I am so very thankful that this has been a calm year medically speaking, at least so far. Today marks one year ago that Rick was hospitalized for complications following his ERCP. He became seriously ill with pancreatitis after the procedure. It was truly one of the scariest nights of my life, and lead to a very stressful week.
If you are new to my blog, or would like a refresher on what went down last year, here are the links to the posts that I wrote once Rick was released from the hospital:
ERCP/Pancreatitis Part 1
ERCP/Pancreatitis Part 2
ERCP/Pancreatitis Part 3
ERCP/Pancreatitis Part 4
I am really glad that I wrote those posts and documented everything. As much as so much of that experience is burned into my memory, alot of the little details have been forgotten.
We had a LOT of support from friends and family during the week long hospital stay. Did you know that I only left the hospital to shower and change clothes? I ate every meal there and slept in a recliner.
I am praying that this year continues to be uneventful. However I do need to schedule Rick for his yearly ERCP. And quite frankly that scares me silly!
I am taking to tonight to say some prayers and thank God for granting Rick some time to be stable.
Until next time,
Showing posts with label Pancreatitis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pancreatitis. Show all posts
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Saturday, March 7, 2009
ERCP/Pancreatitis Part 4
Rick's IV continued to drip his only source of nutrition at a quick pace. It also pumped him full of different antibiotics and his pain meds. After around 60 hours without anything by mouth he was allowed to have his first drink. The doctor decided that after the retching had finally stopped, Rick was safe to try a liquid diet. The first thing he had besides a sip a water was a purple popsicle. His liquid meals consisted of either chicken broth or beef broth, tea, juice, and jello. The jello wasn't really jello, it was a "gel treat" that was pretty gross, so that was never really eaten.
When every thing was all done Rick had a total of 4 different IV's placed. Unfortunately it was never easy to place those IV's because of how sick he was. Every IV took at least 3 different tries to get a vein that would work. And then every morning at around 5 AM someone from the lab would come in and draw blood. I lost count of how many times he was poked with a needle but it was seriously around 25 times. One of the IV sites caused phlebitis; his arm was really red and hot. The nurse even got a pen and made a line around the redness to mark it so she could keep an eye on it. Rick's arms are bruised from all the abuse they took in those 6 1/2 days.
The bloodwork results were something that we looked forward to hearing about every morning. We were surprised when, at first, the bloodwork got worse. I think I mentioned that at one point his lipase, which measures pancreas function, was at 5,600. Normal is 78. His bilirubin jumped up to 4.7 at one point as well and his eyes were more yellow than I had ever seen them. But now his bilirubin is normal for the first time in more than a year and his eyes are actually white. I don't know if the ERCP cleaned something out, or if the liquid diet and all the fluids flushed out the liver. Either way, for the moment he is no longer jaundice or itching.
We were really hoping to be home during the weekend sometime but Rick had a minor setback. After a couple days of liquid diet, and several short walks in the hallways of the seventh floor, Rick still wasn't feeling good. He was continuing to run fevers and his entire body would start shaking. So much so that it would shake the entire bed. He spent almost all of sunday asleep again. He had to be given anti nausea meds again too.
When every thing was all done Rick had a total of 4 different IV's placed. Unfortunately it was never easy to place those IV's because of how sick he was. Every IV took at least 3 different tries to get a vein that would work. And then every morning at around 5 AM someone from the lab would come in and draw blood. I lost count of how many times he was poked with a needle but it was seriously around 25 times. One of the IV sites caused phlebitis; his arm was really red and hot. The nurse even got a pen and made a line around the redness to mark it so she could keep an eye on it. Rick's arms are bruised from all the abuse they took in those 6 1/2 days.
The bloodwork results were something that we looked forward to hearing about every morning. We were surprised when, at first, the bloodwork got worse. I think I mentioned that at one point his lipase, which measures pancreas function, was at 5,600. Normal is 78. His bilirubin jumped up to 4.7 at one point as well and his eyes were more yellow than I had ever seen them. But now his bilirubin is normal for the first time in more than a year and his eyes are actually white. I don't know if the ERCP cleaned something out, or if the liquid diet and all the fluids flushed out the liver. Either way, for the moment he is no longer jaundice or itching.
