Monday, January 18, 2010
A tough day in the step-down unit
Shane spent the night in recovery and moved to the step down unit this morning. He was resting and sleeping a lot, which was good because his recovery nurse said he was awake much of the night. He wasn't eating or drinking anything all day, but unfortunately he began vomiting bile in the afternoon. The nurse said Shane's intestines had likely stopped working temporarily, which is quite common after surgery. Peristalsis is the muscle contraction that keeps things moving through your digestive tract, if that stops then things can get backed up in your system. In other words, bile can collect in your stomach and make you sick. They put in a nasal-gastric tube to drain the bile and relieve the pressure in his stomach, and Shane looked a lot better afterward. The doctor and nurse said they'll encourage him to sit up and walk a little bit tomorrow, which will help get his intestines moving again.
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I hope Shane rested well over the night and that the walking goes OK today. Sending good thoughts!
ReplyDelete:-) Genie
Alex - thanks for the updates, we are all following Shane's progress closely and sending you and him LOTS of positive energy and good thoughts.
ReplyDelete-Anna
Thanks for keeping us updated, I know a lot of people are following along. I hope Shane starts recovering today from what sounds like a horribly difficult few days. I'm thinking about both of you each day.
ReplyDeletesend my love,
laura
My thoughts are with Shane today, hoping for things to continually improve.
ReplyDeleteHey Shane!
ReplyDeleteI sure hope you were able to get up and move a little today. I've read about that intestinal thing, and it sounds not-so-good. Maybe Alex can poke you in the belly a few times to get things moving. Or better yet, watch something funny and laugh real hard!
Love,
John
Two doctors and an HMO manager died and lined up at the pearly gates for admission to heaven. St. Peter asked them to identify themselves.
ReplyDeleteOne doctor stepped forward and said: "I was a pediatric spine surgeon and helped kids overcome their deformities."
St. Peter said, "You can enter."
The second doctor said "I was a psychiatrist. I helped people rehabilitate themselves."
St. Peter also invited him in.
The third applicant stepped forward and said, "I was an HMO manager. I helped people get cost-effective health care."
St. Peter said, "You can come in too." But as the HMO manager walked by, St. Peter added, "You can stay three days. After that, you will be released."