Forgive me for being a little lax in getting updates out. I've worked alot throughout the holidays to keep on top of my hours...what a blessing to be able to do so from here on my laptop and fortunately I have my room here at Hotel Presby where I have my whole office set up and can work there whenever he's having procedures done and when I'm kicked out due to visiting hours! Much better than trying to do it from a waiting room!) It's been good to have the kids here to spend time with Ron so I could focus a little more and I was actually able to crank out quite a bit and get a little ahead on hours.
Ron's day started bright and early! They actually took him down for CT earlier than scheduled and he went straight from CT to IR (Interventional Radiology). He was down there about 4 hours. Dr. Parikh was pleased to see that the large hematoma in his upper abdomen has shrunk considerably...from a very large mass causing discomfort and difficulty breathing to the size of a golf ball. Yeah God!! They kept all of the drains (repositioned one) and he now has only 2 of them to wall suction; the rest are to bulb suction. Dr. Parikh said if things continue on this same path, they may be able to start removing tubes in a couple of weeks!
They also put a different type of wound dressing on his incision site which should help it to dry out and heal (close up). This has been a problem area, because of all the fluid keeping the incision wet it has not allowed it to close up; when they flush the drains (every 4 hours!) some of it comes right back out through one particular area that is basically a hole in his belly. Dr.Shires jokingly says he needs a cork in it! Since he is allergic to tape, they've had a hard time finding anything they can put on it that would cause negative pressure so things don't leak out! And as the drains suck out the fluid it also sucks the air coming in from this area, so his belly, at times, sounds like someone blowing on a bottle. Along with the gurgling from one of the drains that sounds like coffee percolating, he's become a one-man band! The lengths he'll go to to entertain are inspiring, aren't they?
If things go well, and they are able to keep drains on bulb suction, he may be able to move to another floor tomorrow. Dr. Shires says today's scan looks much better than his scan 2 weeks ago so he will most likely move to a regular floor (6 West). Since he's not critically ill and 6 West is where all Dr. Shires' patients go, the nurses there are very familiar and used to dealing with all the types of tubes he has. He will go back to IR sometime in the next week unless he starts running a fever or shows signs of any other problems...in that case, it would be sooner.
Please pray as we all adjust to everyone being back to work. As the boys get into a routine, I know it will be hard on them. They want to be able to come see their daddy every day but that will not be possible. Doctors are constantly reminding us this is a marathon and we need to continue on with our normal lives but for now, this will be my normal. I'll do whatever it takes in order to be here! Things turn on a dime and we never know when they will come in and say he needs to have some kind of procedure done; and being that it's a good hour or more to get over here, none of us feel comfortable if I'm not here.
Ron has now lost all the excess fluid and he's back to having those chicken legs! He now weighs 75.7 kg (@ 166 lbs). Heck of a weight loss plan! I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, though!!!
That's all for now!
Thanks for your continued prayer support!
Love,
Christie & gang
"...watch--and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." Habakkuk 1:5
This note was in Ron's Bible:
*** God responds to our concerns by stating that He will do amazing acts that will astound us. When circumstances around us become almost unbearable, we wonder if God has forgotten us. But His word reminds us He is in control. God has a plan!!! ***
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