new update on Bill!!!

[Fisherwoman]

Numbskull, I totally hear you on that one. I just ask the doctors again the other day. His bowels took a big hit when he suffered the heart attack and his bowels were almost pale when they did the second surgery. They are very inflamed at this point and are not working hence the heavy output which still is not slowing down. They told us the other day that it could take months for the bowels to come around.

They finally got him a few different protein drinks that he likes so he has been drinking them the past 2 days. But he keeps complaining of fullness all the time after he eats. Not right away but even as long as an hour later and then throws up. I realize that his stomach is smaller but he has been putting some food in it, even only little amounts over the past 2 1/2 weeks, so my concern is why is he still throwing up every other day some days 2 times a day. He is very crampy "Gas" when eating and also has nausea constantly so they have him on meds for the nausea. Zofran 4 times a day!!!

Maybe this is just the way things are going to go on till his bowels start working, they told him the other day that as long as his output is so bad he will have to have blood work every 4 hours to balance his fluids and will not be able to leave.

I understand a lot of what he is going thru medically but I have also seen him go thru a lot of agoney because people are not paying attention and that is not acceptable at all!!! I have put a call into a doctor from SICU that had worked with Bill the hole time he was in there and is still following his case. I want him to get down to rehab and check things out and let me know if he thinks Bill should be scoped or do another CT scan as again I am going by my gut feelings and also what I have seen Bill go thru.

The doctor in rehab the other day said well we can not scan him every time he throws up. NO #^&#^&#^&#^& SHERLOCK but he has not been scanned since he was sent to Rehab so lets just check and make sure everything is working and if it is, then Time is going to be the factor in his recovery. But lets not f'n wait till something is very wrong again and we have a huge problem. I feel they need to check things out especially Scoping him because all of the test before where by CT scan looking for leaks so they have no idea if something is wrong on the inside.
Thanks for all of your info on the TPN as well as he does say everything tastes like #^&#^&#^&#^& and now I can tell him why, LOL

Keep those prayers going, thanks again everybody!!!

[striper774]

God Speed.Will keep on praying.

[numbskull]

Sounds like they are blaming things on either "short bowel syndrome" or extensive mucosal (the bowel lining) destruction from lack of blood flow. Any acute "inflammation" should be long gone (although this gets into semantics and they may be using the word "inflammation" as a softer term for "damage"). Probably they are hoping for the remaining healthy bowel lining to expand and take up the slack. That takes time.

Whether it explains his vomiting or not, you can't be sure. Lots of other things are concerns and can be missed. If one is not already involved, it would likely be helpful to have a gastroenterologist see him.

Also, did his kidneys recover fully? Kidney dysfunction (particularly high levels of protein waste called "BUN") can kill your appetite and cause nausea. Often this level gets high as a necessary evil when trying to build patients back up on TPN if their kidney function is marginal. You can ask the nurse what this value is. If it is near 100 (nl is 10-20) that can cause issues (but, again, ones you may have to accept in order to build him back up).

[Raven]

if he has any crimp
in his intestine he won't fart
and the gas will just build up
expand that area
cause pressure and subsequent pain

so ask him, whens the last time he farted
this is in all seriousness Jules and S-B
i'd wager he'll say , i haven't


tell that to the other doctor