Okay, here's what's been happening over the last two days:
On Sunday morning, Dr. Lyons did Mark's second surgery beginning with laparoscopy rather than an open incision, but after he removed the adhesions caused by Mark's gallbladder surgery clear back in 1972 that were twisting around his small intestines, he made one actual incision - but it's only about 4 or 5 inches long right at that spot - so he could carefully check out the intestines that had been pulled together by the adhesions. He found that there were a number of black "spots" on that intestine where the adhesions has been attached and during that first surgery there was no way of knowing whether they would "pink up" and get back to normal or if they were actually too close to dead, in which case they would eventually begin to leak and let things out of his intestines and into his abdomen. If that happened, he would be in serious trouble. So Dr. Lyons left that small incision open and just placed a sealed cover over it for a day and half. At that point he would go back and check those spots again. If they were pinking up, he would just close that incision and that would be all that was necessary. But if they were not, he would need to remove that whole portion of his small intestine with those black spots on it.
Then Mark was sent out to the recovery room. But at that point, his heart began doing frightening things. It went down to 18, I think they said, then it was beating incredibly fast. Fortunately, the anesthesiologist was a cardiac anesthesiologist and he handled that problem right way. Ultimately, they said he didn't actually have a heart attack, his heart just did some abnormal things. No idea myself what that means.
But then once they had him stable instead of sending him back to his room, they sent him up to ICU without removing the ventilator. I think they wouldn't have removed it anyway since it would be necessary to have it again when he went back into surgery to have his intestine rechecked and installing those things can be hazardous. But consequently he had to be kept sedated between Sunday morning and Monday afternoon when Dr. Lyons took him back to surgery to check out those spots. They kept him pretty much sedated during that period because it is, of course, uncomfortable to have that huge ventilator thing down your throat - and he couldn't have talked with it in there anyway.
So at 4 PM on Monday afternoon, Dr. Lyons took him BACK down to surgery to check out those intestinal spots. Thank heaven the spots were MUCH improved, so his incision was simply closed. He was sent back up to his ICU room for another day or two, though -- just to be sure nothing more happens. And once he was back up there for a few hours, they did remove that ventilator, thank goodness! And now he has one of those pain injection push-button things so that he can just push it whenever he feels like he needs pain meds.
But when I went by there today (Tuesday morning) he told me he wasn't pushing it nearly as often, so things do seem to be getting better. I'm really looking forward to having him over in a regular room again.
Dr. Lyons said he's going to keep him in the hospital for another 3 or 4 days anyway just to be sure everything is okay before he heads home. He still isn't allowed to eat anything at all. Not sure when they'll begin giving him something, but he will certainly have to get to the point where he can eat ordinary food before he leaves there. And it wouldn't hurt for him to have physical therapy for a while either. He's been stuck flat out on a bed most of the time for two weeks now -- he will definitely need to get some practice getting back to walking around! And I'm not NEARLY big enough to help him with all of that. So . . . we'll see how things go. But at this point I'm no longer frightened anyway. Excellent!!
Then Mark was sent out to the recovery room. But at that point, his heart began doing frightening things. It went down to 18, I think they said, then it was beating incredibly fast. Fortunately, the anesthesiologist was a cardiac anesthesiologist and he handled that problem right way. Ultimately, they said he didn't actually have a heart attack, his heart just did some abnormal things. No idea myself what that means.
But then once they had him stable instead of sending him back to his room, they sent him up to ICU without removing the ventilator. I think they wouldn't have removed it anyway since it would be necessary to have it again when he went back into surgery to have his intestine rechecked and installing those things can be hazardous. But consequently he had to be kept sedated between Sunday morning and Monday afternoon when Dr. Lyons took him back to surgery to check out those spots. They kept him pretty much sedated during that period because it is, of course, uncomfortable to have that huge ventilator thing down your throat - and he couldn't have talked with it in there anyway.
So at 4 PM on Monday afternoon, Dr. Lyons took him BACK down to surgery to check out those intestinal spots. Thank heaven the spots were MUCH improved, so his incision was simply closed. He was sent back up to his ICU room for another day or two, though -- just to be sure nothing more happens. And once he was back up there for a few hours, they did remove that ventilator, thank goodness! And now he has one of those pain injection push-button things so that he can just push it whenever he feels like he needs pain meds.
But when I went by there today (Tuesday morning) he told me he wasn't pushing it nearly as often, so things do seem to be getting better. I'm really looking forward to having him over in a regular room again.
Dr. Lyons said he's going to keep him in the hospital for another 3 or 4 days anyway just to be sure everything is okay before he heads home. He still isn't allowed to eat anything at all. Not sure when they'll begin giving him something, but he will certainly have to get to the point where he can eat ordinary food before he leaves there. And it wouldn't hurt for him to have physical therapy for a while either. He's been stuck flat out on a bed most of the time for two weeks now -- he will definitely need to get some practice getting back to walking around! And I'm not NEARLY big enough to help him with all of that. So . . . we'll see how things go. But at this point I'm no longer frightened anyway. Excellent!!
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