Today (Thursday) Gene had his second surgical procedure with the goal of removing a gall stone stuck in his bile duct and inserting a stent to stop the leakage of bile into his abdomen. They weren’t able to get it when they removed the gall bladder because there was too much inflamation and damage in the area. Unfortunately, it was not successful. They inserted a scope down his throat, through his stomach, into his bowel and then tried to thread it up into the bile duct. They work for an hour but could not penetrate the bile duct opening. They said it was like it was glued shut. So, now we have to go to plan B.
Before his surgery today, the surgeon picked up a dry-erase marker and walked over to the window and used it as his drawing board. I thought that was very neat. He made it so easy to understand. When we complimented him he said I came from a family of mechanics. I know the value of drawings!
Tomorrow (Friday) afternoon they are going to do the same procedure but go through his liver instead of his bowel. This will be a little bigger deal and involves the assistance of radiology to open a path through the liver. I don’t know what all that means.
It was a little discouraging today but we have to stay focused on getting better and being grateful for the progress. He has not been allowed to eat a regular meal yet and the liquid diet of tomato soup, jello, apple juice, pudding and ice-cream is getting old! He has had tomato soup about every meal and today I asked them to please not send tomato soup. It blows my mind that for patients so sick in intensive care and with stomach issues that they think they will eat tomato soup with apple juice to drink, cherry jello and chocolate pudding for dessert! That combination is enough to make your stomach churn! One day in intensive care he was craving fried chicken in the middle of the night. He wants comfort food and calories. You need calories to heal! I understand the reasons for the liquid diet but somehow it seems the dietary options could be better.
I am asking that as you think of Gene, pray for God’s continued healing touch and that the surgeon will be successful in retrieving the gall stone and inserting a stent tomorrow.
The last week and a half has been quite a ride. Let me share our story.
Gene has been dealing with long-haul covid for the last two years. He struggles with fatigue and extreme exhaustion and breathing difficulties. He recently made comment that he has felt better the last several weeks than he has since he had covid.
Monday (May20) came and he did not feel good with pain and discomfort in his stomach. He could hardly eat and felt bad enough that he couldn’t work. He started cutting hay one day and I had to go to the field to pick him up. He thought he had a stomach bug. By Wednesday it was worse with sharp piercing pain in his stomach. Some of the medicines he was on for long-haul covid has given him trouble with acid reflux and that really flared up. He started suspecting a stomach ulcer and Dr. Goggle confirmed all his symptoms. He called the family doctor to get an appointment and they had no openings until the following Tuesday. He asked for the doctor to call him but instead she had her secretary call with an over-the- counter 14-day treatment to try. It seemed to help.
Friday he developed severe back pain in the right kidney area. He has had more than his share of kidney stones and knows that routine well. He was really discouraged. He felt like he was not only dealing with an ulcer but now also a kidney stone. His history of passing them is not good. By evening it was intense, so he called his Urologist. They couldn’t see him until the next morning (Saturday). The last time he had a stone the Urologist had told him to not go to the ER but to call them directly, they can handle night attacks at their office complex-but that didn’t happen. He suffered through the night and by morning he was in intense pain. I had to use a wheelchair to get him into the Urology office. They did an x-ray and could not find a kidney stone. By then the pain had lessen so they thought he must have passed it. They gave him some pain medicine, scheduled a CT scan and sent him home with instructions in case it flared up again.
All day Saturday his stomach pain intensified. By evening he was moaning, groaning and writhering in pain. I looked at Dr. Google and ulcers do not create that kind of pain. At 9 p.m. he agreed it was time to go to the ER, something just wasn’t right.
They took us really quick at the St Francis emergency center. It did not take long to to be alerted to some alarming stats. His body temperature was 95, his blood pressure was 78/55 and he was in severe septic shock. As they wheeled him away to a room, the Triage nurse said, “I am starting the septis clock.” All hands were on deck and for the next hours there were multiple people sticking, probing, and doing scans and running tests. About 2:30 a.m. on Sunday morning we learned that a surgeon was in route and within the hour he would be in emergency surgery.
