Thursday, October 16, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Dumping Syndrome is no fun
Yesterday they removed her IV and she's a little dehydrated because she is not making such a great effort to sip water. Combined with the diarrhea, a symptom of Dumping Syndrome often associated with gastrectomy, she's quite a tired pup. In her dramatic fashion, she exclaimed with two slow rolling tears, "I might as well give up." I reminded her of the pain of the previous week and all that she's gone through, being brave... Only to have some diarrhea get the best of her? That's just crazy talk. I sat with her several hours she seemed to perk up, saying "you scared the diarrhea away," to which I replied with two menacing paws, "rawr."
She should be discharged tomorrow afternoon. Ants or I will make arrangements to work from home, taking turns until she's more able-bodied. She will have a follow-up during regular Tuesday office hours with Dr. Eng to remove the staples from the incision. By that time, he should have pathology results.
She should be discharged tomorrow afternoon. Ants or I will make arrangements to work from home, taking turns until she's more able-bodied. She will have a follow-up during regular Tuesday office hours with Dr. Eng to remove the staples from the incision. By that time, he should have pathology results.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Bye Bye NG tube
She started passing gas overnight and began having some movements. Gastric tube is out. If she can tolerate a clear liquid diet over the next day and take her meds orally they will remove the IV and perhaps she can go home tomorrow or the next day. I'm not holding my breath for tomorrow; but it would be good.
She doesn't have an appetite, even for a few sips of juice or broth. I asked her to be patient with it. The social worker is looking into what care the insurance can provide at home, it seems she won't really need too many visits for an RN to look after the wound. I asked for a referral for a home health aide just to help her do simple things like go to the bathroom. She's not familiar with our area, but she said she'd ask around. I'm not holding my breath on that one either so I'm going to have to research that concurrently.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Friday, October 10, 2008
Happy Friday
Although Ma Ely still has the basic constant drip epidural in, she hasn't really self-administered today except for the first time she moved to the chair today. She told the nurse that her pain today is a 4 on a scale of 0 to 10. This afternoon she took a lap around 12 East and I helped her wash her hair (without getting her central line wet).
Her gastric tube has only a little clear fluid in it. I would think they would remove it in the next 24 hours. I told her how proud I was of her for being brave through the surgery and also how she is very happy to rehab today - walking and controlled respiration.
She is in a Post-Op room with three gentlemen. One of which spends much of his waking hours moaning loudly. I asked Ma to sleep whenever this gentleman is sleeping or else she'll never get her rest. Hopefully they won't be neighbors for much longer so she can rest and heal. I'm sure that once she gets her gastric tube and epidural removed she will be moved to a regular room.
Her cell phone has been turned off since last week, so you might as well not bother. She doesn't really feel up to tsismis just yet. Still no flowers or food yet either.
Her gastric tube has only a little clear fluid in it. I would think they would remove it in the next 24 hours. I told her how proud I was of her for being brave through the surgery and also how she is very happy to rehab today - walking and controlled respiration.
She is in a Post-Op room with three gentlemen. One of which spends much of his waking hours moaning loudly. I asked Ma to sleep whenever this gentleman is sleeping or else she'll never get her rest. Hopefully they won't be neighbors for much longer so she can rest and heal. I'm sure that once she gets her gastric tube and epidural removed she will be moved to a regular room.
Her cell phone has been turned off since last week, so you might as well not bother. She doesn't really feel up to tsismis just yet. Still no flowers or food yet either.
Post-Op
Good morning. Ma has been moved to Room 1241, Post-Op.
I did not visit yesterday because I was too congested. I'll be over there for most of the day today. I'll post again after I see how she's doing.
I did not visit yesterday because I was too congested. I'll be over there for most of the day today. I'll post again after I see how she's doing.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Good morning
Last night before we left, the nurses located her dentures (I know you all were holding your breath for that one). She seems to be in a lot of pain and hardly was conscious while we were there. They warned me that they might not find her a bed at SICU overnight and to not be surprised if she was still in recovery in the morning.
