Well, everything is okay but we got a lot more than we bargained for today. Michael’s labs still look good, his vitals are strong, and as mentioned yesterday, he’s getting his main nutrition through the special IV line so we know his caloric needs are being met too. Even his drain is behaving.
However he’s really run down and tired, much more so than when he first left ICU. He has no pain or tenderness in his abdomen but he had an ultrasound of the area this evening to make sure there is nothing gearing up in there to be a problem that hasn’t surfaced yet. The tech said there was nothing particularly notable except “liquid” in his stomach. He’s been drinking Gatorade so I see no reason to panic about that unless the doctor tells us to. He has also developed a tiny fever just before I left, just 99 degrees, but they take everything very seriously so they will keep an eye on that too.
The only reoccurring issue that hadn’t been solved since Michael arrived on this unit after leaving ICU is the excessive sleep interruptions, so he has been moved to a private room so he can finally get quality rest. The doctors had been asking the staff this week to reduce the number of interruptions and I’m sure they tried, but everything is doubled when you have a roommate so it was an uphill battle. I’ve also been talking with the staff over the last few days about how to help him get more sleep as this has also been a major concern of mine. It took a bit of doing but I’m happy to say they responded well to patient advocacy and he moved into his new digs this afternoon. His room is quiet as a church and the number of sleep interruptions the rest of the afternoon/evening were noticeably lower already.
Michael needs to build up his strength once again and get back to where he was a few days ago so talk of discharge has been shelved for now. They now say it will be “a while” but weren’t more specific and I understand why they really can’t be.
So, we’re here until further notice but that doesn’t mean anything terrible is going on. The orders he’s been given by the doctors every day have been to walk, stay hydrated, and rest. He’s been complying with the first two but the resting has been out of reach, so keeping him here is mainly to give him a chance to do that now while still keeping an eye on how his overall recovery is going.
I don’t know what kind of rounds the doctors will be making on Saturday so I’m not entirely sure whether my morning update will include information from their visit, but if I think their arrival is imminent I will hold off on it until after they stop in. ❤️
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Glad you were able to get him into a private room. They come into check on you all hours and you never really get the right amount of sleep. Hope this does the trick. Is Mike still on just liquids? I know they have changed it a few times trying to get the right combination. Is the Gatorade what has caused the fluid in the stomach? And is he still getting food through the vains? So many questions.
Saying extra prayers that tomorrow will start the uphill trip to recovery. Have a good rest, you must be totally exhausted. Can you sleep during the day while in the room? Now that it is a private room will be better for you too.
Good night Lisa and can not thank you enough.
I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone’s confused about the food/liquid situation because it’s changed a few times. There was a point where he graduated all the way to soft foods and was even allowed a turkey sandwich but it didn’t settle well so between that and inflamed intestines, they’ve backed him off to liquids. Now he’s sticking to broths and Gatorade to encourage his sodium levels to go back up. Meanwhile, to make sure he gets all the nutrients he needs, they’re giving him a bag full of vitamins, minerals, and calories through a special type of IV in his arm that’s meant to be a comfortable conduit so he doesn’t have to deal with a tube down his nose and into his stomach as a portal for Ensure. He’s still allowed to drink so he has Gatorade on hand to keep him from feeling thirsty, so he can swallow his meds, and to build up his sodium levels. The best of both worlds, I suppose. He can drink whatever sounds good but doesn’t have to worry right now about whether it’s nutritionally well-rounded because the IV is handling that.
As for the liquid they saw on the ultrasound, the tech wasn’t specific so we have to wait for the doctor to weigh in. It could be just the Gatorade he had right before the scan. It could also be a buildup of surgery-related fluid that the drain isn’t pulling out, but if that’s the case they have a few ways they can safely manage that.
I sometimes doze off for a minute in his room during the day but it’s been pretty highly trafficked. Hopefully I’ll catch a wink or two in his new room while he’s snoozing. 🤞
At the Business Transformation happy hour last night, everyone wanted to know how Michael is doing and sent their best wishes. Please let him know he’s on everyone’s minds daily and missed very much.