Update on Heather!

I just got off the phone with Heather's husband. She came through surgery fine although they had to switch from lap to rny due to liver size complications. However, she's been up and about passed her leak test (wants that ng tube out bad) and he said she seems to be feeling pretty good. Dustin said she would call me later if she felt like it i'll give ya more of an update then.

Thanks for the update. How are you feeling? How is the eating? Leanne

Eating and drinking are going so well it is scary. I have to remind myself to eat and then remind myself to stop eating. Fluids constantly not a problem there. However, I have serious pain across the top of my abdomen - pain pills don't knock it completely out - called doc today to ask if they used a rib spreader on me. The nurse said it was probably either air that had traveled up and lodged behind my ribs or strained/cut muscles since i have no fever and there is no redness anywhere. I bought some gasX today (she said doc prefers you don't use it, but it won't hurt) it did seem to help for a while. I only used one dose so i'll follow pkg instructions tomorrow and see if it goes away. If i can get a grip on this pain i think i'm good to go ... kind of motivating. I haven't heard back from Heather today so I'll call her tomorrow am and update again then.

Talked to Heather again today. She sounds great, spirits are high. She is on the wonderful hospital clear liquids. She had to spend first day on 3rd floor and is now in bariatric ward. As a result she got kind of dehydrated (they took her ice chips down to 1 spoonful an hour). But, things are moving the right way now. She had a fever last nite but it is gone (thinks it was from the hose cause she was really really hot and when they took hose off temp started dropping). She should be coming home tomorrow. I will call her back in the am and see for sure. If she is gone she said she'd call me when she got home. She has been walking well and sitting up a lot.

This is Heather's husband. I ran home while the in-laws fill in to clean up, and thought I would update everyone. I was so relieved to get out of the small 3rd floor jail cells. However since they sent everyone else home Friday morning, we had to move back to the 3rd floor this AM so the hospital doesn't have to pay the nursing staff and keep the lights on. The Dr. visited us this AM and gave us the bad news that she will not be released today. Her temp has been going back and forth between 99 and 104 since she got out of surgery. A Xray of her chest was taken that showed some infiltration in the lower portions of her lungs. (sorry if I get the diagnosis wording wrong, not much sleep past few days) She also had a mishap with the IV that caused her hand to swell up to 3 times it's normal size. The nurses took that out, however the Dr ordered it back in to help with the temp problems. She's got it going in the other hand now. She's been walking around and doing her breathing treatments every hour, not to mention graduated to mushed food. I did find it funny that she liked the fish (which she hated pre-op), but the turkey (which she loved with a passion) made her sick to her stomach. She's going through the "what have I done to myself" phase right now, but I've been reassuring her that what she did was for the best, and even though things are rough, they will get better. I need to make the 45 min trek back to the hospital now since the inlaws are all bunched up in that tiny room. I will try to keep in touch as I can, and hopefully Heather will be able to post soon. please keep Heather in your prayers. Thanks

Thanks so much for this update and Im glad to hear that you are her personal cheerleader!! horray for you!!!! Im searching frantically for your phone number.....