This morning I called over there and it seems she's still in recovery. I'm not feeling so great right now, I have a beast of a cold or allergies. I'm going to wait for the later visiting hours so maybe I'll feel better then. They are pretty strict with visiting hours in recovery. They are as follows:
6: PACU/ CVSCU 10:45-11am; 2-2:15pm; 6-6:15pm; 7:30-7:45pm
2 visitors ONLY in any one visiting period
But if she gets moved to SICU, it's up to the discretion of the nurse. The official visiting hours are here:
15 EAST: 7-7:15am; 11-11:30am; 1-1:30pm
3-3:30pm; 5-5:30pm; 7-7:30pm; 9-9:30pm
There's no phone and she doesn't have her cell. Besides, she's not up for talking just yet.
This morning I called over there and it seems she's still in recovery. I'm not feeling so great right now, I have a beast of a cold or allergies. I'm going to wait for the later visiting hours so maybe I'll feel better then. They are pretty strict with visiting hours in recovery. They are as follows:
6: PACU/ CVSCU 10:45-11am; 2-2:15pm; 6-6:15pm; 7:30-7:45pm
2 visitors ONLY in any one visiting period
But if she gets moved to SICU, it's up to the discretion of the nurse. The official visiting hours are here:
15 EAST: 7-7:15am; 11-11:30am; 1-1:30pm
3-3:30pm; 5-5:30pm; 7-7:30pm; 9-9:30pm
There's no phone and she doesn't have her cell. Besides, she's not up for talking just yet.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Recovery room
The surgery ended before 2p and then she was moved to recovery. She'll be there until a bed in SICU opens up, where she'll spend at least one night.
As we suspected, they removed about 3/4s of her stomach. Pathology will take at least 5 days. She has an NG tube again. Constant high epidural as well as self administering. Her critical care attending feels confident about her status. She's making that crinkled brow look that makes us think she's real uncomfortable with the pain. That or she's having some monster dreams. We haven't seen her awake but we have one more chance at it at 6p.
The nurses are on a search for her dentures, they're somewhere on the 6th floor in a white plastic bucket with her name stamped on it. No one will understand a word of hers until she has them in. That and she doesn't quite feel like herself without them.
Please continue to pray for her recovery so she can withstand the pain and heal.
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No update yet
Yes, we're still waiting. And yes, Geoff is cracking me up. "BALITA AMERICA does not count as American news, mom"
Rina is on her way over.
Rina is on her way over.
Waiting
NYU Med - Tisch Lobby:
I am power pumping and blogging.
Geoff is listening to Rhianna/Maroon5 on his enV while playing DS.
Diana is texting or otherwise playing with her phone, although a moment ago she was trying to nap since she got her super early (according to Geoff she was just staring at Ma for a good hour this morning without speaking).
I got her a little later than planned at 715a. Ma was still in step down 1400. She was washed, including her hair. Her skin was a little dry since she hadn't had anything to drink since I left last night and her IV drip is very slow (they had to tap a very small vein in her hand since the other line dried up).
Gloria came to wheel her down to the 6th floor around 735a. We accompanied her down the elevator and waited with her for about 45 mins while nurses and anesthesia docs came to confirm her paperwork. The superhiway of OR patients waiting in line was interesting. After they wheeled her through the double doors we went outside to the East Bay Diner and had breakfast. Then I looked for a place to make copies and fax... which leads us to now.
We were told the surgery would be well over 3 hours, so we should be here pretty much all day. Scrabble anyone?
I am power pumping and blogging.
Geoff is listening to Rhianna/Maroon5 on his enV while playing DS.
Diana is texting or otherwise playing with her phone, although a moment ago she was trying to nap since she got her super early (according to Geoff she was just staring at Ma for a good hour this morning without speaking).
I got her a little later than planned at 715a. Ma was still in step down 1400. She was washed, including her hair. Her skin was a little dry since she hadn't had anything to drink since I left last night and her IV drip is very slow (they had to tap a very small vein in her hand since the other line dried up).
Gloria came to wheel her down to the 6th floor around 735a. We accompanied her down the elevator and waited with her for about 45 mins while nurses and anesthesia docs came to confirm her paperwork. The superhiway of OR patients waiting in line was interesting. After they wheeled her through the double doors we went outside to the East Bay Diner and had breakfast. Then I looked for a place to make copies and fax... which leads us to now.
