating evenings as he will probably not be released until Sat. as they have decided to put in a pain pump now, instead of next Monday). I spoke to the pain doc. today and they are going to run tests tomorrow to try and determine the source of his confusion - might be a sodium or ammonia issue. He needed two staples to close up his head and the GI doc felt the bleeding is due to uclers in the colon. I am hoping tomorrow will be better. I have gotton 6 hours of sleep the past 2 days, so sleep is a premium!
  • sue Siwek
    sue Siwek Member Posts: 279
    #6
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    CherylMike said:

    No Radiation
    Sue~ Mike had gone through 2 different series of radiation - the one that focused on his neck and under arm was "he** on wheels". He ended up hospitalized twice. He finished the second radiation on his hip in March. He is not on blood thinners. He did fall and split his head open at 2:30am - he was also bleeding from his bottom. I have been in the ICU most of the early morning and afternoon. (my mother-in-law is spending the night tonight, we are alternating evenings as he will probably not be released until Sat. as they have decided to put in a pain pump now, instead of next Monday). I spoke to the pain doc. today and they are going to run tests tomorrow to try and determine the source of his confusion - might be a sodium or ammonia issue. He needed two staples to close up his head and the GI doc felt the bleeding is due to uclers in the colon. I am hoping tomorrow will be better. I have gotton 6 hours of sleep the past 2 days, so sleep is a premium!

    probably the bleeding is
    probably the bleeding is causing anemia and that can make him tired. i know how tiring it must be for you, hospitals are exhausting for not only the patient but the care giver. it seems that at least once a year my husband ends up in the hospital for one thing or another and i always dread it because it takes so long for both of us to recover once we get home. hoping for the best for you and mike.
  • sue Siwek
    sue Siwek Member Posts: 279
    #7
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    cowman said:

    blood thinner
    Sue,

    Yes, my hubby is on coumadin and he is very cold all the time and we are in a moderate climate right now. Going to be a long cold winter I guess. People have told me about the cold but not so much the tiredness as a result of the thinner. I did talk with the surgeon and he just says its from surgery-trauma. Thanks for your thoughts.

    the thinner may not cause
    the thinner may not cause tiredness rather the radiation. i think more often that my husband was not so much tired but rather he was cold, i liken it to a very cold day and you just want to stay under the covers. hope in time your hubby will either adjust or be able to get off coumadin as my husband did and it made all the difference.

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