New tube procedure
Dr. Okolo was back at work yesterday. He came to see Dad late in the day and after assessing the situation decided that the best course of action was to take out the problematic J-tube and replace it with a new one, and while he was in there, he would cut off blood supply to the ulcer that was causing all the diarrhea, either by injecting a medication into it or cauterizing it. He didn't see any reason to put off this procedure (by this time Dad's blood pressure was completely normal, along with all of his other vitals) so he got a team together and started it around 8:00 last night. He said that under normal circumstances it would take between 15 and 30 minutes to do this, but he had great respect for Dad's anatomy and estimated it would take more like 45 minutes.
Thirty minutes later, he was done. Because he was more familiar with Dad's inner workings, he said he was able to place the new tube in a better position and he found a "nice sized" ulcer just south of the tube, which he injected with whatever medication you use in these situations. He was also going to order high dosages of medications to stop acid production in Dad's stomach which would both completely eliminate the ulcer he has and prevent a recurrence. He said that in 11% of patients, diarrhea is a side effect of this drug, but he hopes that Dad will be in the 89% with no side effects. I kind of laughed at that--if there's one thing we've learned in the past three months, it's that if there is a complication to be had, Dad will have it! But we'll see, and frankly, even if he does have diarrhea, at least it won't be bloody diarrhea and that'll be an improvement! Dr. Okolo also thinks that what will ultimately cure Dad from all these GI problems is getting rid of the tube entirely and going back to regular eating (sound familiar? I think we've managed to convince everyone in the hosptial by now that this needs to be our goal). Dad had his best session yet with the swallowing therapist yesterday, so we're headed in the right direction, but it'll still be a while until he's ready for the tube to be out.
Dad will be started back on tube feeding this morning (may already have been) and assuming all goes well and there are no complications, he should be out of CCU within a day. Everyone on the hall from technicians up to the cardiologist is pulling to have him put in the "VIP" room, one room down from where he had been before. This is like a suite, with hardwood floors and a nice sitting area. Right now it's occupied by an actual VIP (someone connected with the hospital) but Dr. Hiatt says that person should be out by tonight, so the timing would be good. There's no real reason Dad should get this, but they all like him there and want something good to happen to him!
Thirty minutes later, he was done. Because he was more familiar with Dad's inner workings, he said he was able to place the new tube in a better position and he found a "nice sized" ulcer just south of the tube, which he injected with whatever medication you use in these situations. He was also going to order high dosages of medications to stop acid production in Dad's stomach which would both completely eliminate the ulcer he has and prevent a recurrence. He said that in 11% of patients, diarrhea is a side effect of this drug, but he hopes that Dad will be in the 89% with no side effects. I kind of laughed at that--if there's one thing we've learned in the past three months, it's that if there is a complication to be had, Dad will have it! But we'll see, and frankly, even if he does have diarrhea, at least it won't be bloody diarrhea and that'll be an improvement! Dr. Okolo also thinks that what will ultimately cure Dad from all these GI problems is getting rid of the tube entirely and going back to regular eating (sound familiar? I think we've managed to convince everyone in the hosptial by now that this needs to be our goal). Dad had his best session yet with the swallowing therapist yesterday, so we're headed in the right direction, but it'll still be a while until he's ready for the tube to be out.
Dad will be started back on tube feeding this morning (may already have been) and assuming all goes well and there are no complications, he should be out of CCU within a day. Everyone on the hall from technicians up to the cardiologist is pulling to have him put in the "VIP" room, one room down from where he had been before. This is like a suite, with hardwood floors and a nice sitting area. Right now it's occupied by an actual VIP (someone connected with the hospital) but Dr. Hiatt says that person should be out by tonight, so the timing would be good. There's no real reason Dad should get this, but they all like him there and want something good to happen to him!
posted by Sarah @ 12:14 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home