On the Mend After Fun in the ER

Well, after 12 hrs in the ER at UNMH, 3Liters of IV fluids & 16mg of Morphine, J is home resting comfortably again.

It was a rough day yesterday; around 10pm, J was having a hard time keeping fluids down and continued to feel terrible with lots of pain, drainage & a fever. Our friend (& paramedic in the ER) Mike took us down to the hospital and got us through triage, into a room within 20 min!!! (which, for anyone who has ever been to an ER knows, is a MIRACLE!!!)

It was a long night with VS every 2 hrs, IV fluids & antibiotics, a CT scan (with oral contrast) & people in & out. I think we may have gotten about 2 hrs of sleep at the most. The CT revealed that there was fluid buildup in the abdomen, but no abscess (walled off pocket of fluid) indicating the need for surgical intervention. Yay!

Wound Care came to look at his incision and propose an alternative way of dealing with the drainage. Instead of gauze pads, they packed the wound with strips of gauze and applied an ostomy bag. They showed me how and gave us supplies, so I will be changing the full dressing once a day. It was extremely painful for him, but we have some good pain meds to help. He's got a transdermal Fentanyl patch on that's helped tremendously with his comfort levels. 

Around 1pm we arrived home and J took a nap on the couch. I ate lunch and took a nap as well, while Paula helped take care of J whenever he woke up. He's drinking & eating great, able to get up and walk around well, and feeling much better overall!!! Thank you Jesus!