We were really hoping to be home during the weekend sometime but Rick had a minor setback. After a couple days of liquid diet, and several short walks in the hallways of the seventh floor, Rick still wasn't feeling good. He was continuing to run fevers and his entire body would start shaking. So much so that it would shake the entire bed. He spent almost all of sunday asleep again. He had to be given anti nausea meds again too.
Thankfully all that sleeping seemed to really help and by monday morning he was finally feeling better. The doctor decided to start him on a very light diet of real food. His first real meal was a half of a turkey sandwich. When that seemed to work out he was finally unplugged from the IV fluids and started on oral medications. We continued to take walks around the hall and it was nice to see him finally making progress.
The girls came to the hospital a couple of times to visit with Daddy. On monday night Megan ate the dreaded "jello" while Rick ate his dinner of turkey and mashed potatoes. The girls were really worried about Rick and whenever Megan would get upset she would cry and say "my daddy's in the hospital." Samantha was pretty emotional about the whole thing too. But it was good for them to see him, and it was good for us as well.
Tuesday morning was a good morning. Rick was feeling better and was ready to go home. We got the okay from the doctor and immediately started packing the bags. Rick was given instructions on what to eat at home for the next week and prescriptions to finish up the antibiotics.
At 2:30 I went to get the car and waited at the front doors of the hospital for my hubby to be wheeled out to freedom. It was nice to finally bring him home. And even nicer to sleep in our own bed that night.
It has been a challenge to figure out what to feed him. He is on a low fat diet and I am obviously not a low fat type of girl. But so far it has worked out fine. However Rick has lost 10 pounds. I brought him some oral supplement drinks home from work yesterday. I need to try to beef him up before he goes in for surgery on tuesday. Yes you heard that right, he is still having surgery on tuesday.
I think that I have pretty much summed up our hospital experience. Rick remembers some of it, but not all of it. I, however, remember all of it. And the experience will not easily be forgotten. I realized I can handle more than I thought I could. But I would like to not have to pass that test again any time soon. I am more in love with my hubby than I ever thought possible. He is so strong and amazes me with his ability to fight everything that is handed to him. I will always remember stroking his hair and willing him to be okay. I will always remember the morning I went home and cried the entire way there; begging God to make him better. And even though it seems like I was strong, I felt so very weak. But I would do it again, I would do anything for that man.
Until next time,
Jaime
The girls came to the hospital a couple of times to visit with Daddy. On monday night Megan ate the dreaded "jello" while Rick ate his dinner of turkey and mashed potatoes. The girls were really worried about Rick and whenever Megan would get upset she would cry and say "my daddy's in the hospital." Samantha was pretty emotional about the whole thing too. But it was good for them to see him, and it was good for us as well.
Tuesday morning was a good morning. Rick was feeling better and was ready to go home. We got the okay from the doctor and immediately started packing the bags. Rick was given instructions on what to eat at home for the next week and prescriptions to finish up the antibiotics.
At 2:30 I went to get the car and waited at the front doors of the hospital for my hubby to be wheeled out to freedom. It was nice to finally bring him home. And even nicer to sleep in our own bed that night.It has been a challenge to figure out what to feed him. He is on a low fat diet and I am obviously not a low fat type of girl. But so far it has worked out fine. However Rick has lost 10 pounds. I brought him some oral supplement drinks home from work yesterday. I need to try to beef him up before he goes in for surgery on tuesday. Yes you heard that right, he is still having surgery on tuesday.
I think that I have pretty much summed up our hospital experience. Rick remembers some of it, but not all of it. I, however, remember all of it. And the experience will not easily be forgotten. I realized I can handle more than I thought I could. But I would like to not have to pass that test again any time soon. I am more in love with my hubby than I ever thought possible. He is so strong and amazes me with his ability to fight everything that is handed to him. I will always remember stroking his hair and willing him to be okay. I will always remember the morning I went home and cried the entire way there; begging God to make him better. And even though it seems like I was strong, I felt so very weak. But I would do it again, I would do anything for that man.
Until next time,
Jaime
Labels:
ERCP,
Hospital,
Pancreatitis,
PSC,
Rick
Friday, March 6, 2009
ERCP/Pancreatitis Part 3
When we arrived on the fifth floor we discovered that Rick would have a roommate. Apparently the hospital was very full that night. I had this sinking feeling because I knew that I wasn't supposed to stay in the room when there is another patient in it. But little did I know that my mom was looking out for me and asked the nurses if I could stay in the room and arranged for me to get a recliner to sleep in. Rick asked for a private room and was put on the waiting list.
