Final Update on Don (for now anyway)

Just got back from the Doctors in Denver.  We saw the surgeon and the infectious diseases Docs. They both took him off all medications and gave him a "good to go" thumbs up.  The surgeon said that he should recover fully with no affects.  He should be as good as new.

Don went off the antibiotic last night.  He was so nauseated and he looked terrible and said he just couldn't do it anymore.  I just flushed the lines in his PICC and said okay. Today he looks great and we even stopped at PF Chang's where we met Josh who came in from NOSOCA Pines Ranch where he worked for the summer.  Don ate a good meal and felt better and better as we got closer to home.  Thank God for his wonderful watch care over him!!!

He gets his PICC line out tomorrow when the Home Health Nurse comes to sign him off. He has to take it easy.  The doctor said no heavy lifting and straining, but he can ride his bike and begin his stretches to get ready for the bigger stuff to come to get him back in shape.  He also talked about diet and how Don can maintain his weight now.  He has lost 60 pounds.  He looks good, but his clothes are super baggy. Guess we need to go shopping.  Now that sounds fun!

Dealing with Diverticulitis - Part 18 Hurray, Hurray, We Get To Go Home -

Don just got done talking with one of his many doctors and he will be released tomorrow.  He still has his PICC line in and will have to keep it for at least a week to have Alamosa Home Nursing Service come and give him his antibiotic twice a day. Not sure about the time we leave tomorrow, but whenever it is we are happy to finally be going home.  Don is doing much better and we even went outside today. He took me out to lunch....in the hospital cafe.  Not too bad for cafe food.  Looking forward to going home!!!

Dealing With Diverticulitis - Part 16 - Third Day of Recovery

Three days of recovery are over, hurray!

Don got up and "took a shower".  I think I have come up with a way to make some money when it comes to taking a shower where you really can't get anything wet.  It is a great way to wash your hair in a hospital bathroom.  Be watching for it on TV infomercials. "Only 19.95. But wait, if you order now you can get two extra at no extra charge." LOL.

Don says he feels so much better.  We had been joking about everytime he gets in the shower Dr. Paul shows up.  We got Don's birthday suit on and ready to go in the shower and guess who walked in?  This is the third time Dr. Paul came in while Don was taking a shower.  We just busted up. We chided him that if we wanted to see him all we had to do was head for the shower and he would appear.

Two Docs have seen Don today and the OT.  All of them have said he is doing really well for this early in the recovery process.  Don is determined to get better so he can go home and get on with life as it should be.  I am proud of him for remaining positive when he could have succumbed to depression.  It hasn't been easy but all the encouragement and prayers and cards have helped so much.

Dealing With Diverticulits - Part 14, Second Recovery Day

Don is resting a lot.  He did sit up on the edge of the bed for about 20 minutes before I got here.  It wiped him out though.

Dr. Paul was just here. He is a young and very kind man.  He answers all my questions and is really patient.  He doesn't rush in and rush out. He told us that they have an Infectious Disease Doc working with the vencose resistant strain of strep (VRS).  This is the resistant strain of bug found while doing surgery.  That doctor said he put drugs on Don that are working to get rid of that "bug". 

Because of the weekend we don't have the pathology report back from all the debridement they had to do in Don's gut.  This debridement is the cutting away of all the foul, scarred, and diseased tissue. This causes a tremendous amount of trauma to the organs. 

The "bridge bag" for the TPN was started this morning.  It has been four days since Don has had any kind of nourishment and this "bridge bag" is preparing his system for the TPN treatment.  This will begin his process of getting nourishment back into his system and building up the muscle and tissue in his abdomin.

It is Sabbath and Don wants me to hook up some praise music and also listen to Gary McCary's sermon live from Tierra Santa Church in San Diego.  Thanks Gary for all your encouragement and prayers.  Have a blessed Sabbath everyone.

Dealing With Diverticulitis Part 13 - Post Surgery Recovery

Don has a Thoracic Epidural in his back.  That helps him deal with pain without being on hard drugs.  However, he can't stay on that too long because it makes the bowels sleep.  For the first two days or so he can have it but then he has to get weaned off of it so that his bowels begin working again.  So far he is doing well.  He just told me that the Dr. came in and said, "I got the license number of the truck that hit you!" 

While they were doing surgery the lab tests showed some sort of resistant bug that the Dr. excavated from all the "rot".  This could be the reason why Don never healed and continued to abcess even in the presence of antibiotics.  The surgeon and internal medicine guys are very optimistic about Dons recovery and Don is trying to be a "good boy" about all they tell him to do.  This morning he couldn't get the "ball off the ground" with his spirometer.  This afternoon he has brought it almost half way up.  That is very good.

Right now Don drifts in and out of sleep.  This is good for him to get lots of rest and let the bowel heal.  In about a day or two the marathon training begins and I don't think he will like it.  But hey, gotta do what you gotta do!

