Joe got off to a rough recovery start, but is slowly starting to heal. His epidural block did not “hit the mark” and as a result, did not numb the surgical area. Instead, his left side was completely numb. He could not stand or walk or anything. They increased his pain meds since the block didn’t work, which only made him sick to his stomach. In addition to that, his body was not processing all the IV’s and he was extremely swollen (gained 12 lbs of fluids in one day). The epidural is not a shot like they give a woman in labor, but a tiny long wire tube inserted into the back. They could not just remove it, so they slowly decreased the input and were able to remove it yesterday. Joe also had them remove the pain med pump. He’s one tough guy! Since then, things are starting to improve. He’s taking walks down the hall now, with assistance. Unfortunately, his bowels have not woken up yet and they are keeping him NPO (no food, drink or even ice chips). He’s only allowed to have a sponge swab in his mouth. He’s on IV’s for nutrition and hydration, but all he thinks about is water and popsicles. The nurses have boxes of Cherry Popsicles in the fridge for Joe just waiting for the word. Dr. Ong said hopefully tomorrow. He just isn’t going to take any chances and Joe and I are definitely OK with that.
More to follow… Thanks for everything. Our support group is amazing!!
XOXO
Sherrie
We sure sorry that Joe had a rough start after surgery and pray that he'll be feeling better real soon. Please give Joe our love. Our prayers are with you all.
ReplyDeleteLove, Mike and Kathy