Sit, stand, walk...

Marty was far more comfortable this morning with combination of epidural pain meds and morphine drip. His color was in the pink range rather than last evening's gray hue. Before I got the the hospital early this morning, he had already sat up and stood up (with help, of course)! Once I arrived, his very smart and attentive PT assisted him in not only sitting and standing but walking about 5 steps! All of these activities require management of his nasal vacuum tube, catheter, oxygen tube and I.V. connections.

We talked quietly for much of the day, but as the afternoon wore on in the surreal hospital environment, I noticed that he became much more spacey and his hands were like ice. His blood pressure, which is typically low anyway, dropped dramatically. The "pain team" (medical folks who manage pain meds, not an S&M cult) and his nurses adjusted his epidural to lower delivery levels, and he improved very quickly.

Pain meds are a delicate balance after major abdominal surgery. His impressive incision requires enough pain relief so he can move with some measure of comfort. It is important that he can comfortably manage sitting, standing and walking not only to keep respiratory function on a good level, but also to stimulate bowel activity. Too much medication defeats all of the above, as well as diminishing his ability to detect important changes in functioning. Having an advocate on hand (that would be me) helps especially if Marty is too medicated to know he is too medicated.

A member of his surgical team talked with us this afternoon. He described Marty's lower intestinal tract as "looking like a hand grenade went off in there". No wonder he has endured such digestive distress! His insides were a bundle of gnarly adhesions, all of which have now been removed.

Progress is literally step by step, but I am very encouraged by Marty's spirit and resilience, as well as the excellent care he is receiving.

Thank you, everyone, for your kind and thoughtfully brief emails expressing love and support!

Post surgery report

It was a long day for Marty and for me, of course, and I am hoping my weary mind can find some measure of verbal clarity for this report.

The surgery went well, in that a tremendous amount of scar tissue in Marty's small bowel was removed, along with about 16 inches of intestine. Some scar tissue was adhered to his bladder, which required a small hole being made in his bladder. Dr. Froines said this would heal fairly easily as, as he put it, "the bladder is very forgiving". Marty will have a bladder catheter for about a week until the hole in his bladder heals. Psoas nerves were injured, which will result in numbness in his leg, probably permanently.

The surgery was over 3 hours in length. Once Marty was released to recovery, the medical folks had a very hard time controlling his pain levels, which were extremely high. I had waited for him in the surgery waiting room for 4 hours, and then in his hospital room for another 4 hours. At lastI was called to the recovery area to see him, as they were still struggling to reduce pain to "acceptable" levels. Marty was extremely pale, with a huge incision on his abdomen. He was astonishingly clear thinking, despite huge discomfort, and insisted I go home, as I couldn't stay in the recovery room with him. Thus, I reluctantly left him there, in very capable hands, with kindly and skilled nurses.

The length of his hospital stay will depend on how his bowel heals and begins to function again.

My deep thanks to all who sent emails and texts wishing him well for his surgery, and for texts to check up on me while I waited all the long hours. Huge thanks to Matt for his gracious ride to the hospital today. Thanks to Delia for cookies for the nurses, which were much appreciated.

Once I see him tomorrow, I will report further. I am weary to my bones, but also relieved that the issues of concern were addressed, and the scarred tissues removed successfully. No wonder his digestive system has been so very challenged, as the amount of scar tissue was enormous!

More to follow! Thanks again and love to all who have been so supportive on Marty's behalf!