After careful examination of the CT scan and consultation, the surgeon felt it was a lacerated ulcer on his colon where it joins the stomach. But there was one sympton that didn’t quite fit that pointed to the gall bladder. She shared her plan and 2-1/2 hours later the surgery was over with a big twist.
Instead of an ulcer and a three inch cut, it was his gall bladder with a 10 incision on his belly. She didn’t feel it was safe to go in laposcoptically with his low blood pressure fluctuating so drasically because they have to use gas to inflate the abdomen and it stresses the heart. She found the gall bladder had shattered. It was a totally dead, watery, mushy, infected mess. It had affected his appendix which also had to be removed and his liver was a bloody mess.
Now we are in recovery and healing mode. They had him sedated and on a ventilator until noon on Monday. He is improving and doing well, very sore and extremely weak. God was been gracious and spared his life. One nurse commented that 50% of patients that are in his condition do not make it. This surgery was a big deal and he was in critical condition for several days. Jesus is the true physician. We actually are grateful it was not an ulcer because ulcers never really heal. You control them. He should have a full recovery but it will take several months.
He has to have one more surgery before he leaves the hospital to remove a gallstone. There was one stone in the bile duct and she couldn’t get it because of all the swelling and infection. They will use a scope to go down through the stomach and snatch it.
A number of farmers from Passion Community Church and Powhatan Mennonite are planning to come and help make his 110 acres of hay. What a huge blessing and we are so humbly grateful. Family and friends have surrounded us with words of encouragement and support.
Today they are moving him out of ICU. He was able to sit in a chair this morning for an extended period of time. Praise the Lord, he is getting better!
One guy said, “Gene is like an old Timex watch. It takes a beating and keeps on ticking.” Somehow that just seems to fit.
Someone had written the following verse on the board in his Intensive Care room.
One day when I was three or four years old, I took a crayon and scribbled on the white pillars on the front porch of our house as far up as I could reach. I don’t remember doing it but I do remember the consequences. I had to scrub and scrub and scrub and then scrub some more until it was all removed. At the time it felt harsh but I can promise you, I have never, not even once, considered doing it again!
I see the lawlessness, destruction and vandelism that is sowing seeds of evil intent in our nation’s young people. I would never, ever, consider damaging a statue, building, lawn, artwork, vehicle or property of another person. That goes against the DNA of who I am. I was raised better than that and disciplined if I trespassed. Where are the parents? Where are the leaders of our nation that they would stand glibbly by and wink at this great evil? Where is respect, decency, dignity and honor?
My rights as a landowner stop with my property line. I can not cross over the fence to eat blackberries, hunt, dig a hole or plant a tree. In the same way my free speech stops when it is unkind, untruthful, hurtful or expressing intent to harm, insult, or destroy another person, business or nation. Free speech is controlled not mob motivated. Free speech respects the rights and dignity of other persons and does not seek to bring them harm. We need to allow each other space for our differences of opinion, religion and beliefs in a civil platform. We do not tread on, stomp or silence those differences nor do we demand our own agenda on others.
There is a solution and it is so easy. The offenders should first be made to physically clean up every inch of their mess and should be required to pay for and help do the repairs. If in school, they should have to repair and clean up their mess. Repeat offenders should be arrested with serious consequences. I can almost guarantee most offenders will never consider doing it again. Consequences harsh? Absolutely, but the offender made a negative choice and they need to face the consequences. The victims are the ones who suffer the worse and way too often they are the ones who have to bear the consequences. Consequences speak.
I am a country gal who enjoys writing, gardening, baking and my family. My husband and I own a retail feed store and it keeps us active and busy. We love living in the country and on our beef farm. We retail natural, Angus, dry-aged beef in our store and a local "natural" store.
My writings, called "From A Grandma's Perspective" are mostly inspired from our five delightful grandchildren. These along with "Life Perspective" can read on our web page at www.hffinc.com under the "Who We Are" tab.
By the way, I love hearing from people who read my blog!!!
