Another swallow test
Please keep Dad in your prayers today! The hospital has agreed to do another swallow test on him. If he's able to pass this and thus start getting food by mouth, all of the problems with the stomach tube will no longer be problems.
After I posted a few days ago that they got the leakage around his tube stopped, it started up again, just as bad as before. The doctors were stumped as to what to do and were talking about completely new surgery, new hole, new tube, etc. and allowing the original site to heal up. Given how long it took Dad to recover from the first surgery (remember all the pain he was in, and how long it took him to start receiving nutrition afterwards?), this isn't an option any of us like.
So a lot is riding on today's test. You'll remember that he passed the swallow test once before, but then they thought he was doing "silent aspiration" so they stopped giving him food by mouth. Another time they tried the test and he didn't pass because they said he wasn't able to swallow twice; he says he wasn't given enough liquid to make it possible for him to swallow twice. Since then, the hospital has been unwilling to even try--they are so nervous about aspiration and his chances of getting pneumonia again that they've been saying they won't even do a test again and that he'll need to wait until he's in rehab and his neck muscles stronger before they'll even think about doing this and allowing him to have food by mouth. But of course he can't go into rehab if his stomach tube is acting up! So please pray that he passes today's test with flying colors!
I'll update later when I know the results of the test. By now we know how hospitals work--if they said this morning they'll do the test, it doesn't mean it'll happen soon, so we may be waiting a while.
After I posted a few days ago that they got the leakage around his tube stopped, it started up again, just as bad as before. The doctors were stumped as to what to do and were talking about completely new surgery, new hole, new tube, etc. and allowing the original site to heal up. Given how long it took Dad to recover from the first surgery (remember all the pain he was in, and how long it took him to start receiving nutrition afterwards?), this isn't an option any of us like.
So a lot is riding on today's test. You'll remember that he passed the swallow test once before, but then they thought he was doing "silent aspiration" so they stopped giving him food by mouth. Another time they tried the test and he didn't pass because they said he wasn't able to swallow twice; he says he wasn't given enough liquid to make it possible for him to swallow twice. Since then, the hospital has been unwilling to even try--they are so nervous about aspiration and his chances of getting pneumonia again that they've been saying they won't even do a test again and that he'll need to wait until he's in rehab and his neck muscles stronger before they'll even think about doing this and allowing him to have food by mouth. But of course he can't go into rehab if his stomach tube is acting up! So please pray that he passes today's test with flying colors!
I'll update later when I know the results of the test. By now we know how hospitals work--if they said this morning they'll do the test, it doesn't mean it'll happen soon, so we may be waiting a while.
posted by Sarah @ 10:37 AM
1 Comments:
At 8:41 PM,
Anonymous said…
Dick's internist came in to see him today, and I told her that if he didn't pass the swallow test--which has been moved to tomorrow--I would want a consultant. We started talking, and his internist said she knew of a very good gastroenterologist at St. Joseph's hospital, but he didn't have privileges at Sinai. I told her we would be willing to switch if necessary. Just at that point, his nurse came in to check the padding around his leaking stoma and the internist saw the terrible mess on his abodomen and the irritation of his skin and she said to me "What we discussed, sooner rather than later." So I talked it over with Dick and we decided to transfer him to St. Joseph's. His internist has her office near there and is on the staff, I might add. So I called her, and she has reserved a bed for him tomorrow, and the social worker tomorrow will arrange transport.
Today one of his nurses called up to the GI floor and asked for something that might protect his skin, and they came up with a colostomy bag that they inserted around the stoma. It worked to keep the acids off his skin and to contain the liquid, although it has to be emptied often. I don't know why one of his doctors wasn't able to suggest that when he first started leaking.
Could be that he will get the swallow test before he goes to St. Joseph's. If he passes we may be sorry we are leaving, but many of the nurses felt we were making a good decision. Itg certainly is not because of the level of nursing care that we are leaving. I only hope it will be as good.
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