Surgery Monday

[Rufflesgurl]

Good news Velda - thanks for the update.

Linda

[carold]

That's terrific, Velda. Glad to hear and looking forward to Mel continuing this trend. carold

[PeggyinCT]

That's good news Velda. I've been on the road and haven't been able to read and respond to posts, but I've been thinking about and Mel. Big hug.

[snowball]

good news!!!
sheila

[MandysMom]

Thanks everyone! Today, Wednesday, was a good day. Still pain and tenderness in shoulders and neck but tolerating Tylenol only for pain. He is eating, walking the halls, and in good spirits. Drains still draining more than twice the minimum needed to get them out, so looks like at least Friday before drains out and home. So we are biding our time. He got his 3 rd roomie today. I swear we are not chasing them out as they leave under their own steam! I spend much of each day at bedside but came home early, at 7:30 tonight to eat and go to bed early in hopes of being there earlier tomorrow morning. I really like the nurses at UCD, they are so good to us. Many recognized us from 2013 and gave us hugs of welcome. It is nice to have familiar faces. I had been so worried about the whole food thing since we eat a very natural diet of mostly vegetables, fruits, and lean protein and he makes it all into soup in VitaMix. I expressed how he eats and they got him a puréed diet and being extra gravy or soup he can use to thin the purée to just the right texture and consistency. Tonight he had roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, tomato soup, and beef gravy to mix with meat. They mark each item with carbs, which,allows him to punch it into his program for totals then into insulin pump for it to quantify the needed insulin units.
Wishing everyone a happy Thursday .
Velda

[SoCalGalcas]

Wonderful! Good News! Thanks for the update Velda. Good pain relief from Tylenol? Interesting. lyn

[MandysMom]

Lyn, he is pretty much stuck using Tylenol because he gets severe itching, constipation, and worse he gets sleep apnea from narcotics and severe stomach pain from NSAIDs like Motrin. So he only takes narcotic as last resort and they have to give him big doses of Benadryl with it and it knocks him out. He would never be a good druggie! Lol
Dr said early this morning we will be here another few days as drains still putting out a lot. Glad I bought extra food!
Velda

[Bethers]

Other than the draining, it sure sounds like he's doing exceptionally well. Good to hear.

I, too, have major problems with narcotic painkillers - will sleep sometimes 48 hours from them. I remember being given a shot of morphine once and having no memory of anything until the next day, and it was hazy.

[MandysMom]

He had to resort to Dilaudid with a Atarax (anti itch) chaser today as he was in terrible pain in his neck at the back. I am not sure he has taken Dilaudid before but it took his pain from way over the 10 that is top of their scale (he said its a twenty when nurse asked) down to a 5, which is much better. Tubes still draining so possibly home Saturday if lucky. They have a monitor at his bedside to monitor breathing at night due to having to take Dilaudid. I'm good with that.
I ran into my noisy neighbor who has been quiet since Tuesday when I complained. Seems her mom is on same floor as Mel. We made friends tonight and talked a bit about various things related since my Mel and her 80 yr old mom. It was great to make peace and I found its quiet because she sent all but her nursing student daughter home! She is one of 27 children her father had and her mother had 8 of them! And she is in charge of mom and cares for a 89 year old friend of her moms. No wonder she gets tired and cranky!
Velda

[bluepinecones]

So glad that things are going reasonably smooth. Hope that was the last of bad pain flair ups and that you are getting enough rest..