We were told the surgery would be well over 3 hours, so we should be here pretty much all day. Scrabble anyone?
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Going in
Lopressor (beta-blocker)
Protonix
Fleet phosphosoda (you should see the face she makes when she takes this, it's so cute! Like a shot, she chases it with juice)
Potassium Chloride IV
Cranberry juice
Water
Osem instant soup drink chicken flavor (10 whole calories per pack!)
Protonix
Fleet phosphosoda (you should see the face she makes when she takes this, it's so cute! Like a shot, she chases it with juice)
Potassium Chloride IV
Cranberry juice
Water
Osem instant soup drink chicken flavor (10 whole calories per pack!)
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Ma Ely's ID bracelet
I brought moo flickr stickers of Raelie to Ma Ely so she could have her close. We put 5 of them on her ID bracelet. She was very excited and plans to show them to all her nurses.
Surgery moved up
Surgery is now Wednesday Oct 8th
Time TBD
Time TBD
She is currently in step down unit/post-op unit 1400 (14th floor west)
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Thanks
Please remember Ma's diet is very restricted, she can hardly bring herself to eat. She is on clear liquids now. Appreciate the sentiment, but please don't send or bring food to her. If you feel the need to bring food, it will most likely be given to the nurses' station. If you want to send food to our house, that would be even more appreciated considering I haven't had much time to cook. Thanks!
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Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
Why we're here now
We're here now because of the need to disseminate information through a mass vehicle. We've created this blog because there are many caring, compassionate, supportive folks that I can't keep up-to-date. Thank you for all your sincere thoughts and prayers for Ma Ely. You can check here for all the latest and here for tweets: http://www.twitter.com/loredofamily
Ma Ely is scheduled for surgery - partial gastrectomy - on Thursday, October 9th. We will not know the time until the evening before.
She need a partial gastrectomy because she has stomach cancer. Advanced symptoms of which are vomiting blood, poor appetite, bloody stools, abdominal pain, nausea, and loss of weight. Because of the blood loss, she has also had some other symptoms including low blood pressure, etc. for which she has received one transfusion for.
According to the endoscopy results, the entrance to her small intestine is 95% blocked by the cancerous growth. The pathology report diagnosis is an ulcerated mass pre-pyloric: Prepyloric biopsy showing poorly differentiated infiltrating adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell features. Negative for H.Pylori.
The type of surgery is necessary to deliver her relief, as the only relief has been IV diet with Protonix as well as the insertion of a gastric tube (up the nose and down the esophagus) to release the gastric fluids that would have been vomit. As many of you know, she has a pre-existing heart condition since 1995, so they must monitor her closely during anesthesia. Her recovery may be slow. For those of you who know her, her threshold for pain is not very high.
Those are the broad strokes. Our journey here has many colorful details, which I will need to save for another time.
Ma Ely is currently at
NYU - Tisch Hospital - 14th floor
560 First Avenue
NY, NY
Visiting hours are 12-8p
Ma Ely is scheduled for surgery - partial gastrectomy - on Thursday, October 9th. We will not know the time until the evening before.
She need a partial gastrectomy because she has stomach cancer. Advanced symptoms of which are vomiting blood, poor appetite, bloody stools, abdominal pain, nausea, and loss of weight. Because of the blood loss, she has also had some other symptoms including low blood pressure, etc. for which she has received one transfusion for.
According to the endoscopy results, the entrance to her small intestine is 95% blocked by the cancerous growth. The pathology report diagnosis is an ulcerated mass pre-pyloric: Prepyloric biopsy showing poorly differentiated infiltrating adenocarcinoma with signet ring cell features. Negative for H.Pylori.
The type of surgery is necessary to deliver her relief, as the only relief has been IV diet with Protonix as well as the insertion of a gastric tube (up the nose and down the esophagus) to release the gastric fluids that would have been vomit. As many of you know, she has a pre-existing heart condition since 1995, so they must monitor her closely during anesthesia. Her recovery may be slow. For those of you who know her, her threshold for pain is not very high.
Those are the broad strokes. Our journey here has many colorful details, which I will need to save for another time.
Ma Ely is currently at
NYU - Tisch Hospital - 14th floor
560 First Avenue
NY, NY
Visiting hours are 12-8p
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