Sunday, November 14, 2010

Recovery Day Four Only Post

11/14/2010  1730  (5:30 PM)

Earlier this afternoon we moved from the ICU to room 524; it's a nice single room at the far end of the hall.  All of the monitors and tubes have been removed.  Susan is still receiving oxygen via a nose bud.  All medications will come via mouth or needle through the mainline still attached to her right side neck.

She had gone too long without a jolt of pain medicine; we had some serious crankiness complicated by a leaking urostemy. (ICU nurses really don't have a clue of how to do the install on Susan.  There are some curves and folds involved and another stoma too close by.  I've not forgotten that her main incision is also too close.  To make matters worse, the JP drain opening is in the same 10 inch circle.

The nurse on 5 tried to install it; it started leaking right away.  She attempted to stop the flow with some gauze and tape. NOT.  I sorted through the ostomy supplies and found a better solution.  The only problem is the nurse will have to empty it manually.  Before it was flowing down into a nice bedside container.  Tomorrow the ostomy pros will be back at work and they can work out the problem.  I told the nurse about the work around; she said ok in five minutes.  I waited five minutes and then did it myself.  careful application of the adhesive ring under the disc attached to the bag worked. fine.  So far so good.

Her dose of dilaudid has her resting now for more than three hours.  Her sister Mary will be coming to start her shift soon.  She'll be able to get Susan some real food from the anytime room service style food service. I'll be going home to a farafalle and hot sausage creation thanks to brother Harry.

Susan still has healing to do.  We are not thinking anything about going home, yet.  Soon Susan will start thinking about going home; we'll have to persuade her to be cool (like a Westside Story Jet after Tony was killed. Think of the song.)

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Love,  John.

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