Trusting My Gut
The past 4 days of this embolization go 'round all seem to blur together and my brain is still a little foggy (so forgive me for typos), but I just wanted to give a brief update. For those of you who aren't into the nitty gritty (hey, I don't blame you!) you can skip to the last paragraph for the nutshell...
Thursday: The embolization went very well. They were able to successfully embolize a few different vessels in my right lung. While the procedure only took a little over 3 hours, from pre-op to the time I was allowed to move again, I was lying down for 13 hours. Between that and the general anesthesia, my body was pissed and letting me know it in the form of excruciating pain, which equaled zero sleep. And though the procedure was successful, I still coughed up some blood that night from the damage they had to do to my lung tissue in the process. Unable to eat a single crumb.
Friday: More pain, including kidney pain and a jump up in my kidney function. After an ultrasound and CT scan, the team concluded that some of my pain was being caused by the dye from the embolization passing through my kidneys and air in my bladder from the catheter. But there were still some unexplained pains. Fever spike of 103 with chills. Slept most of the day away, but the pain kept me up at night. Only able to eat 2 crackers and a little ginger ale. Started on IV fluids and IV antibiotics. On oxygen 24 hours. Though I was supposed to be going home this day, it was clear that I wasn't going anywhere.
Saturday: A little better, but still very weak; I could only walk from my bed to the bathroom. By noon I had weaned myself off of oxygen. Pain decreased a little. White blood cell count jumped up along with my liver function and I spiked another fever with chills, though it wasn't as high as Friday. While I still had zero appetite and everything made me sick to my stomach, I was able to force down a few bites of dinner at the end of the day. The team told me that they still didn't feel comfortable sending me home, and I understood--I knew I wasn't quite ready. Still on IV antibiotics. Minimal sleep at night.
Sunday: When I got up in the morning, something had shifted. My temp was down, I had a little energy, my pain improved to the point that it was just discomfort, my O2 was up to normal, I had enough breath to carry out a conversation and I felt hungry for the first time in 4 days! For the first time since admission, every fiber in my body was telling me to get out of there and head home to the little boy that I had promised I'd be home on Friday (BIG mistake, I know!) and sleep in my own bed without interruptions. The team, however had not gotten the memo and pleaded their case for me to stay. They didn't feel comfortable sending me home until they could figure out my source ofabdominal full-torso pain, saw my blood levels stabilize.
They warned me that I may feel worse when I went home since I'd be moving around more, etc. but I was trusting my gut and sticking to my guns. I got home Sunday evening and ate my first "meal" which tasted amazing, but made my pain soar, keeping me awake...but awake in the comfort of my own home.
Today (Monday): They were right about one thing: I definitely did take a step back in the pain department being home. My afternoon fevers are still lingering between 100-101. My kidney function levels, pancreatic enzyme levels and liver function levels have all been bouncing around since my procedure which might explain all of my 'torso' pain. And I didn't sleep that great last night. But even if I'm going to feel a little lousy for a while, there's nowhere else on the planet I'd rather be. Scaling back eating to prevent mild pancreatitis from worsening.
In a nutshell, the embolization was successful. There have been some unexpected complications, but I have learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to stuff like this. Going under general anesthesia 30 times in 35 years (plus a drug-induced coma) takes its toll on the body. I know my body will bounce back and can roll with the punches with the best of 'em. What I can't handle is the sucker punch Myles threw to my gut this afternoon...
We all spoke to him at length about how I need to take it easy and rest when I came back home (and he's been awesome about it) but he was still disappointed when I couldn't go to the zoo with him this morning. When he got back, he thoughtfully asked me "Are you feeling better Mama?" "Not yet honey." I replied. And then came the sucker punch: "I wish you were healthy and strong like Daddy."
I do too my sweet boy. I do too...
Thursday: The embolization went very well. They were able to successfully embolize a few different vessels in my right lung. While the procedure only took a little over 3 hours, from pre-op to the time I was allowed to move again, I was lying down for 13 hours. Between that and the general anesthesia, my body was pissed and letting me know it in the form of excruciating pain, which equaled zero sleep. And though the procedure was successful, I still coughed up some blood that night from the damage they had to do to my lung tissue in the process. Unable to eat a single crumb.
Friday: More pain, including kidney pain and a jump up in my kidney function. After an ultrasound and CT scan, the team concluded that some of my pain was being caused by the dye from the embolization passing through my kidneys and air in my bladder from the catheter. But there were still some unexplained pains. Fever spike of 103 with chills. Slept most of the day away, but the pain kept me up at night. Only able to eat 2 crackers and a little ginger ale. Started on IV fluids and IV antibiotics. On oxygen 24 hours. Though I was supposed to be going home this day, it was clear that I wasn't going anywhere.
Saturday: A little better, but still very weak; I could only walk from my bed to the bathroom. By noon I had weaned myself off of oxygen. Pain decreased a little. White blood cell count jumped up along with my liver function and I spiked another fever with chills, though it wasn't as high as Friday. While I still had zero appetite and everything made me sick to my stomach, I was able to force down a few bites of dinner at the end of the day. The team told me that they still didn't feel comfortable sending me home, and I understood--I knew I wasn't quite ready. Still on IV antibiotics. Minimal sleep at night.
Sunday: When I got up in the morning, something had shifted. My temp was down, I had a little energy, my pain improved to the point that it was just discomfort, my O2 was up to normal, I had enough breath to carry out a conversation and I felt hungry for the first time in 4 days! For the first time since admission, every fiber in my body was telling me to get out of there and head home to the little boy that I had promised I'd be home on Friday (BIG mistake, I know!) and sleep in my own bed without interruptions. The team, however had not gotten the memo and pleaded their case for me to stay. They didn't feel comfortable sending me home until they could figure out my source of
They warned me that I may feel worse when I went home since I'd be moving around more, etc. but I was trusting my gut and sticking to my guns. I got home Sunday evening and ate my first "meal" which tasted amazing, but made my pain soar, keeping me awake...but awake in the comfort of my own home.
Today (Monday): They were right about one thing: I definitely did take a step back in the pain department being home. My afternoon fevers are still lingering between 100-101. My kidney function levels, pancreatic enzyme levels and liver function levels have all been bouncing around since my procedure which might explain all of my 'torso' pain. And I didn't sleep that great last night. But even if I'm going to feel a little lousy for a while, there's nowhere else on the planet I'd rather be. Scaling back eating to prevent mild pancreatitis from worsening.
In a nutshell, the embolization was successful. There have been some unexpected complications, but I have learned to expect the unexpected when it comes to stuff like this. Going under general anesthesia 30 times in 35 years (plus a drug-induced coma) takes its toll on the body. I know my body will bounce back and can roll with the punches with the best of 'em. What I can't handle is the sucker punch Myles threw to my gut this afternoon...
We all spoke to him at length about how I need to take it easy and rest when I came back home (and he's been awesome about it) but he was still disappointed when I couldn't go to the zoo with him this morning. When he got back, he thoughtfully asked me "Are you feeling better Mama?" "Not yet honey." I replied. And then came the sucker punch: "I wish you were healthy and strong like Daddy."
I do too my sweet boy. I do too...
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