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day 6, Gene Beane, going home
Well today is the day. The first Doctor was in at 5:30 am. He said all looks good. At 7;30 another Doctor under Dr. Campbell, he said today you will go home. If all your meds etc. are unhooked its time to leave. This way you don’t stick around to maybe get any hospital type infections, better to get into your own envoirnment.
So this afternoon we will be off to travel 25 miles to home.
Boy what a week. I must ex[lain about my statements on the help you can be to your husband. The things I listed are mostly done by the nurses, but as you become familiar with his daily routine its nice to just not press the button, do it yourself. Of course that doesn’t go for needles, drains, plugs etc. In our marriage I seem to be the stronger partner. The doer, the idea maker, the planner. So I recognized that for Gene he was happier when he knew I was staying. So I did. It will be so nice to go home and sit on our patio , watch the hummingbirds, finches, cardnals, deer, squirrels, its like a zoo at our house.
As much as I went on about the staff here I had some problems as well. When Gene had the bad Monday I had the new nurse. She would come in say I’ll be back, never to see her again. Until I of course made my presence at the nurses station. So that VIP SECTION would have taken care of that, they are at your beckin call in there. 250 a day, what a better way to spend it. No rooms available in vip after being for Gene recovery. We could have moved Tuesday but we had a private room so we just stayed in there. You begin to recognize who are the good ones and who are the no shows.
This is what happened on Monday, in detail,
early am…nausea, dry heaves
noon nausea dry heaves
meds nexium, mylanta
3pm zofran
4pm nausea, dry heaves
5pm, Gene said to me this is not worth it, WOW, HE IS SICK,
6PM PHENEGRAN MED
AT 6;30 HIS EYES GOT REAL BIG, AND HE SAID TO ME IN A SLUR, WHY IS THE ROOM ON FIRE, AND WHO ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE, HIS BACK WAS SOAKED FROM SWEAT, AND HE WAS DIZZY, I FREAKED I RAN TO THE NURSES STATION FOR HELP, THE NEW NURSE SAID, ITS PROBABLY THE MED’S, PROBALY WAS NOT A GOOD ANSWER, I SAID HE IS SWEATING, DIZZY AND TALKING OF THE WALL, IS IT A STROKE MAYBE, I DIDN’T KNOW. SHE SAID PROBABLY NOT. THERES THAT ”PROBABLY” AGAIN. SHE CAME IN THE ROOM , I SAID HOW DO YOU SPELL PHENEGRAN, SHE LOOKED UP AND SAID, ITHINK ITS PH ,,OH BOY I AM IN TROUBLE NOW.
SHE LEFT TO CALL UROLIGY FOR THE RESIDENT TO SEE HIM, MEANWHILE I SAW A REAL NURSE WE HAD THE NIGHT BEFORE, I ASKED IF I COULD SHARE THIS WITH HER, I WAS STILL CRYING,
SHE WAS VERY GOOD, SHE SAID IT WAS THE MEDICATION, NOT PROBABLY. I WENT BACK TO GENE, NOW HE INSISTED ON GOING FOR A WALK, NOT A GOOD IDEA RIGHT NOW, I PUSHED THE BUTTON, NO ONE, NO ONE, NO ONE, FINALLY I RAN TO THE NURSES STATION AGAIN, I SAID TO THE NEW NURSE , DID YOU GET THE MESSAGE, SHE SAID NO, I SAID GENES GOWN IS SOAKED WITH SWEAT, HE WANTS TO WALK, AND HIS PENIS IS DRIPPING EVRYWHERE, SHE SAID I WILL SEND AN AID, THE AID WALKS IN, BY THIS TIME GENE WAS WALKING NO MATTER WHAT, THE AID SAID, oh I didn’t know I had to walk him I thought I had to change his sheets, I said forget it, we are going for a walk. he dripped all down the hall from his penis, at that time the good nurse took over, she got busy, she returned us to his room, cleaned him up, looked at his ivs, one was leaking, and so was the other, she blew one changing it. But she handled everything well. I told her I didn;t want to see the other nurse, send her back to school since she can’t spell phenegran. I did expalin all of this to Dr. Campbell, he said some people have that reaction to phenegran, and he was sorry for the delema with the nurse.
THIS CAN BE SOLVED BY STAYING IN THE VIP SECTION..250.00 MORE A NIGHT, WELL WORTH IT. What if I hadn’t been there???
