Weekend update

No new posts because, to be honest, there was nothing new to report, until now. I was kept on the non-narcotic pain control through the weekend, which worked quite well. On Saturday, we had two sets of visitors. Todd and Kimmie, friends from college, drove up from DC to spend a few hours with us. They later visited Philly and made a full day of the trip. Later in the afternoon, my sister Kim and brother-in-law Mark drove in from the far reaches of Connecticut. They enjoyed visiting not only with us but their niece Lucy as well (my sister being 5-1/2 months pregnant herself particularly enjoyed playing with Lucy). The stream of visitors continued on Sunday when my friend Maddog! and his wife Lisa (my e-parents...long story) stopped by for a few hours. They live nearby in Kensington, Philadelphia so the trip wasn't too much of a commute. Unfortunately Lucy wasn't with us at the time so when I feel better we might visit them before flying home.

While the visits from friends and family definitely kept me in good spirits, there was nothing new to report on the medical front. Nothing at all. The pain was still bad without the medicine I was getting. Still no bowel activity. In short, nothing had changed. Compared with after the first surgery, the doctors have been a bit more cautious and slower-going this time around. I agree with this and don't want to rush myself into another setback.

Finally on Monday progress became evident. I got the catheter out (yay!) and was able to pee right away (double yay!!). Bowel sounds had been heard throughout the day and, joy-of-joys, I pooped! Twice! YAY! My gut was now back to the point where it was pre-jello after the first surgery. Now, we just have to be extra cautious to make sure the bowel activity will remain constant and not decrease (or worse, disappear). So, the docs decided to keep NG suction on for another day, in order to give my weak digestive system more of a rest.

One bit of bad news occurred last night. The non-narcotic drug that had been so effective at managing my pain had to be discontinued. Unfortunately, if taken for too long it's known to cause kidney problems. The pain was still bad, but now the only option was to go back on the narcotics. The docs were able to effectively double the dosage, which did bring the pain to a manageable level. However, it also kept me completely doped and groggy. I couldn't keep my eyes open for more than 10 minutes at a time.

This morning, after waking in a narcotic-induced haze, I met with the docs and they decided to clamp the NG tube for the morning. The logic being, if I can tolerate a long period without suction, then my bowel activity is beginning to function normally. Well, the test was a success. After reconnecting to suction, very little fluid was observed which means things are operating somewhat normally. So, early in the afternoon, another decision was made to completely remove the NG tube. The docs want it removed for at least 24 hours before I start eating. We could have clamped the tube overnight to make sure bowel activity is proper. But that would be an additional day of waiting. To this point we've been slow and cautious. Now I'm optimistic that the activity is returning, so pulling the tube was, I believe, the right decision. We'll see what tomorrow brings. So far no serious pains or discomfort. Fingers-crossed, all will continue to go smoothly.