Day After Christmas...

Yesterday was pretty uneventful here at the hospital. I gather weekends are quiet here anyway - Christmas didn't help with that.

We did get to talk with a nutritionist yesterday, as well as another GI doc. The abdominal pain and bloating has several causes: liver tumor pressing on the exterior covering of the liver, tumorous lymph nodes blocking drainage from a kidney (which causes it to swell and be painful), fluid build up in the abdomen from the tumors (ascites), and then of course full bowels. We have the last cause under control at the moment, but there is unfortunately not much to be done about the others. There was talk of a kidney study and then insertion of a stent (like he had after his colon resection), and also possibly of draining the abdominal fluid, but Dr. Diaz is pushing for us to get home and then moved to Florida. So...

The doctors on the floor consulted with the pain team, and have upped Ryan's dosages. He seems to be more comfortable now, but the Dilaudid definitely makes him loopy and sleepy.

And that's about where we are today.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!