Dealing With Diverticulitis Part 12 - Post Surgery

Don is out of surgery is in recovery. The doctor said that he is a tough guy and the surgery went well. It took twice as long as the doctor expected, but he was able to get everything cleaned out. Don needed abcesses cleaned out, small intestine re-section, and two places in the large intestine repaired. He had twisted bowels that held sick tissue in place and pockets that would have never healed. The doctor said if the surgery wasn't done now, Don would have never gotten better. It had to be done. He has no tube drains or colostomy. That is what we prayed for.


Don has an NG tube for a few days and will be using his PICC line for TPNutrition. If he is able, by Monday, he will start clear liquids. He is expected to be here until next Friday at the earliest depending on how he recovers. They will be keeping a very close eye one him to make sure his progress is as it should be.

Again I want to thank all of your for your encouragement, prayers, and waiting with me, though not here, but at your homes while Don was in surgery. You are awesome friends and family. God bless you all.

Part 11 - Surgery

I am sitting in the hall on seventh floor.  Don is getting a new PICC line put in his right arm.  I explained what this was in previous blogs.  It is a sterile procedure so I have to leave the room. 

Don's spirits a low.  He is really apprehensive about this surgery and his mortality is hitting him.  The doctor was in a few minutes ago.  Dr. Paul is a wonderful bed-side Doc.  He assured Don while explaining the procedures of what was happening today.  "This is a fixable thing so don't worry."  He also offered him a "Valli" (Vallium) so that he could sleep and get some rest. Don feels very drained and exhausted.

The drain on his left side never did get clear and today it looks like pea soup.  They were hoping that it would be clear before surgery, but they can't wait any longer and will be dealing with it as they do the re-section.  We are hoping that they will be able to clean it out well and resect the bowel after removing the damaged bowel without having to put in a colostemy bag.  It would be ideal not to have to do surgery twice as they would have to go in and remove the colostemy in several months.  The reason for the colostemy bag is to "turn off" the plumbing so everything drains to the outside while the bowel heals.  Once everything is healthy then they can "turn on" the plumbing again, so to speak.

The PICC line will be for his TPN (also explained in an earlier blog).  This will provide the nurishment he needs while his bowel is recovering and "resting".

What is very encouraging is that Dr. Paul said that Dr. Cortz would be the surgeon that he and his family would use if they were in a similar circumstances.  We have been told by many that he is one of the best in the State.  That is comforting.

I am sorry that I haven't given an update sooner.  I left here on Tuesday afternoon and went home to Alamosa to get bills paid and pick up some extra things.  I came back yesterday with Greg and Denice.  Don had bought tickets to see "South Pacific" at the Denver Buel Theater of Performing Arts for my birthday.  It was really good...but the plot is lame.  I hadn't seen it before but was familiar with all the songs.  It felt weird to be there without Don (he insisted we go) and I was emotional when they sang "Some Enchanted Evening".  I wanted him there holding my hand enjoying the play with me.

He had a terribly rough day yesterday and last night.  They "bowel prep" the same way they do for a colonoscopy.  Those of you that have had that understand.  Doing that routine while very sick is like going through hell.  He became nauseated and vomited a lot.  The abdominal pain was extremely enhanced everytime he heaved.  This is what exhausted him so quickly and thoroughly. This really drained him of energy and he looks weak and white.  He now can't have any water or anything.  He has lost so much weight.  My guess he is in the 215 area now.  Not an ideal way to lose weight.

I will get another update posted as soon as Don is out of surgery and I know how it went.

Dealing With Diverticulitis Part 10 - Surgery Set

Don met with the surgeon this afternoon and it was decided to schedule his re-section for Thursday at 5 or so in the afternoon.  He will be recovering  for about 10 days or so.  Once we get through this then we hope that he will be as good as new.

Dealing With Diverticulitis Part 9 - Now What? Don Update

Okay.  So here we are again.  The Dr. just left and this is what we know so far.  Don is now on a new regimen of medications.  Amikin 1200 mg.  This causes "bacteria death" systematic infections of GI etc.  Tygocil 110 ng.  Tigleycline ( a broad spectrum anti-infection) This is for complicated intraabdominal infections.  And finally, Diflucan.  An antifungal, systematic for serious fungal infections.

These medications are intended to get him well enough to do bowel preparations for the re-section surgery.  So he may be in here for a week or so.  His drain is full of ugly junky stuff that smells nasty.  That is what they want to get cleared up.  His colon and intestines are so sick that they are having a difficult time healing and are "soft and mushy". 

He is feeling much better today and took a shower while singing.  Not sure the other patients appreciate the music.  He was singing the theme song to "Flipper".  He may take me on a date to the cafeteria at noon. They have put him back on a bland diet because his "pipes" are working properly. Yummy hospital food!  Actually, they have quite a variety of stuff so we do pretty well there.