It was crazy getting him settled. There were lots of questions to answer. Rick told the nurse that I could answer for him because he wasn't feeling up to it, but the nurse didn't seem very impressed with that and kept looking at him after I answered the questions. Another nurse was setting up the PCA pump, you know those pain pumps with a button to push that gives nice pain meds. When all of that was finally finished my mom and Heather left, I think it was around midnight by that time.
Unfortunately Rick's roommate had different plans than us and kept his light on all night long. Rick was up retching most of the night and in between episodes couldn't get any sleep because the old man had his light on. He apparently had a "condition" that required him to leave his light on at night so that he could read whenever he couldn't sleep. He called it his valium. Rick was ready to kill him and I was plotting how to smother him with my pillow. I think I may have gotten a combined total of an hour of sleep. Maybe.
Here he is in the middle of the night trying to rest. Can you see how bright that light is?
I just felt so bad for Rick. There wasn't anything that I could do except just stand beside him and stroke his hair. I don't know about anyone else, but that always helps me feel better. What made it even worse for him was that he was not allowed to have anything by mouth. He was not allowed to have a sip of water even after throwing up all that nasty stuff. I won't describe it but it was really disgusting. They did bring him these little spongy things he could use to swab out his mouth, but that just didn't really cut it. And to make things even more unbearable he was put on bed rest, which meant he wasn't allowed to get out of bed. We found out later the next day that he was on bed rest because of his back. Apparently someone got some wrong information and thought that his back made him unstable. Once that got straightened out he was allowed to get out of bed and use the bathroom.
He slept pretty much the entire day on thursday. He only woke a couple times to push the pain button and to throw up. Other than that I just sat next to his bed and watched him sleep. My mom came to the hospital and sat with me. And she sat with Rick while I went home to shower and get some supplies for the hospital. It was later that afternoon that Rick was finally transferred to a private room on the seventh floor. It was so nice to finally have some peace and quiet, and privacy.
Rick finally got a break from the retching for a few hours. Luckily the next morning would be the last time he would actually throw up. However the pain was still very bad, and it was pretty unbearable whenever he had to get up to use the bathroom. Pretty soon he did have to start getting up quite frequently because they were pumping him full of IV fluids. But it was sad to see how much he was hurting, especially when he had to get up. I had to keep persuading him to use the pain pump because he didn't want to use it. The nurses and I had to convince him that he didn't have to be in pain, and that he would heal faster if his body wasn't in pain.
So by this point he has been in the hospital for 24 hours. I am still hanging in there, but it is starting to wear on me.
I think this is enough for now. I will continue later tonight. I hope you all aren't bored with this. I kinda want it all written down as a reminder for myself. And maybe someone else is interested in it too. Right Jackie?!?!
Until next time,
Jaime
It was crazy getting him settled. There were lots of questions to answer. Rick told the nurse that I could answer for him because he wasn't feeling up to it, but the nurse didn't seem very impressed with that and kept looking at him after I answered the questions. Another nurse was setting up the PCA pump, you know those pain pumps with a button to push that gives nice pain meds. When all of that was finally finished my mom and Heather left, I think it was around midnight by that time.
Unfortunately Rick's roommate had different plans than us and kept his light on all night long. Rick was up retching most of the night and in between episodes couldn't get any sleep because the old man had his light on. He apparently had a "condition" that required him to leave his light on at night so that he could read whenever he couldn't sleep. He called it his valium. Rick was ready to kill him and I was plotting how to smother him with my pillow. I think I may have gotten a combined total of an hour of sleep. Maybe.
Here he is in the middle of the night trying to rest. Can you see how bright that light is?
I just felt so bad for Rick. There wasn't anything that I could do except just stand beside him and stroke his hair. I don't know about anyone else, but that always helps me feel better. What made it even worse for him was that he was not allowed to have anything by mouth. He was not allowed to have a sip of water even after throwing up all that nasty stuff. I won't describe it but it was really disgusting. They did bring him these little spongy things he could use to swab out his mouth, but that just didn't really cut it. And to make things even more unbearable he was put on bed rest, which meant he wasn't allowed to get out of bed. We found out later the next day that he was on bed rest because of his back. Apparently someone got some wrong information and thought that his back made him unstable. Once that got straightened out he was allowed to get out of bed and use the bathroom.