After the news we were going home our room had all the people, not the ones from Monday, home care instructions, home care set up, stoma nurse, the lady from health and excercise. We got blasted with instructions. Now I am still here waiting for Dr. Campbell. He is our final visitor. Our daughter will pick us up at 5pm.
Tomorrow I am going to interview my husband. I am going to choose questions about the week. Since he doesn’t get on the forum I thought this will give you his thoughts thru me. And maybe thru these answers straight from him , he may help someone else getting ready for his cystectomy. Until then!!! ginger -
6 Replies
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Eileen Hopkins is a great hospital and so is Dr.Shoenberg, but your date is already set up but I went to Univ of Penn to see Dr. Malkowicz both great hospitals and both great surgeons. I was a trucker so a 2 and a half hr ride ain’t crap but to me why take that extra distance when you got a great hospital right where we are. I’m was very happy with Penn got excellent treatment, I have nothing but good to say about everyone that works there from the janitor to the top dog and I saved money on gas and the biggest part I am cancer free as of now. Well to where ever you go good luck. Joe ;)
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Eileen….don’t be scared…you’re at the #1 BC facility in the nation with Dr. Mark Shoenberg. Your husband will be in excellent care. I don’t know how to be prepared for all the possibilities but all i wanted was the love and support of my husband…thats really all you need to do. You don’t have to be the nurse, or the aide …you may have to find one however…i know of no hospital that is completely staffed with nurses…they say they are…but they lie. Just be his advocate…speak up if you have to. Its a rough couple of days after surgery for the patient and no two patients are alike nor do they react to medications the same way. Most likely everything will be under control..if something seems unusual let them know. But you’re in a great place….don’t panic. Pat
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ginger – you are scaring the shit out of me. my husband got his surgery date – nov. 5th at hopkins. does anyone have anything to say to me about hopkins? i want to be prepared for all possibilities, not that that’s possible!
eileen, mike g’s wife
Michael
Age 58
Stage T2-T3, muscle invasive
Married to Eileen
2 sons, ages 20 and 23
[quote author=Patricia link=topic=1191.msg8189#msg8189 date=1190317307]
don’t feel bad even the doctors only have to take a 6 week course in drugs!
[/quote]Hmmm. I took a full semester of pharmacology. But hey, that was more than 30 years ago. It’s mostly out of date anyway. I’ve learned about more drugs since medical school than I did in medical school.
Forgive me for jumping in off topic – and my best to Gene.
-Warren
TaG3 + CIS 12/2000. TURB + Mitomycin C (No BCG)
Urethral stricture, urethroplasty 10/2009
CIS 11/2010 treated with BCG. CIS 5/2012 treated with BCG/interferon
T1G3 1/2013. Radical Cystectomy 3/5/2013, No invasive cancer. CIS in right ureter.
Incontinent. AUS implant 2/2014. AUS explant 5/2014
Pediatrician
I’m glad your home and all went well for Gene with surgery. I read the other stuff but the main thing he is ok and that is the most important thing. Penn did not run their rooms like that they were all the same and they were doubles but each bed ( patient ) had his own nurse and nurses aid. Except for the Pavillion where the wealthy folks have rooms with everything under the sun must be nice to afford all your luxuries while you are ill lol.
As far as interview day Ginger you guys will have alot more to worry about then worrying about answering questions here at the forum believe me. I could of posted about after my surgery they had a hell of a time getting me stabalized and getting my pulse ox back up plus my body temp. My wife who is an LPN said she was really getting concerned at one point it was that bad. I forgot all about this till the other day when she reminded me cause you forget alot of stuff after that surgery.
The first day home I forgot I had steps lol and what a deal that was getting up them and basicazlly getting readjusted to just being home. And your looking at about two months recovering from this surgery Ginger it takes time dear and that’s just getting back to the basics. I just past my 3 month mark and I am up and around but I lost alot of that giddy up and go I use to have I am hoping all in time that comes back. And Pat is telling me like 6-8 months and I believe her, cause I heard things to that effect before and also she is very knowlegable with this stuff not that I’m a dummy she just had the surgery longer then me. Well once again happy all went well and all in time you will understand the recovery part it takes time. My wife took off just like you the week I was in the hospital and also the following one since she had the time and said she was glad to go back to work after caring for me lol ;) Best of Luck, Joe ;)
By the way Ginger..its Phenergan……don’t feel bad even the doctors only have to take a 6 week course in drugs!
And do tell Gene that those same pesky people all came into my CT scan room to watch me too…about 35 of them all in dressing gowns…one drinking beer from a hat equipped with a can and straw! I provided much amusement for the staff.
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