zoohouse
Senior member
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2013
- Messages
- 959
- Reason
- CALS
- Diagnosis
- 07/2012
- Country
- CA
- State
- B.C.
- City
- Salmon Arm
Monday evening Tim started complaining of abdominal pain. This would be the forth time with the same symptoms, and I had managed them myself the last 3 times. This time even after having 2 BM's he continued to have pain and nausea. I had aspirated everything out of his stomach via his feeding tube, and then gave him some liquid antacid as suggested by his doctor the week before. He started getting very pale and it was obvious after 2 ½ hours that I had to take him to the hospital. Thankfully the ER doc was one that I had great respect for.
I only recognized 1 nurse in emergency out of 4 which really surprised me. I had worked there 25 years and had seen very little turn over, and I took my LOA just under 2 years ago.
An IV was put in and blood work taken with some difficulty as his veins were very flat. He wasn't sweating, but then he hasn't been able to sweat in over a year. No fever, BP good, and pulse oximeter 100% in spite of his cold and blue hands. The doctor did an ultrasound and found that his gallbladder was very full of sludge, and the wall had thickened, and some fluid had formed in the wall of the gallbladder. His White Blood count was very high, and his lactate indicated that he was starting to be septic. He was given Hydromorphone and something for the nausea, only then did he stopped moaning. On 2 separate occasions I was asked if he was able to talk or was mentally impaired. I chuckled slightly and said he was brilliant, but in just so much pain.
The doctor wanted to admit him for IV antibiotics, but I told him that I preferred to take him home and care for him there as I did not believe that they could manage his equipment, and he would most likely pick up something else while in the hospital. They were already holding several admissions in ER, and I would never be able to sleep there, and I wasn't about to leave him.
So we got into the hospital at 1am and left at 10am with IV bags, IV antibiotics, IV narcotics and anti nausea medication. I had not had more than 4 hours sleep in 48 hours so I was finding it almost impossible to think. Thankfully Tues. was the day that my nurse friends come in to do Tim's care for me, so they took over when we got home and I went to bed.
He is doing a little better today, but is still needing pain medication at times, as well as extra fluids. He is not liking his tube feeds, and is reluctant to drink much, so I went back to the hospital and picked up some IV fluid with some calories in it, and started giving him a couple of litres. His urine output is scary low and is as dark as tea, it was tested and is not showing any infection at all.
I texted his specialist who was on holidays and she texted me back some suggestions, but did not think surgery was a good idea in concurrence with the ER doc. So I guess it is a wait and see thing. He was actually running a temp tonight, but I think that was a good thing, exactly what the body should do.
When he gets over this infection, I am looking into some cleanses that might clear that sludge out. The ER doctor said that it is not unusual to see sludge develop in a person who has lost a lot of weight in a short period of time.
Good news, Tim just called to use the bottle, and he passed a large amount of normal coloured urine. I was so excited that after I showed him the colour I went to put the bottle down so that I could cover him up, missed the table and it fell splashing all over the floor, the blob of toilet paper was plastered on the wall. I didn't care and didn't even mind that in the semi darkness I stepped in some. He is actually looking a lot better and he doesn't have any pain. I think the antibiotics are finally kicking in, and he is even smiling again.
He was actually quite funny today, as he is a very cheap drunk. I gave him the lowest does of the Hydromorph and he started slurring and saying the silliest things. When I told him I actually had a really good sleep that night he said, "except when you were awake, HA HA HA!" I snorted my coffee because he was so pleased with what he thought was amazing humour. You had to laugh because he was so silly, and genuinely thought what he was saying was funny.
I pray that this is the turning point with this episode of gallbladder inflammation. Now I have to find a natural way to deal with this so that it doesn't keep happening.
Paulette
I only recognized 1 nurse in emergency out of 4 which really surprised me. I had worked there 25 years and had seen very little turn over, and I took my LOA just under 2 years ago.
An IV was put in and blood work taken with some difficulty as his veins were very flat. He wasn't sweating, but then he hasn't been able to sweat in over a year. No fever, BP good, and pulse oximeter 100% in spite of his cold and blue hands. The doctor did an ultrasound and found that his gallbladder was very full of sludge, and the wall had thickened, and some fluid had formed in the wall of the gallbladder. His White Blood count was very high, and his lactate indicated that he was starting to be septic. He was given Hydromorphone and something for the nausea, only then did he stopped moaning. On 2 separate occasions I was asked if he was able to talk or was mentally impaired. I chuckled slightly and said he was brilliant, but in just so much pain.
The doctor wanted to admit him for IV antibiotics, but I told him that I preferred to take him home and care for him there as I did not believe that they could manage his equipment, and he would most likely pick up something else while in the hospital. They were already holding several admissions in ER, and I would never be able to sleep there, and I wasn't about to leave him.
So we got into the hospital at 1am and left at 10am with IV bags, IV antibiotics, IV narcotics and anti nausea medication. I had not had more than 4 hours sleep in 48 hours so I was finding it almost impossible to think. Thankfully Tues. was the day that my nurse friends come in to do Tim's care for me, so they took over when we got home and I went to bed.
He is doing a little better today, but is still needing pain medication at times, as well as extra fluids. He is not liking his tube feeds, and is reluctant to drink much, so I went back to the hospital and picked up some IV fluid with some calories in it, and started giving him a couple of litres. His urine output is scary low and is as dark as tea, it was tested and is not showing any infection at all.
I texted his specialist who was on holidays and she texted me back some suggestions, but did not think surgery was a good idea in concurrence with the ER doc. So I guess it is a wait and see thing. He was actually running a temp tonight, but I think that was a good thing, exactly what the body should do.
When he gets over this infection, I am looking into some cleanses that might clear that sludge out. The ER doctor said that it is not unusual to see sludge develop in a person who has lost a lot of weight in a short period of time.
Good news, Tim just called to use the bottle, and he passed a large amount of normal coloured urine. I was so excited that after I showed him the colour I went to put the bottle down so that I could cover him up, missed the table and it fell splashing all over the floor, the blob of toilet paper was plastered on the wall. I didn't care and didn't even mind that in the semi darkness I stepped in some. He is actually looking a lot better and he doesn't have any pain. I think the antibiotics are finally kicking in, and he is even smiling again.
He was actually quite funny today, as he is a very cheap drunk. I gave him the lowest does of the Hydromorph and he started slurring and saying the silliest things. When I told him I actually had a really good sleep that night he said, "except when you were awake, HA HA HA!" I snorted my coffee because he was so pleased with what he thought was amazing humour. You had to laugh because he was so silly, and genuinely thought what he was saying was funny.
I pray that this is the turning point with this episode of gallbladder inflammation. Now I have to find a natural way to deal with this so that it doesn't keep happening.
Paulette