Lost Son - Dad Post Transplant

retired, Thank you and I am glad to hear you are doing so well. Hearing you say you feel like a whole new person is what makes me feel great. I hope in a few months I can see the dad I once knew. I hated seeing him sad and in bed all day because I know he loves to be around and helping out and doing stuff.

The fact that you want to get back to work says a lot of how you feel and that is great! I want my dad to be able to dance at my wedding. Lol

Mae, that is unless my children take as long as I do to get started!

Gosh, they hate that tube, Mike was a mess until they took out the vent and NG tube! Then he started feeling better. He didn't get up or moved out of ICU until that was done.

Drive safely, I know you are anxious to get to the hospital, but we need you...so take care.

Hoping you can get some sleep. This is going to be a long haul over the next weeks and months.

Hugs,
Mama Lama

After my transplant, the hospital menu (called surgically soft, but it was anything but that) had a number of items that were very salty. I couldn't believe that they would serve food to patients with so much sodium. When I told my nurses, they were surprised and said to notify the hospital dieticians. The head of food service had no idea of the importance of low sodium diets for transplant patients.

Alex, I have been very happy with the progress reports on your Dad. So happy he is recovering, and your family is very fortunate. You must feel relieved. Big Hugs

Hi Everyone, thank you for the encouraging words and wishes. I sure need it right about now. I just got back from a weekend hospital visit and I wish I could say it was all good.

First, when I showed up on Saturday morning I was through the roof with excitement at how great my dad looked. He was tired but he was walking around a few times and eating very well. He was also joking and being his regular self. It was amazing to me and the other family that was there visiting. They were even telling us Monday they would evaluate when they thought he would be discharged which was looking possible sometime during the week.

Well, fast forward to this morning and things were much different. From the minute I walked in the room after a "good sleep" I was sad to hear he was in a lot of pain because he was unable to have any bowel movements. Apparently they thought he was ready to do so, but he was unable to do so. The doctor had him have an X-ray to check her suspicion of an alias (sp?) in his intestine. It was confirmed that it was indeed the case.

I had no idea what this was, but apparently it is a sign his intestine is still "asleep" and preventing any bowel movements. The result is everything is "backed up"

The solution? Yep...the dreaded tube in the nose....It was tough seeing that being done to my dad and seeing the pain it caused him was very hard on me and especially my brother. He actually almost passed out on me.

The goal is to get all of the build up out through the tube and relieve the pain and also prevent him vomiting (Which we were told would be a HUGE mess) basically that which should be going down and out would come up and out....not pretty. They are saying his intestines are still asleep and they want him to walk more to get things going. But this will set him back a bit because they need to keep the tube in until that happens and he can have bowel movements.

I don't know what to make of it all, but I must say after a great start it was hard having to leave for the visit on that note....I know there are set backs and this is one, but I just fear that this could be a bad sign or a potential complication. The positive note is that the doctor said all the labs on the liver and kidney are perfectly fine...

I am hoping for better news tomorrow and I just hope this doesn't set his discharge back too much. Even though I want him in the hospital until he is good to go.

ML, he is very very miserable. Even the nurses felt bad for him which says a lot. They did say that the pain meds contribute to this and therefore cut the dose in half.

The doctor said the pain meds, him needing to walk more and the fact he had a part of his intestine operated on during the surgery are all factors.

I just felt bad because he said before we were given any info was "Anything but the tube" I spoke to my mom a while ago and he is sleeping now and there appears to be some draining going on. But she did mention that he is starting to go from positive back to negative thoughts. Not so much that he won't get through it but more of the guilt that this is even happening.

I hope this doesn't drag on too long. I can not imagine how bad this must feel for him. They keep pushing water in to "loosen it up" since the contents are so thick (Sorry for that being graphic)

Alex, Good Morning! There will be many things go on that are not so fun as he manages life with a transplant.

Right now, he has to recover from this large surgery, and that takes time. Have patience. Don't expect perfection. Hope for progress, but accept he has a great team to help him with each issue along the way. Once he gets the bowels moving, he will feel better. Soon he will be released and moving into another stage of recovery. The liver is doing well, as are the kidneys...that is good news. Focus on the good stuff. Big Hugs

I told my dad that the next time he sees me it will be when I go pick him up! I hope that is the case. My boss says "That's great news, hopefully it's during the weekend so you don't have to miss work" Grrrrr.......

Initially we were thinking Wednesday which would be his 12th day. But with his current issues I'd imagine that might not still be the case. Probably a few days behind which is totally fine as long as he is well! The one I think needs the return home is my mother. She is there 24/7 and refuses to leave his side. She is amazing at how dedicated she is to helping him recover. I thought I would need to be there more but shes the one getting him on his feet.

I did want to ask for advice on the financial side of things. Before my dad gets discharged is there anything i need to do on this end to get some type of options/assistance? I will help out my family and have already stepped in to pay bills etc. With my mom being off work unpaid for almost 2 months this will take a toll I'm sure. Just wondering if there is any options out there for them.

TM,

He was approved for his disability a few months back. I know there is a certain time frame he needs to wait until he is able to get insurance. I will speak with the financial coordinator and see what the options are.

TM, I believe his disability was started last August which means we still have about a year to wait for Medicare which would be huge because the medication coverage is better than it would be now. However, I am sooooo glad that he had the transplant now because my moms insurance covered it, whereas Medicare would only have covered such a procedure in our home state.

As for all other efforts I will give it a shot! But if there are no options then I will step in to help as best I can. I just don't want my parents to stress over money when they should be healing and being positive on a new chance at life.

He will be find LS. Everyone is different, and it depends on the health he was in before goign in. As long as his labs are fine etc. the rest of it will kick in eventually. As mama always says, this liver has to learn all the jobs it performs again. Also, older people have a harder time with the meds during surgery, and from the sounds of it his surgery was longer than normal.

He needs to stay positive and things will get better. I bet once they can release him, you will notice a huge difference. Getting out of the hospital is a huge moral boost.

You need to talk to your mom,s he needs to get rest now. The hosptial staff will take care of him while he is there. it is important for her to be rested as she will be his main care giver once he is released, and she does not want to be burned out going into that.