May 1, 2007: Release!

The morning started with Harry, my day nurse, on duty from 7 to 7. He was a nice guy. My breakfast came as clear liquids, broth, gelatin, juice. Harry was right on top of it. He called the 'kitchen' told them to send a general diet tray up as per doctor's orders. So I had more than one breakfast. The food was pretty good.

Harry was just getting on my 'good side'. He came back later in the morning to get me out of bed. WOW! That was not good. First off when he moved the bag to the base of the IV pump he pulled my hose. That was a panic situation. I wasn't sure what would come off! I told him not to pull that. It wasn't taped down.

That was just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. When Harry took my hand and tried to pull me up I thought I was going to rip in two. It was all that both of us could do to sit me up on the edge of the bed. It felt like the row of incisions (my perforation line) wasn't going to stay together.

After a short rest for Harry and me, I stood up and held onto the IV pump to take a short walk. Out the door and down the hall to the left. Only about twenty feet then a right, another twenty-five feet to the parallel hall, another right and twenty feet back to the cross-over and straight into my Stepdown 2 bed. That was slow, but I was moving on my own power. And at the end of the walk, my arms were tired from supporting myself on the pole of the IV pump. Harry sat me in a chair in my room.

At least the next trip didn't require me to get out of bed. But it was still not possible to sit forward in the chair to get up. I had not been hooked up to the oxygen when I returned from the first walk; but, my O2 saturation was up at 99%. Now that my gut was rumbling, I needed help getting up and into the bathroom. I had no idea what to expect. But I had to take my third of the bathroom time. My room mate Jerry had already made a couple trips. The little old lady went everywhere. I had to get on the board. The things that I get competitive about!

I ordered lunch. It was a decent tuna salad sandwich. It punctuated my day. I was looking forward to the doctors visit to release us about 2 pm. So after lunch Harry got me unhooked from the monitor and out of the chair so I could walk again. This time we went down two blocks then over and back. I felt I had to do it faster than last time. In my mind Harry was charting my liquid intake and output, bathroom trips, and activity. I wanted to be sure that I was showing progress so the doctor would discharge me.

Jerry was really disappointed when they told us the doctor was tied up in surgery 'til two-thirty. I was kind of glad. I thought if the doctor came now I wasn't strong enough to be discharged. I needed more time to get more points on the board. I needed another trip to the head and another walk before he came up.

I finally had some measure of success with body functions and the third walk was left three blocks and back four blocks then to my chair. That was good. I was on a faster pace and went double the distance of my last walk. Harry pointed out his children on an employee bulletin board. They were cute kids just about school age. Harry was still in vacation mode. This was his first day after four weeks in the Philippines visiting family.

Now word is that the doctors are in surgery until 4 or 4:30. Jerry was upset and I was only a little less agitated. Jerry was having pain with his catheter; so he had his wife ask if I was experiencing pinching every time I moved. We compared notes and he was definitely having an issue that I didn't have. So he called his nurse and she checked it out and lubricated the tube. He was apparently experiencing the first signs of irritation and infection. The Bacitracin should help that. I heard her saying to make sure we put that on twice a day.

Jerry was finally ordering something to eat. I was skipping it because I was sure that I was being released soon. Even though it was after five, I was sure I was getting released today. Well, kinda sure. Now word was that they were in another surgery and would be up about seven o'clock. Sure, we've heard that before. Jerry was fit to be tied and I wasn't far behind him. Surely they could take a break between surgeries to come up and discharge us.

The hospital needed our beds since about two thirty. They had people coming out of surgery and needed to put them in monitored beds. We were past needing monitors but they had no where to move us to. They didn't want to put us in another room and then discharge us but we didn't want to be put in the hall. Good thing we didn't move to a hall; since they kept us another five hours and we would not have had nurse assignments or facilities to use.

About seven thirty, doctors Goldrath and Troy were talking to Jerry. Checking his chart and writing his orders. Giving him his directions and talking to his wife. He thought I was progressing faster and better than he and I thought Jerry was doing better than I.

Then Doctor Troy came to my bed followed by Doctor Goldrath. Sally asked him if they sold movies of the operation. She told them I had wanted to stay awake to watch because I was so fascinated by the robotic surgery. He said in fact they had a DVD that I get now. But then they had to find it. They left it in Jerry's area. We talked about my expectations in the coming week and to come to the office in one week to get the staples removed and the catheter. I felt pretty smug that I had an appointment already made for next Monday.

Doctor Troy checked the drain in my side and the drainage was slowed considerably. I'm pretty sure if he had looked at two o'clock I would have gone home with it in place. Harry had been emptying about a half cup, then a third of a cup, then a quarter cup, about every two hours. Now it only had a tablespoon or so. Doc clipped a stitch that tied it in and said, "Exhale and then slowly breathe in while I pull it out."

That was NOT pleasant! That was like a perforated drain tile a little over a foot long and was uncomfortable out almost as much as it was in. I guess he has you exhale before he pulls it out so you can't yell. That burned like fire and pulled my gut as it was coming out slowly. He tugged on the suture and put a dressing over it. I got my directions for the week. Don't bathe before Thursday. Resume medications immediately but no NSAIDs until after the office visit. We need to not start bleeding. Lift nothing over ten pounds, no driving, no chores, etc. Basically I can walk as much as I can tolerate and practice control. Stop mid-stream and hold it for a minute.

Harry worked an hour overtime to get me discharged just because he had started the day with me and wanted to see it through. He was really a very good nurse. All of the nurses were generous, courteous and good at their job. The techs were also very helpful. All things being even I'm still VERY glad to be going home.