We got home about 7pm tonight.
Yesterday evening, Penny had a few hours of “acute abdominal distress”; Simultaneously her blood pressure was too low to take pain medications. That combination made for a pretty lousy evening.
Fortunately, her blood pressure came up in response to an infusion of albumen, and after getting some pain meds on board, things got quite a bit better after midnight. It isn’t clear what caused this painful episode, but everyone is glad that it didn’t last any longer.
Improvement continued throughout the day today. An earlier blood culture tested positive for bacteria, but the most recent blood cultures came back negative, so it appears that the antibiotics are having the intended effect. There are good options to continue testing this particular bacterium at home, so this didn’t end up keeping us in the hospital any longer.
Today’s scope was not able to get everywhere, but it did not reveal any sources of bleeding in the esophagus, stomach or the portions of the intestines that could be observed. That’s god and bad. The GI doctor was hoping to find something that he could treat. As is, it seems there is still some bleeding somewhere, most likely in the part of the intestines that couldn’t be checked.
For now, the plan is to discontinue the blood thinners and see how things respond. The downside of this is increased risk of clots. But since bleeding seems to be an actual problem and clots only a potential problem, the current evaluation of the risks suggests going without blood thinners. Also, the blood thinners were discontinued in advance of the scope, and there are some indications that that may already have reduced the amount of bleeding. We’ll continue to monitor symptoms and revisit this decision as needed.
Meanwhile it is good to be home again.
Just before leaving the hospital Penny’s nurse had me change the dressing on the wound that was created to drain the site of the infection. I must have passed the test because they let us go home. We’ll be coordinating with a visiting nurse to make sure things continue to heal well.
Now it’s time to review the new evening med list and to change the dressing on the wound. Then I expect we will both sleep well in our own space.
Comments
Lynne deBenedette: Thankful that you are both home. Much love and a huge hug -Lynne
Susan Langeland: Giving thanks for the many good things you’ve reported, Randy. Praying Penny never has a situation of untreatable pain again. So thankful for albumen making a way to. Give pain relief. Praying for a happy, relaxing weekend for you both.
Patricia Boer Fischer : Praisin God Ur both Home 🏡!! Continued Prayers 🙏 & May Our Lord Jesus Give Ya's both a Good Nite 😴 Rest!! Hugg's Love ❤️ Prayers 🙏 !!!
Alisa Tigchelaar: So very glad to hear that you're back home in your own space, Randy and Penny. Prayers continue: for further improvement for all the other issues at play right now and a good night's sleep for you. Much love. 💗
Anne Geiges: We are so glad to hear that Penny is back home and the antibiotics seem to have the intended effect. Praying that the bleeding can be found and treated quickly and that Penny is not in pain and can recover well. We pray for lots of strength for you, Randy, as well and wisdom for the doctors.