setbacks/sigh...
first, since i havent mentioned it, the friend that has been very supportive, and is disabled, buried her husband 3 weeks ago tomorrow. she had had a slight health scare from him the weekend before he died. pat had an incident that sounded very much like a minor heart attack, but he refused to go get checked out claiming it was probably something asthma related. the following weekend he was dying from a massive heart attack, michelle, and her girls, lana and laurell, were devastated. the intensity of the situation didnt help at all. pat collapsed at work, had a long wait for the ambulance to transport him to another town, and had to be resuscitated numerous times, the same thing happened at the hospital. at one point, he was declared dead, and michelle began notifying family, only to have to call them back and tell them that the doctor had resuscitated pat, because 45 minutes after being declared dead and Taken Off Of Oxygen, they found a Slight pulse. they then had to life-flight pat to omaha, having to resuscitate him repeatedly. the omaha doctors were stunned to realise the doctors in fremont had revived him. pat was put on life-support until michelle and her family finally could face having him removed from it. he lingered for 8 more hours before dying, he never regained conciousness and obviously his brain was destroyed from lack of oxygen. michelle, with all her medical issues would have sworn that she would pass first, in fact the week of pat's health incident, she flat-out told him he couldnt die first. sad...
as for me, sunday night the 7th, from 11-1 at night, i had another major leakage incident, so i called the nurse monday. i went to the doctors office tuesday and was examined. my body keeps forming seromas which means that clear plasma only slighlty tinged with redness is forming in the pockets of my body where surgery took place. this is preventing my tissue from healing and melding back together. the thing is, i only had one small opening in my incision that was open and draining-the same one below my navel. the doctor hinted that i might have to be put on a wound vac, but they would try wound packing first. this involved taking a cloth tape, a quarter of an inch wide, and forcing a 6-8 inch long strip of it into my wound opening. it didnt hurt but it just was very odd to see and experince.i had to have this changed out every day. my wound was red and slightly warm but i had had no other symptoms. so wednesday, i got a fresh strip inserted, this time at least a yard of it. the strips would keep the wound open and let the fluid drain so it wouldnt get trapped in my body. normally if seromas arent too large they are absorbed back into the body harmlessly. at first the doctor wanted me to have a visting nurse but as i explained i have no money for a lot of extra expenses, so it was decided that i would keep coming into the office. wednesday went okay but when i got home that night i had a bad night and probably had a fever. thursday, the doctor could tell i was a bit off, and my wound was redder and warmer, she decided to enlarge my wound and secure a wound vac for me. i was told the shot to numb the pain would sting-i didnt feel it. i also didnt feel the incision being made, so that all went well, this time i was packed with regular gauze strips and told to wait to hear from the wound vac people-i assumed it would be a next-day procedure at the clinic. they werent sure when it was going to happen and it was going to be done here at home and i was to have a visiting nurse from that point on. well the wound vac wounldnt arrive from the company for several days, so friday, my gauze didnt get changed but saturday, sunday, and monday, it did. the wound vac came tuesday. i am hooked up to it now-again it wasnt painful to me and isnt painful now, its just very, inconvenient. i feel fine, but i do have to take my temp and watch for various symptoms. i was also stunned to hear that i may have to have the thing for several months. i was to go back to work in october, now, i dont know what i will do, and how long it will be before i can work, but i'm on the very last of my cash, and its less than $100. for every nurse visit its $190, with an added $90 for each additonal hour, thankfully it hasnt even really taken the full hour. i have to have my wound vac packing changed out every other day monday, wednesday, and friday. so far, a charitable organisation is paying for this portion of my care. i am "authorised" to be on the wound vac at least 8 weeks. here is what the wound vac is... http://www.kci1.com/82.asp
the unit is contained in a carrying case the size of a camera case-i think it weighs around 5 pounds, it looks like the cannister for the body fluids holds around two cups, maybe more.
as for me, sunday night the 7th, from 11-1 at night, i had another major leakage incident, so i called the nurse monday. i went to the doctors office tuesday and was examined. my body keeps forming seromas which means that clear plasma only slighlty tinged with redness is forming in the pockets of my body where surgery took place. this is preventing my tissue from healing and melding back together. the thing is, i only had one small opening in my incision that was open and draining-the same one below my navel. the doctor hinted that i might have to be put on a wound vac, but they would try wound packing first. this involved taking a cloth tape, a quarter of an inch wide, and forcing a 6-8 inch long strip of it into my wound opening. it didnt hurt but it just was very odd to see and experince.i had to have this changed out every day. my wound was red and slightly warm but i had had no other symptoms. so wednesday, i got a fresh strip inserted, this time at least a yard of it. the strips would keep the wound open and let the fluid drain so it wouldnt get trapped in my body. normally if seromas arent too large they are absorbed back into the body harmlessly. at first the doctor wanted me to have a visting nurse but as i explained i have no money for a lot of extra expenses, so it was decided that i would keep coming into the office. wednesday went okay but when i got home that night i had a bad night and probably had a fever. thursday, the doctor could tell i was a bit off, and my wound was redder and warmer, she decided to enlarge my wound and secure a wound vac for me. i was told the shot to numb the pain would sting-i didnt feel it. i also didnt feel the incision being made, so that all went well, this time i was packed with regular gauze strips and told to wait to hear from the wound vac people-i assumed it would be a next-day procedure at the clinic. they werent sure when it was going to happen and it was going to be done here at home and i was to have a visiting nurse from that point on. well the wound vac wounldnt arrive from the company for several days, so friday, my gauze didnt get changed but saturday, sunday, and monday, it did. the wound vac came tuesday. i am hooked up to it now-again it wasnt painful to me and isnt painful now, its just very, inconvenient. i feel fine, but i do have to take my temp and watch for various symptoms. i was also stunned to hear that i may have to have the thing for several months. i was to go back to work in october, now, i dont know what i will do, and how long it will be before i can work, but i'm on the very last of my cash, and its less than $100. for every nurse visit its $190, with an added $90 for each additonal hour, thankfully it hasnt even really taken the full hour. i have to have my wound vac packing changed out every other day monday, wednesday, and friday. so far, a charitable organisation is paying for this portion of my care. i am "authorised" to be on the wound vac at least 8 weeks. here is what the wound vac is... http://www.kci1.com/82.asp
the unit is contained in a carrying case the size of a camera case-i think it weighs around 5 pounds, it looks like the cannister for the body fluids holds around two cups, maybe more.