Irv Update - January 2011 #11

Dear F&F;

When I went in to see Irv this morning he informed me that he got to come home today. He had eaten eggs, pancakes and juice for breakfast without any trouble so he was cleared to leave the hospital. Hooray!

He is allowed to eat anything he wants, just small amounts at a time and chew thoroughly! Several small meals a day and no huge amounts of anything. Plus lots of fluids.

The dogs were overjoyed to see him in his recliner again. I like the look of him there as well.

Irv will see the surgeon Dr. Kowalski next Friday, one of his Physician Assistants on Monday for the removal of the staples in his incision and then the gastroenterologist the following week. Irv is back on the prednisone (30 mg/day) and the generic Prilosec. He was given some pain pills, but really isn't needing them very often. Just if he has a big coughing bout, which seem to come on every so often for no apparent reason.

Just being home and being allowed to rest/sleep whenever he wants is a joy. He had nurses and other caregivers in and out of his room all hours of the day and night. Checking vitals, checking his glucose, measuring his oxygen level, weighing him. Since the TPN (which was 15% glucose) was removed, his glucose levels have all been normal. That is a big relief and just what we hoped would happen. Irv is to keep checking his glucose 2x day and see his family practice doctor if it is greater than 125 fasting, or 160-200 just before the evening meal. Before the surgery it was always much lower than those numbers, but he wasn't eating anything either. At least nothing that stayed in him that is.

Now we just wait for him to heal completely. The projected recovery time is 8 weeks from now. He just wants to be able to get in the hot tub again. That is taboo until his stomach is completely healed and the doctor says he can get in the tub. I've lowered the temp to 80º so he won't be tempted. (He doesn't know how to raise the temp, even tho it is really easy to do. Hah!)

Thanks again to you all for so much support! Let's hope this is the last of all our health problems for a really long time. Both of us are so over being sick.

Penny and Irv