Home and dealing

We went into today's appointment with hope and optimism, but the doc had other news. He did take the lower drain out but talked to us for quite some time about other fluid formations...and that the internal drains are not fully functional. There are a few fluid formations in hard to reach places including around my spleen...he was going to try to route my last drain so it could drain that fluid...being that they medicate me to not remember the pain during the proceedure...I don't know where exactly the tube is located internally.  Jacob tells me about conversations that go on while I am in recovery and I have no recollection...get me off those drugs!!! I am feeling the pain now and took off the pain patch this week so hopefully the pain rollercoaster doesn't return...all in all, my body is making progress and I feel better overall. One good thing about today's appt is that it progressed relatively on schedule and we were home before 5pm!!

On the road again...

We are headed back to Seattle for a CT, tube check, blood work, and department follow-ups.  We are hoping and praying that they will take the two remaining tubes out. I am trying to not get my hopes up, but I have been feeling better and the drain output has decreased.
Pray that if it is the right time that these tubes come out, and if it is not the right time, pray that I can mentally take another week or two.

Fun note...we had a girls spa day last weekend and then some mother-daughter time and a friend BBQ...first, the 90min deluxe pedi was excellent and turned the rough morning around and at some point during the day I had a feeling of normalcy...it was Amazing! I was tired and sore on Sunday...but it is great that I am having more good days, more stamina, and feeling like I can be on my feet more without crashing!! I went grocery shopping today and hopefully will feel up to camping over the weekend!

Thanks everyone for the prayer and support. We are not through it all, but I feel like we are climbing our way out of the valley!

What it is not...

After a long day in the ER, all the tests came back ok...not kidney stones, not pulmonary embolism, not a clot in the leg, lungs look ok, so they sent me home with muscle relaxers. The first couple haven't completely knocked out pain like I had hoped...though feeling good in general and sleeping more...very Thankful for the little improvements!!
Though setbacks are hard, I feel like I am am moving in the right direction...hopefully heading toward removal of more drains...

Two days, two hospitals...

My days of pain started Sunday night at the hotel at Virginia Mason...I felt pain in my lower right flank that we thought were muscle spasms...I couldn't lay flat or even get comfortable at any angle other than full sitting position...needless to say, I did not get much sleep.  We got up ans got down to the Ct scan and then we were sent to the other building for tube check. It is a long walk and I was tired when we got there...only to hear my proceedure would be done at the Buck Pavilion...exactly where we came from ...so we headed back over there...waited forever and then found out there was equipment that broke down and I would be heading back to Jones pavilion...this time they brought a wheelchair and a parking voucher for the inconvenience.  They were really behind and my 9am proceedure didn't get underway until almost 12:30...they switched where the two drains were positioned inside and sent me on my way...the whole day plagued by these spasms or whatever they are. I was in so much pain by the time we got home that I went straight to bed...it was another restless night with more pain and trouble breathing that I called the Doc and got right in this morning...after he poked around and listened to my lungs, he sent me for a Chest CT at ER...3.5 HRS later, I am still here...waiting...watching as cell battery dies. I will post again when I know something...

...and then there was 2

We were "fit" in this morning for a tube check and now we are on our way home.  We had gone to Seattle without an appt but I called as soon as I could and left a message that we had an urgent need to be seen today. They I'd get a call within two hours so we waited in our room...which is attached to hospital...I called the nurse at 8:15 to ask a few questions about clear liquids I could drink that morning.  She said she would talk to scheduler and they'd get back to me...got a call from nurse that they had opening and to head over. Within five minutes I get a call seeing if I wax going to check in today so I asked what time I had been scheduled...and she said 8:00...would have been nice for a callback since we were up and ready...waiting for the phone to ring.

We pack our stuff down and check into the correct area...no CT scan...just a thorough tube check.  After that the doc left for a bit to put together his plan...taking out front drain and reducing the size of the back two drains...may still have to deal with leakage since the new drains are smaller...a price to pay to be closer to having them out but not fun nonetheless. Now they will be easier to flush and we flush less each time and twice a day.  We will see how tomorrow goes...hopefully a step forward and not a lazy or painful day... 

Praise the Lord that Aunt Mickey and Uncle Jerry are flying home.  Please pray for safe travels and continued healing in his hip. Also pray that Aunt Mickey who is taking care of uncle Jer..may she rest on the plane and when they get home!!

Find Blessings this week...if you look enough, you will find them all around you!  Also, to the "moms" in my life...you are priceless and I can't put into words what you mean in Jacob, Aaron, and my lives!!! Happy Mother's day week!!!

Feeling good, but...

It has been a week and a half since the last drain check and feeling ok. I have been mobile a lot this week cleaning the shop...well for the most part I am sitting in the computer chair while Jacob does the dirty work...and thanks so much to the friends and family who helped with operation shop clean out!!

The doc switched the dose on my pain patch with the hopes that I can get off the oxycodone...don't know if that is what has been giving me more energy or if it has been the fresh air and a project?? I am beat at the end of the day but such a productive week.

Last night (Sat) one of the sutures holding one of the back drains pulled loose and now there is only tape holding it in place...I was worried and called the doc on call and we agreed I should come in (to VM in Seattle) to get it fixed.  She wasn't worried that any damage had been done yet...that is good, but waiting a week for my next appt scared me...what if I moved wrong or Aaron grabbed and pulled...I'd rather make an urgent trip rather than emergency. Another reason we thought it was good to go sooner rather than later was that this was the drain that has leaked through two dressings a day since we got home from getting it put in...it is hard to flush because of the extension piece needed to make it work...it has caused me the most pain (the suture was really tender...shooting pain when Jacob would change the dressing)...and it isn't draining a super amount of fluid...basically our problem child right now...

We are headed to Seattle even though we don't have an appt...the Doc knows we are coming and said they will "fit us in" Monday. She is the one that differentiated urgent from emergency...I am hoping for morning since I have to fast before procedure...but peace of mind is the main goal. Last time I had a problem, we called for an appt Monday first thing and didn't get in until Tuesday afternoon because of the pass being closed and involving a third party to make the appt...the scheduler in my gastro Drs office and I played phone tag all day. This time we will be at the hospital ready and waiting for an opening and will call the IR dept directly.

I will post again tomorrow after the procedure. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!