Hospital Post 8

7:45 am, Friday.

I got over here a few minutes ago and Ed is back on oxygen this morning.  He slept well last night (even though awakened for pain meds at 12 and 5), he reports.  His oxygen saturation numbers were okay but he felt some breathing difficulties, so they put him back on it at his request.  One of the unit administrators came around to give me (yet another) copy of Ed's right to object to discharge, so I would guess that discharge is still on their minds.  As best I know, the surgeon wrote in the chart yesterday that today was a possible discharge, but I assume that we will have some kind of reassessment by someone other than the unit administrator.  Ed does not feel like discharge is what he needs right now.

The bowel has been willing to give up some gas at least but he is having some discomfort from air coming up from the esophagus (like very frequent burping).  And he's got a spirometer to practice breathing better.  Although the shift change happened fifteen minutes ago, I've yet to see a nurse come by.  The night shift nurse (on a 12-hour shift) by name of Lindsay was terrific.  She was here to HELP.  Among other things, she offered him the choice of asking her for the percocet when he felt he needed it or his having her wake him on the 4 hour schedule to make sure he got it.  He chose her.   But I passed the guys from yesterday in the hall, so maybe the nurse-clerks are back this morning.  (Although they were on a 12 hour shift yesterday and told me that they don't work 2 days in a row, but maybe they do.)

Ed is, of course, feeling some disappointment that the trend line stopped going directly up.  But we are barely 48 hours post surgery at this moment, so it seems to me that some ups and downs might be tolerated/expected.

Now the nurse team has appeared.  One guy from yesterday (Adam) and a new guy who is pretty upbeat.  The new guy (Anson) says there's no definite order for discharge from the surgeon.  Everyone urges him to get up an walk.  And he did a lot of that yesterday; so now he needs to do some more.  Softer food on offer today after no food last night/dinner.  And should he have the pneumovax shot?  An information sheet on that is in his hands as I finish this entry.