Bob's Wife- I'm not handling this well

16 years 4 months ago #10147 by bobmac2
Replied by bobmac2 on topic Bob's Wife- I'm not handling this well
I thought that the above would be my only post today- HA!!! Bob is getting dressed to go back to the hospital yet again. On Thurs. when he was discharged, they sent him home constipated. Today is Sat.(it's now been 7 days since a bowel movement) & we have tried everything short of dynamite. He is in agony & of course since he had part of his bowel made into a new bladder, we are quite concerned. We have tried Lactulose, Senokot & Glycerine suppositories- no luck. I am taking him over to Emerg. for an enema. Wish us luck- Lorrie

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16 years 4 months ago #10146 by bobmac2
Replied by bobmac2 on topic Bob's Wife- I'm not handling this well
Well Good Morning all- it's 6AM here, a good time for me to give you all an update on Bob &the continuing saga of his new neobladder. I never realized, until this nightmare began, just how seriously messed up the health care system is in Canada-but I think that topic is best-suited for another forum. We picked Bob up on Thurs. He had been readmitted for the 3rd time & we very nearly lost him twice due to infection. As with the previous discharges, they sent a few supplies to take care of the catheter & gave him instructions on the flushing etc. Well, yesterday morning when Bob got up he said that they hadn't sent any saline solution this time, & since it was just salt/water, could I mix some up for him?(Bob &I are not a medical people- if a nurse or Dr. tells us something, we usually believe them.) I called our daughter Andrea (a vet nurse)who informed me that saline solution is sterile & I couldn't just 'mix it up in the sink'. My reply was 'what difference does it make when he is using the same syringe all the time?' Well,I could have heard her without the phone after that- 'what do you mean that he is using the same syringe, did they not give him a upply & stress how important cleanliness is blah, blah, blah?''No' I replied, 'in fact, they told him & showed him how to re-use a syringe'. Well, it became quite a day after that- I verified with the head nurse on his floor that yes, they re-use syringes. I called the surgeons office who were appalled & said that they would inform the surgeon. Andrea brought over supplies of syringes, gloves, sterile containers & showed Bob how to use them. So,I'm sure we are on the right track this time. This is probably why Bob has had all these infections- this last one was in his bloodstream!! I'm angry at my ignorance, the hospital & their cost-cutting. Syringes cost about 30cents- if the hospital asked us to supply syringes, we would have. I'm starting to feel like I live in a backwards country where they never heard the word 'hygiene'. That's it for today- Best regards to all, Lorrie

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16 years 4 months ago #10050 by Gene Beane
Replied by Gene Beane on topic Bob's Wife- I'm not handling this well
Lorrie,
Glad to hear things are looking up, keep a close eye on him and let us know all the good news I know will be coming... Ginger

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16 years 4 months ago #10046 by bobmac2
Replied by bobmac2 on topic Bob's Wife- I'm not handling this well
Well, it's Nov.9 & I just picked Bob up at the hospital from his 3rd (& I hope last) admission. He seems pretty good, they put him on Insulin so the sugar levels are good. He still has a catheter for another week. Please pray that we don't get another infection. So, at the moment things are good. We thank you all for your prayers and kind wishes. I'll keep posting. Best regards, Lorrie P.S. for those who don't know Bob is 61 & has a neobladder hooked up to his original piping.

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16 years 4 months ago #9820 by Patricia
Replied by Patricia on topic Bob's Wife- I'm not handling this well
I've seen this kind of mis-management so many times i can't count...when there is a pre-existing condition be it heart problems or diabetes or anything that requires the monitoring of drugs or even blood sugars the hospitals will fail miserably in catching up to speed. You really need to have not just your surgeon but your cardiologist or your family physician being part of the team and you have to be able to have open lines of communication.
Follow up after surgery just as important...most people lose 20 to 30 lbs with this surgery...that can make a big difference in the medications you're taking..you may need a reduction in blood pressure drugs or insulin may definately need to be adjusted. Depression may not be psychological but physiological because noone is paying attention except the caregiver.....So Shout it out...
Pat

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16 years 4 months ago #9816 by Julie
Replied by Julie on topic Bob's Wife- I'm not handling this well
My husband is also a diabetic and was in the hospital twice this year. The urologist and thoracic surgeons did not know how to manage diabetes. My husbands diabetes was well controlled prior to hospitalization. He had his lung tumor taken out two weeks ago and we talked to the surgeon prior to surgery about how could we keep my husbands blood sugars in a better range.
If your husbands diabetes wasn't controlled prior to surgery then use this time to ask for a consult with an diabetes specialist and get those high numbers down. High blood sugars will delay healing.

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