He slept pretty much the entire day on thursday. He only woke a couple times to push the pain button and to throw up. Other than that I just sat next to his bed and watched him sleep. My mom came to the hospital and sat with me. And she sat with Rick while I went home to shower and get some supplies for the hospital. It was later that afternoon that Rick was finally transferred to a private room on the seventh floor. It was so nice to finally have some peace and quiet, and privacy.
Rick finally got a break from the retching for a few hours. Luckily the next morning would be the last time he would actually throw up. However the pain was still very bad, and it was pretty unbearable whenever he had to get up to use the bathroom. Pretty soon he did have to start getting up quite frequently because they were pumping him full of IV fluids. But it was sad to see how much he was hurting, especially when he had to get up. I had to keep persuading him to use the pain pump because he didn't want to use it. The nurses and I had to convince him that he didn't have to be in pain, and that he would heal faster if his body wasn't in pain.
So by this point he has been in the hospital for 24 hours. I am still hanging in there, but it is starting to wear on me.
I think this is enough for now. I will continue later tonight. I hope you all aren't bored with this. I kinda want it all written down as a reminder for myself. And maybe someone else is interested in it too. Right Jackie?!?!
Until next time,
Jaime
Labels:
ERCP,
Hospital,
Pancreatitis,
PSC,
Rick
Thursday, March 5, 2009
ERCP/Pancreatitis Part 2
I looked around the very crowded emergency room and was very worried that we would be waiting a long time to see a doctor. I approached the reception desk and explained the situation and how sick Rick was getting. I was handed some papers to fill out, and in my anxiety and fear I proceeded to fill out my name. I stood next to Rick as he sat in the wheelchair looking very sick and a little on the pale/green side. I was trying to finish filling out the paperwork when a concerned triage nurse pulled Rick into the triage room and started checking his vitals. I told him that I was parked in a no parking zone and he got the security guard to open the gate to the doctor's parking so that I could move the car. I ran to the car and back because I was scared to leave his side.
Rick was then "fast tracked" back to a room. By that time he was getting very chilled and was asked to take off his shirt and then just left there without a gown to put on in its place. I grabbed his shirt and sweatshirt to drape over him so he wasn't so cold. The nurse was not the nicest of people. A doctor was in the room very quickly and asked about the ERCP. He felt Rick's abdomen and discovered that it was EXTREMELY tender. The doctor was very worried about what might be happening. His biggest worry was that there might be a hole in the bile duct somewhere that was leaking. That could have been very dangerous. He ordered a CT scan to be done to check on any leaks. The nurse then attempted to get an IV started and draw blood. Unfortunately Rick was so sick that it was almost impossible to find a vein. And Rick is usually the easiest poke ever.
After MANY pokes she was finally able to find a vein. All the while Rick is very out of it. He spent most of the time asleep. He was feeling nauseous but had to drink four cups of contrast for the CT scan. I kept pouring him the glasses and cheered him on as he drank it. He was able to get those down. Soon after that is when things got much worse. He suddenly was shaking bad and his pain had skyrocketed out of control. He said his pain was a 14, and the nurse said that the pain scale only goes to 10, but Rick insisted it was a 14. His jaw just quivered and his neck got very stiff. He was basically writhing in pain. It was all I could do to hold it together. I was so scared as I watched him get progressively worse and worse. I was afraid that I was watching him die. I am not exaggerating. I just rubbed his head and told him that it was going to be okay. My mom was there with us and she was out in the hall trying to find someone to come give him something for the pain. The nurse finally came in and gave him something but it didn't seem to make any difference. It was at that time that I decided that it was time to have his parents come to the hospital. They were staying at home because they had our kids.
The radiologist came to take him for the CT scan. At the same time our friend Heather was arriving with some food for me. I decided to stay back in the room and my mom followed him to the CT. It was then that I lost it. I just couldn't believe what I was watching. I thought that I was losing my husband. I also knew that I needed to eat so that I could be strong for him. So that is what I did.
It wasn't very long and Rick was being brought back into the room. By that time he was extremely nauseous and shaking violently. My mom actually went into the CT room with him because he was so sick. It is really hard to explain how I was feeling at that point. I don't think there really are words to describe what it is like to watch someone that you love so much in such excruciating pain.
