The nurses tell us that this is still considered day zero until 2:00 p.m. After that we are on to day one post surgery. Sydney is VERY sleepy today. She does not wake up or talk much at all. Dr. Newton and Dr. Fornari come by around 1:00 p.m. They say she is doing just as they expect her to be doing and I say if they are happy, I am happy. This is all new to me and they have seen this many of times. Brian and Jack arrive around 8:30 a.m. and then go get us coffee and breakfast. The nurse, Marie, had given me a much appreciated (but weak) cup of coffee early in the morning so the stronger stuff tastes good. I feel I really need it too because the two prior nights I have not slept much at all. Today we basically just hang in the room all day and stare at Syd. Nancy and Peggy stop by on their lunch hour and bring a pink bear and scarf. Syd opens her eyes and says hello but that is about it. They stay and chat with Jack and I for a bit and then head back to work.
My mom and Bryan arrive and shortly after so does Casey. Sydney opens her eyes for them too but not much else. She's not in a lot of pain, just wiped out. Later the pain management rep comes in and decides to lower her dose of morphine a bit to try and get her to wake up some. It takes a while but by the evening she is a little more alert. My mom, Bryan and Casey stay and talk for a while and after they leave it is just the four of us again. Jack stays all day and never leaves me or Syd. Even when Brian goes for a walk or to run an errand, he wants to stay. Before the surgery one of the many things on my mind was how Jack would deal with all of this. We spend a lot of time together and I didn't know how he would do with our routine being disrupted. He has decided to bring our routine to the hospital and just stick close together. He has many options but wants to be here. I must say I am grateful for that because he is a lovely distraction and I would miss him terribly. He designated himself as the one to feed Syd her ice chips and cool down her wet washcloth when needed. At first she said thank you and today she has been telling him "no" and to stop. That's progress! It's sweet to see him doing what he can to take care of her. We all feel like we want to do something.
She is not loving the breathing toy she is supposed to do several times an hour. When she is awake I get her to do it but she says it hurts her chest. The pain management rep is adamant she do it to prevent her from getting pneumonia. In the late afternoon it's time for Syd to sit on the edge of the bed for the first time. She doesn't really want to but they do it any way. The nurses provide a lot of assistance. They roll her on her side, slide her legs over the edge of the bed and pull her straight up using the sheet and pad underneath her. Sydney's face looks puffy from all of the fluids and she doesn't seem sure what to think. They make sure she keeps her eyes open so she doesn't get too dizzy. She lasts about 30 seconds and then wants to lay down. Apparently this is normal and they say she did well.
As she's waking up a bit more the tube running up her nose and in to her stomach is bothering her. It runs down her throat and she can feel it there. They are not ready to pull it out yet because there is still bile being sucked out of the stomach and they want to make sure it is all gone first. Sometime tomorrow they may try to stop the suction for four hours. If she can go all that time without getting nauseous then they will remove the tube. I lay down around 5:00 and take a short nap. I'm tired and I don't know how much sleep I'll get tonight so I get it when I can. Brian goes to Islands and gets the three of us dinner. He and Jack leave for home around 8:00. They stop by my mom's for Gracie and Jack says she attacks him she is so excited to see him. I take a shower and make up my bed for night two. Sydney is sleeping and comfortable so I crawl in and watch t.v. until I fall asleep.
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