Day 7 post-op: Our Heroine had a very bad night last night. Just after I left, she started feeling very hot, and her actual temperature dropped dramatically. She was feeling sick, and in a lot of pain - the Tramadol (not Voltarol after all - my mistake) just wasn't cutting it, and even morphine tablet top-ups didn't help. Severe pain throughout the abdomen and chest.
To cut a long story short (she'll provide the in-depth account later for those with a vested interest in surgical recovery), they decided that, after the general anaesthetic, 6+ days of total constipation was having a dire effect. Having the chest drain in 2 days longer than normal hadn't helped the tenderness in the chest, either. The night was the worst part of the week so far, with very little chance to sleep.
Some relief was obtained during the night, but she was still in a very bad way in the morning, and didn't even get up. The on-call doctor, anaesthetist, pharmacist all said - stay there and rest! So no scoliogram or physio again - we're falling behind timetable now. It got sorted out eventually, and they changed her analgesia mix as well. By the evening she was feeling much better, and far more positive about tomorrow. Even the patient across the ward and 2 beds down could tell she was looking better.
One point to note - Health & Safety being what it is today, nurses are no longer allowed to lift patients! Getting back into bed after getting out in the night was too much for Pip - at her height, even with the bed at the lowest, she couldn't get her bum up on it, and was too weak and in too much pain to hoist herself up. In the end, regulations went by the board, and nurses had to help her up onto the bed. (She has repeatedly said the staff have actually been excellent - very helpful and friendly.)
Anyway, we finished the day on a high note, with her legs becoming more mobile again, pain under control (now just concentrated around the incision and where the chest drain had been), and feeling more cheerful. She said she may well go to bed with Jeremy tonight ("The World According to Jeremy Clarkson", that is! - She feels clear-headed enough to read a little at last.).
I think I'll do something similar (when I've finished this, put the laundry away, got together the things she wants for tomorrow, set the video for tomorrow evenings programmes, and what else was there...?).
G'night.
"Hubby"
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