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Posted 10/19/2009 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
I am wondering about both of you.

Betterhalf...I hope that the neurological issues with your husband's arm are improving and the he is recovering okay.

NUTZ....I am worried about your pains. Hopefully, this "episode" has passed and things are looking up?

Cathy
Posted 10/19/2009 7:10 AM (GMT 0)
My husband is improving! The numbness is still in his hand. But, that is so much better than it was when almost his whole arm was numb. Yay!

He is now off the epidural and is taking pain pills. He is a bit more uncomfortable with that. Also, he has had his catheter removed.

Thanks for asking!
Posted 10/19/2009 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Cathy,

The pains are somewhat better. I am frustrated, though, because I am still taking the Vicodin ES around the clock and today is 2 weeks post surgery- ugh. I am hoping to let off of them some but the pain always seems to return before my next dose. My sternal pain is gone- may have been reflux or something I ate that got "stuck." I have a follow up on Wednesday to discuss with my dr. Thanks so much for your concern! How is Dillon feeling?

Glenda- glad to hear the numbness is starting to subside! When will he be discharged?
Posted 10/20/2009 11:37 PM (GMT 0)
Nutz, I am glad you are feeling better. Remember that two weeks post surgery is really not very long. Dillon was still in the hospital at that point....you are doing something right to be home! I am sure you will feel more relaxed after seeing your doctor tomorrow and at least knowing what the pain would have been from. Remember...you are supposed to look at how you felt 7 days ago and ask do you feel better that than....I bet the answer is yes.

Thanks for asking...Dillon is doing REALLY WELL turn . He is getting his energy back and it pretty much doing everything again. He is still very careful about what he eats but I think he is being more careful than he needs to be. He is very scared to have a repeat of the situation he had in the hospital. I keep telling him that it was ileus and that happens usually just as the intestines are waking up and not 8 weeks after surgery...but he is very cautious. I guess that is a good thing. He is having more blood with his "bowel movements" and a LITTLE discomfort. The doctor said this could happen since the remaining rectum still has its mucosal layer (until he has his J pouch built when it will be stripped) and thus is still inflammed with UC and that maybe he will need to start using suppositories until the next surgery. He does not want to go there so we will wait a bit and see what happens. It is not really a big issue ...yet...just THERE. He is on his last level of pred (2.5mg) for the next 10 days and then the prednisone will be thrown in the garbage....what an exciting day that will be!

Glenda..how wonderful that "things" are improving. It must have been such a worry. It is also such an emotional lift for the patient when the catheter comes out. I remember that it really gave Dillon a boost. I am hoping that every day with bring improvement with your husband's hand. How is he dealing with the ileostomy?

Here's to all of us looking a month down the road and to even better health! yeah

All the best,
Cathy
Posted 10/22/2009 12:57 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry that I haven't been here lately! It seems like I'm either at work or the hospital. Then I come home and drop!

This has turned out to be quite a roller coaster ride! My husband, Larry, was feeling very well after surgery! He really didn't have much pain at all.

Then he had the problem with the numbness in the arm. That was quite a worry at the time. However, it seemed to disappear rapidly. Later, he just had the tingling in his hand. As of yesterday, he barely felt any tingling in his fingers.

The other problem was that it has taken a while for his small intestine to "wake up." This put him in quite a depression by Tuesday. (His surgery was last Thursday.) Larry was put on a regular diet, but the food was not passing through his system. So, he felt very bloated and uncomfortable. In fact, it was so bad that he was having thoughts that maybe he shouldn't have had the surgery at all.

Then yesterday (Wednesday), Larry was SO MUCH better! His intestines were waking up and starting to move things along. He had done a LOT of walking that day! I'm sure that helped. By supper time, I saw that he was actually enjoying his meal. Yay!

His only problem on Wednesday was that he was having trouble managing the bag. He fumbled in the restroom and had an accident. Also, after one of his walks, he didn't realize that it had filled up so much that the weight in the bag caused it to pull away from his skin and again he had an accident. But, that will get better with experience!

When I called this morning, he said that he was putting out a lot of urine over night. So, I reminded him to drink plenty of fluids to replace that.

Anyway, still no word on when he will get out of the hospital. Can't wait to have him home!

ETA:  I just got the word (10:00 am - at work) - LARRY IS BEING DISCHARGED TODAY!

I get out early today (about 1:30 pm), so that will work out great!  Woo Hoo!

Post Edited (BetterHalf) : 10/22/2009 8:06:58 AM (GMT-6)

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