His parents arrived at the hospital soon after that and there was a room full of people just staring at him. I just stood by his bed and stroked his head. Then a nurse came in to draw some more blood to test for an infection in the blood. She couldn't use the IV to draw the blood though and had to get a certain amount of blood from each arm, so that meant several more pokes because a vein was not easy to find. You would not believe the amount of bruises and needle pokes he has on his arms right now.
Finally the doctor came in and told us that he had pancreatitis. The CT scan showed no leaks. The doctor looked me right in the eye and said "thank you for bringing him in, he is very sick." That was a scary statement. It was right after that that the puking began. And it lasted all night long and into the next day. He was throwing up fairly continuously for a few hours. It was horrible. And none of the anti-nausea medications were helping. Every time he started in again my mom and Heather would leave the room. Normally I am not much of a vomit person, but I was going to help him no matter what it took.
Pretty soon nurses were hanging IV antibiotics and rushing around getting him ready to be admitted. Before I knew it I was following him down the hall on the way to his hospital room. He was sitting up on the bed throwing up into a cardboard bowl as he was being wheeled down the hall and into the elevator.
I don't really know how I was able to hold it together as well as I did. I just knew that he needed me and I needed to be there for him. My legs felt like jello and my heart was pounding, but there was no way I was going to fall apart in front of him. He was too sick to see that and I was going to prove that I could be strong for him.
I will continue tomorrow with the rest of our hospital stay. Right now I am going to cuddle with my hubby.
Until next time,
Jaime
Rick was then "fast tracked" back to a room. By that time he was getting very chilled and was asked to take off his shirt and then just left there without a gown to put on in its place. I grabbed his shirt and sweatshirt to drape over him so he wasn't so cold. The nurse was not the nicest of people. A doctor was in the room very quickly and asked about the ERCP. He felt Rick's abdomen and discovered that it was EXTREMELY tender. The doctor was very worried about what might be happening. His biggest worry was that there might be a hole in the bile duct somewhere that was leaking. That could have been very dangerous. He ordered a CT scan to be done to check on any leaks. The nurse then attempted to get an IV started and draw blood. Unfortunately Rick was so sick that it was almost impossible to find a vein. And Rick is usually the easiest poke ever.
After MANY pokes she was finally able to find a vein. All the while Rick is very out of it. He spent most of the time asleep. He was feeling nauseous but had to drink four cups of contrast for the CT scan. I kept pouring him the glasses and cheered him on as he drank it. He was able to get those down. Soon after that is when things got much worse. He suddenly was shaking bad and his pain had skyrocketed out of control. He said his pain was a 14, and the nurse said that the pain scale only goes to 10, but Rick insisted it was a 14. His jaw just quivered and his neck got very stiff. He was basically writhing in pain. It was all I could do to hold it together. I was so scared as I watched him get progressively worse and worse. I was afraid that I was watching him die. I am not exaggerating. I just rubbed his head and told him that it was going to be okay. My mom was there with us and she was out in the hall trying to find someone to come give him something for the pain. The nurse finally came in and gave him something but it didn't seem to make any difference. It was at that time that I decided that it was time to have his parents come to the hospital. They were staying at home because they had our kids.
The radiologist came to take him for the CT scan. At the same time our friend Heather was arriving with some food for me. I decided to stay back in the room and my mom followed him to the CT. It was then that I lost it. I just couldn't believe what I was watching. I thought that I was losing my husband. I also knew that I needed to eat so that I could be strong for him. So that is what I did.
It wasn't very long and Rick was being brought back into the room. By that time he was extremely nauseous and shaking violently. My mom actually went into the CT room with him because he was so sick. It is really hard to explain how I was feeling at that point. I don't think there really are words to describe what it is like to watch someone that you love so much in such excruciating pain.
His parents arrived at the hospital soon after that and there was a room full of people just staring at him. I just stood by his bed and stroked his head. Then a nurse came in to draw some more blood to test for an infection in the blood. She couldn't use the IV to draw the blood though and had to get a certain amount of blood from each arm, so that meant several more pokes because a vein was not easy to find. You would not believe the amount of bruises and needle pokes he has on his arms right now.
