Day 6 7am

I think I ate my supper too quickly last night. The cooked carrots were delicious but I ate them too quickly. Or maybe I ate the second helping of ice cream too quickly. Either way, my tummy was queasy and I had a rotten five hours worth of sleep.

When the IV was finally removed from my arm, the tape in that
area hurt like hell.  I'd say more painful than having tape removed
from my front pelvic area which happened daily.

I am walking, however.  I thought I'd feel better brushing my teeth at an actual sink so Nurse Eva loaded up my IV pole with accessories and spent five minutes untangling me and off I went---ten steps to my private bathroom.  It felt great.  I walked down the short hall then returned to my room to read the paper standing up.  Elapsed standing time was 45 mins and no dizziness.  I have turned the corner.

I'm going to ask my surgeon this morning if I can go fully wireless, or hoseless.

Day 5

Today (Monday) was a better day.

I stood three times without fainting, I move to solid food at lunch and I left the attention-intensive post surgery room at supper.  I now have a private room (the upgrade was $220 per day and I signed NO but I got very lucky and they bumped me for free!).

My ass is sore. In University I rode my motorcycle from Ottawa to the Yukon six days straight.  This is harder. There is very little respite for my ass but last night I was able to sleep on my side. Tomorrow I'll try walking.

After five days, I still haven't looked below my waist but I think I'm ready to tomorrow.

My surgeon hopes to release me around the 7 or 8 day mark even though my walking is 4 days behind schedule [Wife's Note: 2 days behind schedule]  [Husband's Note: Even though I was on the morphine drip, I showed Erinn how to count on her fingers.  She agreed I was right.  4 days.]  He's happy my bowels are coming back to life.

I've also just washed my hair. The night nurse brought me a shower cap that she took out of the microwave and I scrubbed that into my hair. It had some moisture in it and I had to lightly dry my hair after.  All done in my bed.  Pretty neat.  I wonder if the astronauts use it.

The Gory Details:

The surgery was pretty involving and I have a scar from my belleybutton down to my pubic bone and a holesaw was used left of my bellybutton for the colostomy.  I think it was a Dewalt.  On the rear I have a much smaller scar and associated stitching.  No wonder they left me on the epidural for 3 days.

Today I had full feeling in my legs and I was able to stand with help for a few minutes at a time.  Similar to when I was sitting upright on the edge of the bed, it was a laboured process where my head was extremely faint and my breathing constricted.  I wanted to pass out.

I have an IV drip piped into my arm, the morphine pain drip medication goes in the same place, a blood drainage bottle from the incision behind [Wife's Note: puss drainage not blood] and a catheter.  The catheter is useful as I never have to get out of bed to urinate but tomorrow I'll ask to have it removed.  That's four hoses.  Right after surgery I was on oxygen, I had the epidural in my spine for three days and the toe cable for 3.5 days.  That's seven hoses.  I achieve small amounts of freedom with every hose removal.

Come see for yourself!

Hotel California is open and accepting visitors.
Pat is at the Queensway Carleton Hospital. He is moving rooms so check at the info desk to see where he has landed.
Visiting hours are 11:30-2 and 4-8.

Update

Toe Cable: DETACHED!  Ahh, small pleasures.  Now I can feel my legs better the cable attached to my right toe has been frustrating. For two hours I tried to bend my right knee but the cinder block cabled to my right toe was too heavy to move. The toe also glows in the dark and measures my oxygen and pulse.

After the toe cable detachment, Nurse Alana removed my epidural.  Full feeling should return to my legs in a few hours. I want to stand later today but for now I can lift my butt off the bed and roll sideways for a minute or two.  Ever been on a long road trip?  Well, I feel I've sitting in the same chair for about 60 hrs too long.  It's been 78 hours and counting.  Not that I'm complaining...

My guts are working too so that's good.  Maybe tomorrow I'll graduate from juice and jello to yogurt.  I poo poo the ice chips now.  My palette is maturing with my improving prisoner privileges.

Day 2

Tonight is Sat night. There's no wi-fi for patients so I'm thumbing out an update on Erinn's Blackberry.

When I awoke from the surgery around 2pm I was freezing cold.  Apparently it's the epidural.  Erinn got three warm blankets for me every 20 mins.  My teeth were chattering uncontrollably, both hands were asleep, both arms in great pain like I just had a big workout and I was numb from my bellybutton on down.

Erinn had to move my hands for me to be in a position of least pain.  I slept like a vampire with my hands crossed on my chest for the next six daytime hours.  When I awoke, my right hand was regaining feeling but I couldn't move either arm without lactic acid pain.  At 11pm I lied in my least painful vampire position and tried to sleep. By 6am when the sun came up, I was able to fall asleep.

My surgeon woke me at 7am and explained that it was lactic acid in my arms and my hands were asleep due to positioning on the operating table.  Weird. My right hand came to life that day but here it is 3.5 days later and I can only feel my left pinky.  

Ice chips.  No food allowed since Tues night. Not even breakfast on Cleansing Wednesday.  So when the ice chips were offered after surgery nap, they rivalled the best ice creams known to man. I love ice chips. And nothing says hospital food like a styrofoam cup full of ice chips accented with a plastic spoon.

This sucks.  I've been lying on my back since Thurs.  I was supposed to stand on Friday but it's clear I can't handle my drugs. My legs were like dead logs. The nurse struggled to get me to sit up just as Erinn showed up for a visit.  I sat up for two seconds with the nurse pulling on my burning arm then I fainted into a 1 hour nap.  Erinn went out to get herself some supper and let me sleep.

Today, third day in the hospital, the feeling in my legs is slowly coming back.  They trimmed back the epidural around 2pm and I could start to move my feet later in the day. I could wiggle my knees but Erinn had to bend them for me. She showed up again at sit up time. This time I sat up for 60 seconds with trembling arms while the nurse washed my back.  I collapsed into a semi-sleep state for the rest of Erinn's visit.  What a trooper.

I'm in good spirits otherwise.  I have one good arm and I can reach everything.  I feel like Bart Simpson washing himself with a rag on a stick.  Tomorrow will mark Day 4 of lying on my ass and I've had it. I've got to stand tomorrow.  Alana is the nurse tomorrow and that doesn't sound like a weightlifter's name. I need Nurse Brutus.

Day 1 post surgery

Pat's doing fine. He is in a step down room with care 24/7. His legs are numb and so is his left arm. He has not been on his feet yet but has sat up a few times. He asks that we hold off on visitors right now, until he is a bit more mobile. His spirits are good. He got a sponge bath today from a pretty nurse but said he did not enjoy it.
It turns out that Pat's bunk mate is Helene from work. Helene says hi to all her colleagues. What are the odds? Helene is also a cancer survivor and is going strong an ten years of no disease.
Pat has his cell with him so feel free to call him. Tomorrow I will bring him his iPad so you can also email him as well at his Rogers account (pat.boyd).

Post Surgery

Pat is out of the operating room and is in the recovery room.  Surgery went well.  Unfortunately a complete APR was required.  This was expected but is still a drag.  On the plus side, the doctor did not see the cancer anywhere else.  I'll be seeing Pat soon and bringing him his entertainment bag.  If I can lift it.  See contents below.  No, I am not joking.

• 5 big novels (including one about WW2 and one about financial planning)
• 60 magazines (10 Model Train Issues, 15 Sail Magazines, remainder motorcycle related)
• 1 DVD Player
• 2 Seasons of Battlestar Gallatica
• 7 DVDs of Motorcycle Racing Boringness
• 1 MP3 Player
• 1 extention cord
• Flash Light
• Various chargers