Finally a match

Finally Glenn got 2 units of blood today. It took 2 days for them to find a match because he has either a lot of or a rare antigen, (I don't know which) that was difficult to match. He still has a fair amount of pain from the surgery. We haven't been able to walk him in the hall because his blood count is so low that he could pass out if he got up to walk. He has been up sitting in the chair and standing for a few minutes at a time. He has the hiccups for hours at a time. The surgeon said it could be because of the diaphragm having been irritated in surgery. We don't really know what is causing it.
My kids are concerned that I am going to "hit a wall" at any time. I imagine some of you may be thinking the same thing. But I'm really not at that point yet and I plan to stay here while he is here. Our daughter might come down and stay with her dad to get me out of here for a while.
I know we will be here tomorrow (Monday) at least and most likely Tuesday. From there I don't know.
That's all for now.

Kind of at a stand still

Today Glenn had a pretty busy day. He had 4 different departments come to get him or do something with him all at noon: physical therapy, dialysis, respiratory therapy, x-ray.  X-ray and dialysis won out. He had a chest x-ray and then went to dialysis. I took the opportunity to run home and to do a couple things. He is making some progress but also seems to not be moving forward in other things. His blood count is staying low. He was supposed to get blood and platelets while he was in dialysis but there was a mix up and he  never got it. He'll probably get it tonight during the night. His blood count is low enough that he shouldn't get up and walk in the hall because he could easily pass out, but he really needs to for his recovery to go quicker. I have been getting him up just to stand and to sit in the chair.  But we have to time it for when he isn't having something done or isn't worn out. Kind of a catch 22 situation.  I shudder think of how he would be doing if I wasn't here. That's not bragging, it's just true. I  guess I'm saying all that to say I'm concerned that he isn't farther along in his recovery and is regressing a little in some ways. He's a little mentally slipping, although he is aware of that himself. I am trying to be his advocate without being a pain. Things need to turn around in order for him to get out of here. So that's where we are right now.

Post op day 2

Yesterday was pretty rough for Glenn. His pain wasn't controlled and he was nauseated most of the day.  He also had hemodialysis yesterday, and surprisingly that wasn't too bad. He had a good nurse to stick him with the railroad spikes.  Today has been a little better; the pain and nausea are controlled now and he is moving a little better, but his blood count is pretty low so he's not walking around yet. He got blood and platelets today and will get more tomorrow, as well as hemodialysis again. He will have hemodialysis 3 times a week for the next few months, and hopefully he can go back to peritoneal dialysis after his belly heals.
Many people have asked how I'm doing. God gives strength that we don't have in ourselves in difficult situations. I know most of you would say "Amen" to that from your own experiences with Him.  Emotionally and physically I've had good days and not as good days. But I've always felt held up by God because of your prayers and notes of concern. So please know that if you are wishing you could do something for us, you are.

Surgery Day

Glenn had his surgery today and just got back to his room a little while ago. He's hurting a lot, of course. The Dr. said everything went well. He said he took out about a foot of the colon. I requested that since he was taking some out for it to be sent to pathology to test for the Light Chain Deposition
Disease that affected his kidneys. I think tomorrow he will have hemodialysis. Last night there was a problem with  one of the needles going where it doesn't belong. Hopefully it will work tomorrow. Got to go and take care of him and let the neighbors know about everything.

THE Plan

We have a plan now. Glenn will have surgery tomorrow, (Tuesday), at around 2:30 to remove a section of his colon. Today he is waiting to go to hemodialysis for a couple hours to make sure his fistula works because he will be having hemo instead of peritoneal dialysis for a few months to let the surgery area heal. I am so impressed with how he is dealing with all this. He has made all these decisions himself without any pressure from me or anyone else and with no hesitation or complaints. He has forged forward with it all. And he continues to be in high spirits, (with NO help from any drugs in case you were thinking that ;-)  ). He probably would like visitors tomorrow before he goes to surgery, and then give him a break for a day or so. But he does appreciate visits.

A Tentative Plan

Glenn has had another day of no bleeding, so it looks like it has stopped for now. The consensus of the Dr.s is that since this is the second time he has had a major GI bleed in that area he has a high chance of bleeding again so it needs to be taken out. If his blood was healthy and would clot normally surgery probably wouldn't be as necessary. But since he keeps low platelets it needs to happen sooner rather than later.  So tentatively that will happen next week. We don't have a scheduled date yet. After the surgery he will have to be on hemodialysis for a few months instead of the peritoneal dialysis at home that he has been doing. I think that is the part he dreads the most,( can you say railroad spike- sized needles?), but he seems to be settled with that. Since he is doing better he would love to have visitors. He will probably stay in the hospital for the weekend so he can get all the preparations done as soon as possible. But call me first to be sure we are still here, or you can check with the patient information to see if he is still a patient. And we are so very grateful for everyone's concerns and prayers. If you call me and I don't answer please leave a message and I will get back to you asap.

A new day, hopefully

Glenn had a better day today. He has had little bleeding and got some good rest last night. I'm. cutting tthis short because I'm. having trouble getting this posted.