Bladder/Prostate Removed 9/24/07

Yes thank you Darlene....I'm so glad more institutions are going with the NG tube (tho i really really hated that thing) and doing a more conservative approach with bowel obstruction....before they just did the cut...that of course being lucky me!!
So congratulations and hopefully things will progress nicely from here on out.
Pat

Patricia,

After the heart problem, Ron was moved from ICU and he tried liquids on Day #8. He had bad indigestion almost immediately and threw up all night. They took him for a CT Scan and put the Nasal Gastric tube back in. They told me there might be a bowel obstruction and were going to tube him for a few days and watch it. The Nasal Gastric tube sucked out 3 large coke bottles full of stomach fluid the first day. It was disgusting. They left the tube in for 5 more days, did another CT Scan and then told me the obstruction had cleared itself. I know the CT Scan showed an obstruction because the doctor told me they were relieved it had cleared itself, because the last thing they wanted to do was to have to operate on him again, which would have been their only other option.

I'm glad they weren't difinitive with me when they did the first CT Scan because I would have been a wreck thinking they might have to operate again. It would have just increased our anxiety level, which was already very high from the heart scare.

I was so glad everything started working the second time they pulled the GN tube out. It was absolutely amazing how quickly he recovered once the bowels and stomach started working. Before then he was weak, only walking once or twice a day, very lethargic, couldn't get out of bed on his own, couldn't sit up on his own, etc.

Now he's just about back to normal. Not much pain, a little stiffness, walking all over the place and eating well. We are so glad things are going so well.

Hope this answered your questions.

Darlene

Darlene, I am so glad he is doing so well, I hope he continues to get stronger day by day, thinking of you guys, all the best.
Cathy.

Well, part of that actually happened.

The whole fascinating story is here:
blcforum.com/smf/index.php/topic,1001.msg6167.html#msg6167

But you might be mixing me up with another somebody or other. It happens. ;D

Ok i'm making up converstations with Zachary...it was Dan who was readmitted to a local hopital with a obstruction and that John was out of the country at the time and his message to the surgeons on the floor was emphatically "Don't Cut".......maybe i made up the NG tube...but i did read where that is what they do in some cases. I'm now searching my archives!! Sorry Zachary...i need a brain transplant.

FYI, I've had two bowel obstructions since my RC and they both resolved themselves. The first one took 5 days and the second one took 1 day (both times a NG tube was used). Fortunately USC/Norris provides 7x24 access to a urologic resident who told the local ER folks what Zach said - that most times they resolve themselves and to spare the knife.

Speak of the devil, last night I really pigged out on lentils/turnips/parsnips (a really good soup) and endive and walnuts and some great seed bread - and awoke a few hours later with the same damn sensation of a bowel obstruction. First one in over a year. Still had some Ativan, popped a couple pills, whew, the pain went away. Next time I'll eat a bit less.