Still at the hospital...

As I write this, it is Day 10 of my mom being in the hospital (day 9 at hospital #2).

It has been a long and tiring week and so much has happened since my last post. My brothers and I have taken turns staying overnight with our mom and we've been trying to not leave her alone. She was alone for two afternoons this week for a few hours each time while I babysat my niece (a job she normally does!), but other than that and us running down to the cafeteria to get a drink or a bite to eat, we've been with her around the clock. I'm so grateful to my brothers for doing as much as they can while they are working full time…have I ever mentioned how much I love these two humans?!?

I know I was vague in my last post about what was actually happening, but I didn't want to include any medical details until my mom was able to give me permission, since this is really her story.

She had 32 inches of her small bowel removed. 32 inches of dead, diseased tissue. Her incision runs from several inches above her belly button, through her belly button, and extends several inches below her belly button. It is no joke. So many staples.

Throughout the week, every time she made progress, there seemed to be a setback. She's not only dealing with this, but also Type II Diabetes and Pulmonary Fibrosis, so they had to keep an eye on her blood sugar because she didn't eat anything until Wednesday and also her lung function and oxygen saturation levels. However, even though things seem to go well and then not so well, the general trend has been in the right direction.

On late Monday afternoon, she was transferred to a regular room. This alone was a big relief, because the Trauma ICU had many restrictions (which is perfectly understandable). We had to be buzzed in when we wanted to go to her room because it is a secured unit; no outside food or drink was allowed, meaning anytime we needed to eat or drink anything, we had to leave the unit (the same went for us using the restroom – we had to leave the unit and be buzzed back in); only two people were allowed in her room at any one time; and after 9 pm, only one person was allowed in the room with her. With her regular room, there is no limit to the number of visitors allowed at one time (although of course we want her to rest, so we don't want her overwhelmed with people) and multiple people can stay overnight with her if necessary (although my brothers and I have just been taking turns).

We had a really rough night on Tuesday. My mom was on a clear liquid diet and unable to keep anything down. As such, she was seen by two surgeons and they agreed that she needed her nasogastric tube reinserted to suction material out of her stomach (this had just been removed the day before). As you might imagine, having a tube inserted into your nose, having to SWALLOW, and then feeling it being snaked down into your stomach is a thoroughly horrific ordeal.

The procedure did not go well. Instead of the tube going into her stomach, it went into her lung. Beyond awful for anyone, but worse for someone with pulmonary fibrosis. After much consultation, it was removed shortly thereafter and there's been no further mention of that tube, thank goodness. What a complete nightmare.

She has slowly been taken off all of the machines…as of right now, she is on oxygen, which is normal for her on the best of days, and she has an iv for antibiotic fluids.

Which leads me to the latest setback.

We had high hopes that she would be discharged on Friday (we have plans to have her move in to our house for probably the remainder of the summer while she recuperates).

Obviously that didn't happen.

On Thursday morning, when they inspected her incision, they discovered it was infected. Not what we wanted to hear. They put her on antibiotics and drew a line across her belly to monitor the spread of the infection.

Yesterday morning, the inspection had spread beyond the line, so they removed a few of the lowest staples to allow it to drain and gave her more antibiotics.

Yesterday afternoon, after another examination, they decided to open up the entire wound. The WHOLE thing. Right there in her bed. And I watched. All the staples were removed and the newly healing skin was completely opened up. It was both the coolest and grossest thing I have ever seen. My mom was a rock star, lying in bed with her belly wide open so they could look down into to check on the interior sutures. I was in awe and completely shocked at the same time. Despite growing up in a medical family, I'd never actually seen the inside of someone (I mean, why would I have?), so it was fascinating. Sadly, even with my untrained eyes, I could see the infected tissue clear as day. I don't know how my mom handled all of that in such a zen-like manner. Honestly, I am the proud daughter of a complete badass.

They packed the wound with gauze and covered it up. The hope is that the antibiotics will help get the healing started, and once the infection is cleared up, they are going to use something called a wound vac to pack and seal it (this is be changed every two or three days).

As awful as all of that was, she said she felt better afterwards because the pressure was relieved. She was able to nap yesterday afternoon and slept fairly well last night. They came and checked it this morning, took out the packed gauze and put fresh gauze in there, so I was able to see it again. Her belly looks better than yesterday, so it would appear that the antibiotics are doing some good. I also think the fact that she was able sleep helped, although she is in a considerable amount of pain right now and is having trouble getting comfortable.

Thank you once again to the family and friends who are checking in. I'm doing the best I can with updates and I'm sorry if I don't respond to you individually, but know that I appreciate all of the kind words you are sending my mom from the bottom of my heart!

Happy Tails to you!