Finally the doctor came in and told us that he had pancreatitis. The CT scan showed no leaks. The doctor looked me right in the eye and said "thank you for bringing him in, he is very sick." That was a scary statement. It was right after that that the puking began. And it lasted all night long and into the next day. He was throwing up fairly continuously for a few hours. It was horrible. And none of the anti-nausea medications were helping. Every time he started in again my mom and Heather would leave the room. Normally I am not much of a vomit person, but I was going to help him no matter what it took.
Pretty soon nurses were hanging IV antibiotics and rushing around getting him ready to be admitted. Before I knew it I was following him down the hall on the way to his hospital room. He was sitting up on the bed throwing up into a cardboard bowl as he was being wheeled down the hall and into the elevator.
I don't really know how I was able to hold it together as well as I did. I just knew that he needed me and I needed to be there for him. My legs felt like jello and my heart was pounding, but there was no way I was going to fall apart in front of him. He was too sick to see that and I was going to prove that I could be strong for him.
I will continue tomorrow with the rest of our hospital stay. Right now I am going to cuddle with my hubby.
Until next time,
Jaime
Labels:
ERCP,
Hospital,
Pancreatitis,
PSC,
Rick
ERCP/Pancreatitis Part 1
Since the ERCP was what started this entire ordeal I thought I would post about what happened. We have both concluded that we were lulled into a feeling of things just being routine. Thinking that he would check in, get good drugs, wake up and go home. Unfortunately, as you know, that is not exactly how it turned out.
It did start out routine. Rick was taken back to get in a gown and get his IV started while I waited in the waiting room. Apparently they think there isn't enough room to have me back there while he is getting ready. Anyway, after about 20 minutes they came to get me and we joked while waiting for him to be taken for the ERCP. We were laughing because under the lights in the hospital my newly dyed hair looked kinda pink. 
Soon after that he was wheeled into the endoscopy room and I was taken back out to the dreaded waiting room. I was told that if everything was fine and nothing was found it would only take about 30 minutes. So when an hour passed I knew something had been found. Shortly after an hour the nurse came to get me. I went back into the endoscopy room and spoke with the doctor. He told me that the PSC has progressed and there is a lot more narrowing of the smaller ducts and the common bile duct now has a dominant stricture. He didn't like the location of the stricture so he took some brushings of it to send in for biopsy. He said that at the moment it isn't narrow enough to block anything, but that probably won't last. I was told that during the exam no dye was injected into the pancreas and that there was probably not a chance of developing pancreatitis due to the brushing of the duct. Boy was he wrong.
Rick was taken to recovery and rested for about 40 minutes and then he was sent home. I asked if that was long enough recovery time and the nurse said that his vitals were good and didn't see a reason to keep him there any longer. So she called for transport to wheel him to the car and I went to drive the car around.
About a couple blocks away from the hospital Rick started to mention that his abdomen was sore. He just said it was probably due to the ERCP taking so long. As we got about four blocks from home he said he felt sick. I had to pull over and he starting vomiting out the door. We got home and I called the doctor. Rick basically passed out on the couch. The doctor said to get back to the hospital. I let Rick rest for a few more minutes and then told him the doctor wanted him to go back to the hospital. He didn't argue with me about going back, which was my first clue that he did not feel good. It was interesting getting him back out to the car. By that time he was really out of it. I covered him with his blanket, gave him a bucket, and started driving.
I drove fast! I got behind someone going at a nice pace on the freeway and just followed him. It seemed like it took forever to get him back to the hospital. I pulled right up to the doors of the emergency room, ran in and grabbed a wheelchair, and carefully helped Rick out of the car. I put him inside the hospital doors, parked the car in a no parking zone, and proceeded to get him checked in very quickly.
I will continue the story later. Right now I have to take Rick for his Pre-Op appointment.
Until next time,
Jaime
It did start out routine. Rick was taken back to get in a gown and get his IV started while I waited in the waiting room. Apparently they think there isn't enough room to have me back there while he is getting ready. Anyway, after about 20 minutes they came to get me and we joked while waiting for him to be taken for the ERCP. We were laughing because under the lights in the hospital my newly dyed hair looked kinda pink.
Here he is before, very thrilled I am taking his picture with my phone.
