So here's a rundown of how yesterday went:
- We got to the hospital at 7:30, he was immediately taken to pre-op and taken back just before 9:00. (We talked to the doc while there and she explained what would happen and that the surgery would take anywhere from 3-5 hours.)
- I was able to go home because they updated me via phone call from a nurse in surgery every hour. (The boys were happy.)
- At 2:15, the doctor called to tell me that surgery was over, Jim did really well but that it was much more extensive then she had anticipated. They ended up having to open him up (she said the bowel was really diseased and cemented in there and she couldn't get to it laparoscopically) and there was one part of the bowel that had developed or started to develop a fistula. As a result, she had to put in a drain but the reconnection of the bowel was a success and she was very happy with it. They also had to put in a catheter.
- Jim went to recovery and from there, the nurse called a couple times saying he was having some pretty major pain and would probably be there a couple hours. They had to put him on a pca pump for morphine (patient controlled...Jim can press a button as needed for 1 mg of morphine every 6 minutes).
- I left home around 4:00 and got to his room a little before he did. When he finally did arrive, (around 5:00) he was pitiful. He was going in and out of sleep as the nurses worked and seemed okay but when the nurses had to do a skin check (to see if he arrived with any sores) and they had to remove his binding and then roll him, he was in a shit ton of pain. It was so sad! Poor guy! (It was cute too though because when they apologized to him he mumbled, "That's okay.")
- I left around 6:00 (no point staying and watching him sleep) and here we are.
I just talked to Jim and he seems okay. He said he's groggy and still in pain (still on morphine) but he got out of bed and is sitting in a chair. He hasn't eaten yet (which bums me out) and his catheter is still in but it was good to hear him sounding pretty lucid and good to know he got out of bed on his own. My biggest thing is him eating. He was down to 209 on Monday (that's a 15 pound loss since the end of June) and you know he's lost even more weight since then. I need to get him back to fighting weight. He looks so gaunt.
From here: Jim should come home this weekend at some point but it all depends on him managing his pain and pooping. The doc wants to see him progressing, eating, pooping and ensuring the reconnection isn't leaking. Fingers crossed that Saturday or Sunday we see him back in his own bed. From there, it'll be 4-6 weeks of healing. He's on a restricted, low fiber diet for 6 weeks too.
I'm so glad we're on the other side of this whole thing and cannot wait for Jim to be feeling better. And he's been such a trooper. From what the doctor said, with the amount of diseased colon he had, she estimates he's been dealing with symptoms and not feeling quite right for about 18 months.
So yeah, I just did a yoga for the first time in about 3 months (my shoulder just wasn't ready before) and it felt really good. I sweat my ASS off but my shoulder didn't hurt too badly and I was very careful about what moves I made. My goal is to get back to a 5 day a week yoga routine (even if only 30 minutes a day) so that I can strengthen my shoulder back up. I'll walk the dogs here after posting and if I have time I'll take a quick bike ride. It's humid as hell and we're looking at temps near 100 today so I expect to be soaked before my shower. I'll leave to go to the hospital around 10:30 or so, probably stop and get lunch and then hang with Jim for a few hours.
And that's all I have. I think that's enough, don't you? Oh, and I did sleep pretty well last night. I woke up a few times but managed to go back to sleep without tossing and turning. Yay!
K - happy Wednesday. Later!
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