Healing process update
Apr. 18th, 2017 08:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pedestrian84I am back in the hospital again, according to the doctor for at least 2-3 weeks. Needless to say everyone involved is thrilled to the bone about this new and exciting development.
A routine irrigation on Sunday turned into a midnight admittance to the ward when it was discovered that a leak had formed between the pouch they were irrigating and the rest of my abdomen. This was discovered when I noticed that my abdomen drainage bag was leaking quite profusely with relatively clear water. My blood work from earlier in the day also showed a higher white blood cell count, and so back to the ward.
I got a CT scan on Monday, as well as more blood drawn. The CT scan showed that there was what appeared to be a pocket forming where the pouch was stitched to the anus. Yes, I said anus, it's going to be that type of blog. I got more antibiotics and my own private room (now officially paid for and locked in) and basically waited around all day.
On Tuesday they brought me in to take a look at the pouch with the scope (Is it still a rectoscopy if you have no rectum?) and inserted a sponge attached to a vacuum to initiate vacuum therapy. Which I had never heard of before but sounds pretty cool. All of this was done with no anethesia, so some bits were quite painful. But I did get to watch on the monitors which did not make up for it in the slightest.
So now I have a piece of sponge where the hole is, attached to a tube, attached to a vacuum bottle. The basic idea is that the vacuum sponge pulls out any excess lymph, bacteria, drainage, etc. It also encourages blood to the tissue to heal. They're not actually sure why, but the vacuum process seems to promote the type of tissue formation needed to close up large wounds, even ones much larger than mine.
The upsides:
I have my own room and should have it for the rest of my stay. I think this is going to be crucial to my recovery, it gives me a lot more flexibility with people visiting and nighttime routines and generally pretending I'm not actually stuck in the hospital but actually a cool hotel where they give you IV antibiotics.
They caught the hole relatively early. A quick glance at similar cases seemed to indicate the hole discovery didn't happen for months or even not until takedown (reversal of the ileostomy). This should mean, if my research is correct, that the hole should be smaller and heal faster. On the other hand, I don't actually know how big the hole is and they won't know if one sponge is enough until they switch this one out on Friday.
This apparently all means I can have my drainage tube taken out. The hole is still there and I have a pouch on it, but they made it sound like it'll eventually stop now and they'll let it close up soon. So no net gain of body tubes.
The wife put Diablo 3 on her laptop and is planning on leaving it here, which means I'll have a video game to occupy my time. Once I have enough energy to actually play games.
I should be able to walk and move just the same, no reduced mobility.
The downsides:
I have a sponge in my pouch and a tube trailing out of my ass. Sorry, but I'm not a furry and I never dreamed of having a tail. It's also connected to a bottle that I get to carry around. The contents of said bottle are not exactly pretty either, I'm honestly surprised they don't have a bag I can carry it in or something.
More time in the hospital is definitely not good. Means more time away from Alice, more stress for the wife balancing work, home, and me, just generally more stress all around. And if it goes the full 3 weeks, the family that is visiting and helping out will be going back soon after that. Not leaving a lot of time for getting into a routine at home and figuring out what I can and can't do.
Complications are... complicated. Granted this one has a high success rate (85-88%) and I hit all the positives, but better to not have a complication at all. And obviously I'd rather spend my time at home recovering than in a hospital bed.
And then psychologically... this has just been another blow. The ward therapist supposedly comes around on Thursdays and I've let the doctor know I'd like to talk to them. No word on if they speak English, but if they don't then we'll have to figure out something else. There are supposedly English speaking therapists at the Unklinikum just a matter of figuring out how to get access. Because... yeah, I don't do waiting well, I don't do uncertainty well, and I really don't do on my own very well. Especially after having Alice in the background almost constantly for the last year and a half.
I think that is it for now. Probably won't have an update on anything until they go back in to swap sponges on Friday, but at this point no news is good news I think.
A routine irrigation on Sunday turned into a midnight admittance to the ward when it was discovered that a leak had formed between the pouch they were irrigating and the rest of my abdomen. This was discovered when I noticed that my abdomen drainage bag was leaking quite profusely with relatively clear water. My blood work from earlier in the day also showed a higher white blood cell count, and so back to the ward.
I got a CT scan on Monday, as well as more blood drawn. The CT scan showed that there was what appeared to be a pocket forming where the pouch was stitched to the anus. Yes, I said anus, it's going to be that type of blog. I got more antibiotics and my own private room (now officially paid for and locked in) and basically waited around all day.
On Tuesday they brought me in to take a look at the pouch with the scope (Is it still a rectoscopy if you have no rectum?) and inserted a sponge attached to a vacuum to initiate vacuum therapy. Which I had never heard of before but sounds pretty cool. All of this was done with no anethesia, so some bits were quite painful. But I did get to watch on the monitors which did not make up for it in the slightest.
So now I have a piece of sponge where the hole is, attached to a tube, attached to a vacuum bottle. The basic idea is that the vacuum sponge pulls out any excess lymph, bacteria, drainage, etc. It also encourages blood to the tissue to heal. They're not actually sure why, but the vacuum process seems to promote the type of tissue formation needed to close up large wounds, even ones much larger than mine.
The upsides:
I have my own room and should have it for the rest of my stay. I think this is going to be crucial to my recovery, it gives me a lot more flexibility with people visiting and nighttime routines and generally pretending I'm not actually stuck in the hospital but actually a cool hotel where they give you IV antibiotics.
They caught the hole relatively early. A quick glance at similar cases seemed to indicate the hole discovery didn't happen for months or even not until takedown (reversal of the ileostomy). This should mean, if my research is correct, that the hole should be smaller and heal faster. On the other hand, I don't actually know how big the hole is and they won't know if one sponge is enough until they switch this one out on Friday.
This apparently all means I can have my drainage tube taken out. The hole is still there and I have a pouch on it, but they made it sound like it'll eventually stop now and they'll let it close up soon. So no net gain of body tubes.
The wife put Diablo 3 on her laptop and is planning on leaving it here, which means I'll have a video game to occupy my time. Once I have enough energy to actually play games.
I should be able to walk and move just the same, no reduced mobility.
The downsides:
I have a sponge in my pouch and a tube trailing out of my ass. Sorry, but I'm not a furry and I never dreamed of having a tail. It's also connected to a bottle that I get to carry around. The contents of said bottle are not exactly pretty either, I'm honestly surprised they don't have a bag I can carry it in or something.
More time in the hospital is definitely not good. Means more time away from Alice, more stress for the wife balancing work, home, and me, just generally more stress all around. And if it goes the full 3 weeks, the family that is visiting and helping out will be going back soon after that. Not leaving a lot of time for getting into a routine at home and figuring out what I can and can't do.
Complications are... complicated. Granted this one has a high success rate (85-88%) and I hit all the positives, but better to not have a complication at all. And obviously I'd rather spend my time at home recovering than in a hospital bed.
And then psychologically... this has just been another blow. The ward therapist supposedly comes around on Thursdays and I've let the doctor know I'd like to talk to them. No word on if they speak English, but if they don't then we'll have to figure out something else. There are supposedly English speaking therapists at the Unklinikum just a matter of figuring out how to get access. Because... yeah, I don't do waiting well, I don't do uncertainty well, and I really don't do on my own very well. Especially after having Alice in the background almost constantly for the last year and a half.
I think that is it for now. Probably won't have an update on anything until they go back in to swap sponges on Friday, but at this point no news is good news I think.
Hang in there!
Date: 2017-04-25 08:29 pm (UTC)