Hopefully we will be able to talk to the surgeon today.  Will see what happens.

Dealing with Diverticulitis Part 8 - Back in the Hospital Again

We are back at Swedish Medical Hospital.  Don is just finishing with the Radiology Interventionist to have one of his drains put back in.  Two days ago we were just here getting them taken out,but he never felt quite right after we arrived back home. Don was very lethargic on Friday afternoon and Saturday.  Then by Saturday night he was running a low grade fever.  We went back to the ER and they did another CT scan.  This is the fifth one in a month and they only recommend on one per year.  They couldn't see anything right away but have to send it off to Australia for the Radiologist to read.  They called us an hour later.  He had developed another abcess.  Back to Swedish this morning to get his tube replaced and be observed over night.

Casey is here with the kids.  They encourage Don so much.  Don is back on clear liquids again.  During the procedure they pulled 40 ccs of fluid out.  Sigh.  He is so not happy about the liquid diet, but hey, what do you do?  Will update soon.

Dealing With Diverticulitis Part 7 - Don's Update

We went back to Swedish Medical Center on Thursday and they did another CT scan.  Everything looks really good.  They removed the two drains that were placed over a week ago to drain the abcesses that had developed because of the "micro-holes" that developed after his laproscope.  He is so glad to be rid of his "antennae".

We will be going back next Wednesday to meet with the surgeon to discuss the re-section surgery.  I will be so glad and so will Don when this is over and he is back to normal.

I never realized how many people suffer from diverticulitis.  It is fairly common and most of the time treatable.  Some people have just learned how to eat and others have surgery.  Others, if not caught in time, don't make it.  But most of the time they do.  What would have killed Don is the abcessing which, if not caught in time, would have ruptured and spread through out his system poisoning him.  We are grateful that people prayed hard and were so supportive.

I think the biggest challenge from here on is to make sure that our diet life-style changes.  We have been wanting to do that anyway.  So I am looking for healthy recipes with lots of fiber.  I will probably post some on this blog. 

Dealing With Diverticulitis - Part 6

Don has been improving all week.  He is eating well and the "plumbing" seems to be working right.  His drain on the right side seems to be putting out cloudy and ugly stuff, but the right one is clear and almost nothing.  The right was the one that had 800 ccs of fluid drained out. 

Tomorrow we go back to Swedish and on Thursday he has another CT scan and removal of the drains.  Then we meet with one of the surgeons that did the drain procedure last week.  Next week we meet with the surgeon that will do Don's resection. 

Understandably Don is apprehensive about the resection.  He has been through so much.  But for what he has already gone through I can't believe he is riding his bike to work.  Today he put in 3/4 of a day of work. He was pretty beat though when he came home. Most of the abdominal pain is gone. The skin around the drains is a bit red and still sore to touch but that is about it.

I am amazed how God has blessed us as we have gone through this.  Everyone has been tremendous.  Thanks you so much!!! 

Dealing with Diverticulitis Part 5 - Don Update

It is great to be home.  Don seems to be feeling much better.  We arrived home yesterday and he was wiped out.  He went to bed early but had a tough night sleeping.  His days and nights are mixed up now.  He took a pain pill and slept for awhile but I don't like him taking those because he dreams entirely too much while on those things.  But he does get an hour or two of rest.

Today he ate well.  Regular but gentle and somewhat bland meals.  He even went to work today for about an hour.  He was pretty tired when he came home.  He has been resting most of the day with walks that are short but stretch him out a bit.  In total he has lost about 40 pounds between fluids and just not eating for a month.  Not an ideal way to lose weight.

I cleaned out his drains this morning.  Not much is coming out anymore.  It was pretty easy to do.  I gave the syringe to Sebby who played with it in the pool for about an hour.  Funny! 

Again we want to thank everyone for their prayers, cards, support, food, love, and friendship.  Without all of that I don't know what we would have done.  It is nice to know that we are so cared about.  Will update again in a few days. 

Dealing with Diverticulitis Part 4 - Dons' Update

Today, July 7, Don is going home.  His PICC line was just removed.  The nurse gave me an in-service on how to flush Don's two drains at home.  These are two little bulbs connected to tubing that has been inserted in the abcess sites and drains out bad fluids.  One drain  that was put in the "coconut" is draining very little and the "lemon" is still draining about 25 ccs a day.  I will have to drain these once a day or as needed. 

Don is now on soft solids (bland) for nutrition.  He is so happy to be eating but has to be careful.  He can have high fiber and probiotics that will help keep the colon moving normally with the right type of bacterias. 

We come back to Swedish Medical Center next Thursday for another CT can and the removal of the drains.  We are setting up an appointment with the surgeon for the re-section and will let you know when and where that will be.  For now Don is looking well and very happy to be going home.  He is up packing!!! LOL.