Post-surgery Update, Day 2

I cannot believe it's only been 2 days since Ryan's surgery. Three really, I guess, but I don't count today since I haven't yet been to the hospital. Visiting hours in the Neuro Critical Care Unit are noon-6, then 8-10pm.

I will do another update later today, but wanted to do a quick one now since the last few days have been eventful.

The original plan was to have Ryan transferred out of the NCCU after the first night. However, he still has swelling and fluid in the brain, and the doctors want to keep him under close observation. The nurses in the NCCU are amazing - the ratio of patient to nurse is 2:1, so he gets lots of their attention. I think they like having a younger, mostly lucid (if somewhat cantankerous) guy around.. his nurse yesterday was very excited to have a patient who was interested in eating. She brought him an armful of goodies to consume, but he only ate some Jell-O.

Anyway, getting back on track.

Ryan went into surgery complaining of abdominal pain and distension. When he came out, that was still his biggest complaint. The NCCU doctors know nothing about bowels, and their primary concern was for his brain. We felt like they were ignoring his abdominal issues. Wednesday was spent fighting with everyone to get the GI people to come in - an x-ray, a CT, and a bunch of angry post-midnight phone calls later.. and Thursday morning I came in to have the Customer Care rep waiting for me, and teams of doctors headed our way. The NCCU doctors still didn't care about Ryan's bowel problems, but the GI guys were great, and gave their recommendations to the NCCU team. Ryan and I feel like we're on the right track, now.

The abdominal pain and distension has at least 2 causes: 1) a very full, somewhat impacted bowel; 2) fluid in the abdomen from the tumors. They're treating #1 with lots of laxatives, stool softeners, and enemas. The GI oncologist that came by told us that he's not too worried about #2 yet because there's not much fluid there. (Of course, Ryan's not a big guy.) If most fluid accumulates, they'll be able to drain it off.

Ryan's been having a rough time, but he's doing better. I tell him about every email, phone call, and Facebook message I get inquiring about him. We really appreciate your love, prayers, and support. Thank you!