Home sweet home

First, I want to thank Mom for writing my blog while I was at the hospital. Trust me when I say you guys have the easy job of reading this, it evokes thought and feeling to re-live your day (especially your daughter's day).
Happy Mother's Day to my Mom, my sister and to all my Mom friends and family. This day has been bothersome for the past few weeks, well since I scheduled surgery. I wasn't thrilled at the aspect of having to be in the hospital on Mother's Day. Ellie made no pretense that she was ok with it. Rob and Nick I think could have rolled with it. This morning when Dr. Muldoon did rounds with Dr. Grossman he said he was thinking about discharging me this evening - I got a bonus few hours by an afternoon discharge.
This post will be all over the place tonight because that is just how I am right now. I'll do an overview of my day first and then I will rant about my hospital stay. Since I was sans IV pump last night I was able to get my ativan, anti-gas and stomach acid pills and they took my vitals and let me rest through the night. I was finally able to get comfortable enough to sleep. I got up a few times during the night to use the washroom but was able to get back to sleep easily.
The action started around 6:00AM this morning with the nurse and the CNA coming in for morning rounds. Medication pass and vitals. Dr. Grossman, Dr. Muldoon's resident came by to look at my incision and to pull the remaining wick from the drain. I was apprehensive about this and told him that when the other doctor pulled the first foot out the day before that it really hurt. He told me to let him know if it was bad and he would stop but he was more gentle than Dr. Evil and I was able to do some deep breathing and close my eyes and pretty soon it was over.
I will address the entire self healing wound thing later in this post - while it is amazing it is disgusting all the same. I ordered breakfast - let me tell you cream of wheat, pudding and hot teas are really getting old. Dr. Grossman came back with Dr. Muldoon and they were both concerned that I vomited last night and told me to take it easy with food today. I am told that my incision looks wonderful and that Dr. Muldoon took care of my stoma hernia while he did my take down. As he left he warned me that many of his patients (up to 80%) will find their first bowel movement explosive and not really know it is coming and are not able to make it to the washroom in time. The wonderful things that come out of doctors mouths.
After breakfast, I walked around the unit about 10 times. Dr. Grossman looked up and asked me if I thought I was at the gym - I told him I have a 5K to prep for. I spent the morning playing on the computer - my vision is far more in focus today. I did about another 6 loops around the unit and ordered lunch - cream of wheat, ice cream and hot tea. Rob called to tell me he and the kids would be coming up to see me. I ate my lunch and then called down to the kitchen to get some Popsicles for the kids (this my treat for them back in September but they have been out of them until today). I talked to Mom and told her I might get sprung.
Rob and the kids came and they brought popsicles with them. They brought me flowers and Ellie had made books/cards from her and Nick that were ultra cute. Nick had made a card in preschool for me with a picture of him on front. We walked around the unit, we cuddled in bed and watched Planet 51 for the 13th time. Rob told them they were springing me and it was a secret so Nick told everyone in the hall that they had a plan - little did they know. They left to go home and play and not 2 minutes later did Leo come to tell me I was being discharged. I wasn't able to get a hold of Rob initially to tell him to turn around but did a few minutes later. He was going to drop the kids at Mom and Dad's and come back for me.
In the meanwhile, I had a lovely chat with Mrs. B who had called to talk. The CNA came in to tell me she was going to pull my IV - I told her I didn't have an IV. She came back to say she was going to pull my port and I assured her she wasn't. Leo came in to ask about my port and I told her that yes it needed to be de-accessed but an IV nurse needed to do it. Ms. Kate came by to visit me and was excited to hear the news. She kept me busy talking while the IV nurse de-accessed my port and flushed me so I don't have to go back to Kellogg for another month. Kate left and Leo came back to watch me change my dressing - not difficult - gauze and then tape. My discharge instructions were simple - maintain medications (ativan, mushroom extract and vitamin d), lifting restriction of 10 pounds, exercise restriction, call immediately if incision site is red, hot or oozing and maintain a full liquid diet. I asked her to confirm this and sure enough I am supposed to remain on this crappy cream of wheat diet for the next 30 days. I am emailing Dr. Muldoon in the morning. There was no mention of the anti-gas or acid pills I had been getting - Leo said they were over the counter and I could pick them up if I wanted. It was a lackluster discharge order and I felt slightly unimpressed. Rob came to get me and I changed into clothes and then the wheelchair man came to wheel me to the car.
It felt good to be outside in the fresh air and sun. Rob took me home - I quickly found my way to the couch. As if scheduled on the calendar, we walked in the door, I felt an urge and low and behold I was in the 20% that can make it to the washroom on time. I still don't know if I should expect the explosion - hasn't happened and I am thinking it might not. Mom and Dad dropped the kids by and gave me my Mother's day presents - a zero gravity recliner chair for the yard and a few, pretty pandora beads for my bracelet. They brought some broth for me to heat up for dinner too.
We let the kids play outside for a little longer and then placed an order for dinner. Rob and Ellie ran to Target for me to pick up some pudding mixes, iced tea, honey and anti-gas pills. Poor Nick is in bad ways with his asthma right now. I guess it began Friday night after the extreme trampoline jumping and sweating and getting cold but his cough is pretty relentless. He is at least drinking tea with honey and doing good breathing with his inhalers.
We had dinner - I had broth and I will have some pudding when I am done blogging. After dinner Ellie took a bath and then Rob gave Nick a vapor bath. Ellie came down and asked if she could give me a foot a massage - I never pass up that offer. She rubbed my feet in and even filed the nails she felt were sharp. Nick came down to get vitamins and give me a kiss and then Rob put him to bed. Ellie and I cuddled up on the couch and watched food network and she went up to bed around 8:30. Rob never came down so I can only think he fell asleep in someones bed.
I thank you all for your love and support, not only during the last week but during this last year. I posted to one of the forums I belong to tonight asking if others have ileostomy take down stories because I really think it is time to re-write the dialogue for a younger bunch of patients. I know I said I was going to rant tonight but to be honest this is going on over an hour now and I am tired. I think my ranting will have to wait for another time. I need to go have my pudding and an ativan and get some well needed rest on my couch (as I cannot climb the stairs yet). Ohhhh, I have some wonderfully happy news to share (not my news but I need to share) my girlfriend, Julie got engaged to her boyfriend, Karlton today and I send out lots of love and a lifetime of happiness wishes to them. Visualising my healthy and continually healing body and the new normal (wasn't this supposed to happen already?), Tree