Wednesday 19th October

Day 6 post op

He has been well looked after by the brilliant Nurses.

Bit of a catch up - again for me. I'm a bit zombified lately and my days are constructed around visiting times. I go twice a day and I want to go twice a day. One night I'd made mention of maybe not going but when it came to it, I couldn't not go.

Thur 13th Day 1 - operation
Frid  14th     Day 2 - ICU
Satu 15th Day 3 - ward all tubes  still in and then out 
Sun 16th Day 4 - morphine button out - He was really quite poorly. In a lot of pain with wind, struggled to get comfy, drain at 95mls
He was in agony like I blogged about - the trapped wind and his stomach was visibly swollen and he said it stretched his scar. He was also sick through the night. 

Mon 17th Day 5 - a little easier but not drinking or eating enough. Even with little sips of water the stomach bloating came back. But he looked a lot better than he had on day 4. Drain is still in. 75mls

Moving around is easier because of no tube in arm. Cannula is still in - they gave him anti sickness drugs through it. 

One surgeon said the drain can come out when it's under 50mls - but my question is - what happens to the gunk left,  that would have drained out, if there's no drain??? The other surgeon said he likes the drain to stay in until it's dry or thereabouts. Let's give this surgeon a cheer please. 


Anyway he says that most of his pain is not from the scar itself but from the wind.

This is direct from my googling. I explained a little bit on my last post about this. 

https://healdove.com/health-care-industry/Getting-Gas-Pain-Relief-after-Surgery


"There are two common types of gas pain that may occur after surgery: intestinal and intraperitoneal. They are quite different, but can both be bothersome. Intestinal gas pains are caused by a buildup of gas inside of the intestines. Intraperitoneal gas pains are caused by gas trapped outside of the intestines, but inside the abdominal cavity."

They give the same helpful hints he's had from the doctors, nurses and physios. 

"This type of pain can occur after any type of surgery, but is most common after abdominal and pelvic surgery. Open surgery with longer incisions and laparoscopic surgery in the abdominal cavity can leave the bowels (intestines) "stunned." Anesthesia (general, as well as epidural and spinal) can slow down the bowels, preventing the passage of gas and stool.

Pain medications (narcotic) add to and contribute this effect. As a result, I frequently hear patients reporting constipation and gas buildup after surgery."

I think it's quite safe to say his innards are indeed 'stunned'. ( I know - I've watched a radical nephrectomy on you tube - BRUTAL ) 

The remedies involve moving about, which when you've been cut in half, is a bit trixy. But true to form, the 'give it time' approach is working. 

Yesterday he'd been up out of bed thrice, twice was a shuffle to the loo flying solo and once was a longer stroll to the end of the ward with the physio. Afternoon visiting saw him looking more relaxed. I took him some goodies to try to help with the 'horrible mouth'.  I took mouthwash, wine gums, and fresh pineapple. I also took him some  costafortune stem ginger biscuits to help with the nausea - he'd been sick in the night. 

After a long email and conversation with our Macmillan nurse Richard on Day 3,  it's soothing to know all of the above is completely normal and he is absolutely typical of a post 'whipping a kidney out' patient. 

Also I'm really grateful to the support of people on the forum on KCUK. It's so much better when you realise all this is normal. It's just because it's never happened to you before. 

So here we are on Day 6 

I've had a text from him to say he managed to sleep a little bit and he's had Readybrek for breakfast! I'll be seeing him after lunch. 

More news next time X 

Oh and if you can 

Please please please please sign this petition and then share it around so others can. I am not sure yet if he will need any further treatment. But please sign it in case he does. 

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/159244

Thank you.