Soon after that he was wheeled into the endoscopy room and I was taken back out to the dreaded waiting room. I was told that if everything was fine and nothing was found it would only take about 30 minutes. So when an hour passed I knew something had been found. Shortly after an hour the nurse came to get me. I went back into the endoscopy room and spoke with the doctor. He told me that the PSC has progressed and there is a lot more narrowing of the smaller ducts and the common bile duct now has a dominant stricture. He didn't like the location of the stricture so he took some brushings of it to send in for biopsy. He said that at the moment it isn't narrow enough to block anything, but that probably won't last. I was told that during the exam no dye was injected into the pancreas and that there was probably not a chance of developing pancreatitis due to the brushing of the duct. Boy was he wrong.
Rick was taken to recovery and rested for about 40 minutes and then he was sent home. I asked if that was long enough recovery time and the nurse said that his vitals were good and didn't see a reason to keep him there any longer. So she called for transport to wheel him to the car and I went to drive the car around.
About a couple blocks away from the hospital Rick started to mention that his abdomen was sore. He just said it was probably due to the ERCP taking so long. As we got about four blocks from home he said he felt sick. I had to pull over and he starting vomiting out the door. We got home and I called the doctor. Rick basically passed out on the couch. The doctor said to get back to the hospital. I let Rick rest for a few more minutes and then told him the doctor wanted him to go back to the hospital. He didn't argue with me about going back, which was my first clue that he did not feel good. It was interesting getting him back out to the car. By that time he was really out of it. I covered him with his blanket, gave him a bucket, and started driving.
I drove fast! I got behind someone going at a nice pace on the freeway and just followed him. It seemed like it took forever to get him back to the hospital. I pulled right up to the doors of the emergency room, ran in and grabbed a wheelchair, and carefully helped Rick out of the car. I put him inside the hospital doors, parked the car in a no parking zone, and proceeded to get him checked in very quickly.
I will continue the story later. Right now I have to take Rick for his Pre-Op appointment.
Until next time,
Jaime
Labels:
ERCP,
Hospital,
Pancreatitis,
PSC,
Rick
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Home Sweet Home!
Rick is home!! We actually got home yesterday, tuesday, afternoon. As you can imagine it is exhausting to get back home and get settled after nearly a week in the hospital. The girls came home tonight. And the dog came home tonight too. I think he was the most excited to be home.
The biggest challenge so far has been figuring out some lowfat/fat free meals for Rick. He has to be very careful about what he eats in order to keep the pancreas calm. Anything too fatty could over stimulate the pancreas and he could get sick again. He has to eat like this for the next week and then he should be safe to resume a normal diet. I went grocery shopping today to pick up some more food that he can eat. It isn't easy to figure out what to feed someone that has never had to worry about fat content before. I feel bad that he has to eat this way, but he isn't really hungry so it is okay for the time being.
I really do have a lot of things to blog about but I am just beyond exhausted. I had a horrible day at work. It is times like this that prove who your real friends are, and it is obvious that the girls at work are not real friends. And I have so much to catch up on and things to do before Rick has surgery next week. I plan on filling you all in on everything in the next day or two. Right now I can hardly think straight.
Until next time,
Jaime
The biggest challenge so far has been figuring out some lowfat/fat free meals for Rick. He has to be very careful about what he eats in order to keep the pancreas calm. Anything too fatty could over stimulate the pancreas and he could get sick again. He has to eat like this for the next week and then he should be safe to resume a normal diet. I went grocery shopping today to pick up some more food that he can eat. It isn't easy to figure out what to feed someone that has never had to worry about fat content before. I feel bad that he has to eat this way, but he isn't really hungry so it is okay for the time being.
I really do have a lot of things to blog about but I am just beyond exhausted. I had a horrible day at work. It is times like this that prove who your real friends are, and it is obvious that the girls at work are not real friends. And I have so much to catch up on and things to do before Rick has surgery next week. I plan on filling you all in on everything in the next day or two. Right now I can hardly think straight.
Until next time,
Jaime
Labels:
Hospital,
Jaime,
Pancreatitis,
Rick
Monday, March 2, 2009
Feeling Better
Rick is starting to feel better. Not good, but better. He is still having pain in his abdomen, and now his back is really starting to hurt from being in bed. But he can finally have solid food, although it is very low fat for now. The doc said that if it tastes good don't eat it. Meaning it has to be bland and boring for a while. We don't want the pancreas over stimulated and have it get sick again. His bloodwork is finally going in the right direction. The Lipase is the factor that shows how the pancreas is functioning. A normal person's Lipase should be 78, at one point Rick's was 5,600. His bilirubin had also gotten pretty high and his eyes were turning very yellow, along with his skin. That has gone down too.
