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I have not eaten much of anything because over the past 2 weeks, this has been what was going on in my life:
Sunday, July 31st, my Dad started hemorrhaging from his colon. He called Mom back to the bathroom and said, "Honey I finally got my period!" She took him to the ER in New Bern, where they admitted him right away. Monday, they ran a CT scan and had to flush out a lot of blood and found Diverticulitis in the upper right side of his large intestine, but did not see blood coming from it. There was some blood in the small intestine, but thought it was coming from the top. They checked his Hiatal Hernia and the pocket in his esophagus, no blood. Tuesday, they ran an arteriogram but could find nothing. By Wednesday he was extremely weak and they were not feeding him because of all the tests. They gave him 2 units of blood and he felt better. The bleeding had stopped so they decided to wait and see if it heals itself. He was to go home on Friday.
Friday, they gave him a soft food lunch. We had planned a trip to Georgia to see the grandkids and since Dad was going home, I felt he would be alright and we left that morning. The doctor released him and he went to the bathroom before he left. It started all over again. He filled up the commode with blood. Mom called the nurse, who called the doctor. They gave him 2 more units of blood and scheduled him for another colonoscopy to see where the blood was coming from. The GI Specialist was called in from Pollocksville. They could not see anything from the colonoscopy because there was so much blood that they couldn't flush it out to see. The Surgeon and GI Specialist said they weren't going to wait any longer for more tests, and did surgery.
I was frantic the whole time in GA because Mom and David kept me posted. On Monday, Aug 8 when we got back from our trip to Georgia, I grabbed my luggage and threw it in My car and headed for the hospital, where my Dad had been since last Sunday night. He was now in ICU at CarolinaEast Medical Center, (a.k.a. Craven Hospital). When I walked into the room, I can't tell you how shocked I was. There lay this feeble man who resembled my Dad, hooked up to every machine available and tubes coming out of, or going into every place possible. His throat was so full of tubes, you could see the outline of them bulging from his neck. When he saw me, he tried to smile and said, "Hey Babe". We just looked at each other and time seemed to stop. I
could see the pain in his eyes and they filled with tears. I quickly made light of the situation, so he wouldn't start crying. He had been through so much since last Monday. They removed all of his colon but 4 inches, just enough to not need a colostomy bag. The doctor told Mom that his lifestyle would change drastically. Dad has a long way to go and he does not like this one bit. He's angry at the doctor. He said, " this surgery was not really necessary and they just wanted more money."
The nurse would not allow me to stay in the ICU room with Dad. She let me stay a little longer, but I couldn't stay overnight. I was not too happy about that. I didn't trust them and I did not want to leave him, but I didn't make a scene. I asked the other nurse when would I be able to see him again, and she said not until 9 a.m. tomorrow. As soon as I left his room, I just let the tears go and cried all the way home. I stayed at the hospital as much as possible that week.
Dad stayed in ICU until Thursday, Aug 12 and moved him to Immediate Care by the nurse's station. They released him Saturday, Aug 13, Debbie's 50th birthday. Mom and I brought him home. He's doing a little better and moving very slowly. He is so appreciative and thankful to be alive. This has been a life altering experience for him.
Diet Calendar Entries for 18 August 2011:
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857 kcal
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Fat: 32.44g | Prot: 50.40g | Carb: 97.99g.
Breakfast: milk 1 glass, Sticksters stick cheese. Lunch: Mcdonalds grilled ranch chicken salad, Frozen Strawberry Lemonade (Medium). more...
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2331 kcal
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Activities & Exercise:
Desk Work - 8 hours, Sleeping - 8 hours, Resting - 7 hours, Dance (fast step, aerobic) - 1 hour. more...
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