So it looks like Rick is on the path to going home. He will eat another meal tonight and tomorrow morning and then probably head home. Yippee!!!!!
So much has happened since last wednesday. I don't know what to blog and what not to blog. Like today he had his fourth IV started. He was poked by needles more than 30 times because his veins are reacting to how sick he is and they have gotten small and don't want to be messed with. He also was running fevers and would keep getting so chilled that his entire body would just shake. So many little things and so many big things have happened. I have never been so scared in my life. Quite honestly, at one point I thought he might be dying. And I think maybe the ER staff may have wondered that as well. I will never go in to another procedure thinking that it is just routine. I will never be comfortable having Rick go through an ERCP again.
I have only left his side to go home and take a shower, or go to the cafeteria for food. I have slept in a recliner every night. Right beside his bed. I love him so much and I just couldn't leave him. I just couldn't.
I have a couple pictures to post when we get home. But only a couple. I didn't really take many because he looked so bad. But I wanted to get a couple to document his very first inpatient stay at a hospital.
Keep checking my Twitters and I will blog again when we are home.
Until next time,
Jaime
So it looks like Rick is on the path to going home. He will eat another meal tonight and tomorrow morning and then probably head home. Yippee!!!!!
So much has happened since last wednesday. I don't know what to blog and what not to blog. Like today he had his fourth IV started. He was poked by needles more than 30 times because his veins are reacting to how sick he is and they have gotten small and don't want to be messed with. He also was running fevers and would keep getting so chilled that his entire body would just shake. So many little things and so many big things have happened. I have never been so scared in my life. Quite honestly, at one point I thought he might be dying. And I think maybe the ER staff may have wondered that as well. I will never go in to another procedure thinking that it is just routine. I will never be comfortable having Rick go through an ERCP again.
I have only left his side to go home and take a shower, or go to the cafeteria for food. I have slept in a recliner every night. Right beside his bed. I love him so much and I just couldn't leave him. I just couldn't.
I have a couple pictures to post when we get home. But only a couple. I didn't really take many because he looked so bad. But I wanted to get a couple to document his very first inpatient stay at a hospital.
Keep checking my Twitters and I will blog again when we are home.
Until next time,
Jaime
Labels:
ERCP,
Health,
Pancreatitis,
PSC,
Rick
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Pancreatitis Sucks!!!!!!!
So as many of you know by following my Twitters on my sidebar, Rick is in the hospital with pancreatitis. He had his ERCP on wednesday and he developed a severe case of pancreatitis. It was so bad that I honestly thought he was dying. And Rick says it felt like he was dying. He was very out of it and doesn't remember very much. I have never ever been so scared. His pain was through the roof. He is on a liquid diet and even still doesn't want to "eat" that.
I have never seen Rick like this. It has been a long few days. And I haven't had my computer. My good friend Heather brought her laptop to the hospital today and that is how I am able to update. I promise to update with a lot more information later but for right now I just wanted to post a quick update. If you want to know what is happening just follow me on Twitter. That is my only way to update at the moment.
I have been staying at the hospital with Rick so I haven't even been home to get on my computer.
I hope that you all will please pray for Rick as he is trying to heal from this. He is going to be rescheduling his back surgery. Right now he is too sick to be able to go through major surgery. Please just say a prayer for a quick recovery and for him to get home.
Until next time,
Jaime
I have never seen Rick like this. It has been a long few days. And I haven't had my computer. My good friend Heather brought her laptop to the hospital today and that is how I am able to update. I promise to update with a lot more information later but for right now I just wanted to post a quick update. If you want to know what is happening just follow me on Twitter. That is my only way to update at the moment.
I have been staying at the hospital with Rick so I haven't even been home to get on my computer.
I hope that you all will please pray for Rick as he is trying to heal from this. He is going to be rescheduling his back surgery. Right now he is too sick to be able to go through major surgery. Please just say a prayer for a quick recovery and for him to get home.
Until next time,
Jaime
Labels:
ERCP,
Pancreatitis,
Praying,
PSC,
Rick
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