Yep, we are home again... and, yep, there may be one more stay in the hospital, depending on how well the sore heals up. Why? Well, once the cavity is closed, it still needs SKIN - so a small round of plastic surgery MAY be required. That can only be confirmed later, once the whole thing is healed up, so let me not jump the gun any further on that aspect.
So, what happened today? Husband was up early - washed his hair, washed himself down with minimal help from me, fresh clothes, then breakfast. PROPER breakfast - bread with scrambled eggs, and a nice hot cuppa :-) The nurse (to check the vacuum dressing) turned up just after 9am, checked everything was OK, arranged our next appointment with the plastic surgeon on Thursday early morning. After that, I went to settle the bill (Phew, that was an ordeal in itself), which took more than ONE HOUR, then, finally, was able to pack up, load the car, get Husband as comfortably seated in the car as possible, then a SLOW drive home. He definitely FELT every bump on the road, however small, and however slow I went over the bump.
Since then, the day has been quiet and peaceful. Went to the supermarket to stock up on some stuff for Husband, then spent some time tidying up the room as I had just left everything lying around higgledy-piggledy when I had arrived back from SG on Friday last week. Husband is now trying to get some sleep (hard to do with that vacuum dressing constantly PULLING at the sore) and hopefully he WILL get some rest.
On the very strong recommendation of my beloved sis-in-law, I will be making a glass of Enercal milk for Husband to drink every night and every morning. He just sampled one glass - all prepared to dislike it - and had to admit that it was actually quite nice. He can be so contrary sometimes, just for the fun of it!
Finally, before I forget : HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUJA!! And may you have many more years ahead of you, surrounded by your family and your friends, all of us who love you dearly.
You know, this is the first time in a long time that I have a post which is not all full of depressing news.... it is SUCH a nice feeling to be able to write something positive for a change! Let's hope it stays that way too.
So, till next time folks, stay safe, stay HEALTHY!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The wheel is back on the UP-cycle...
.. and we are NOT talking about the economy, but of Husband's health. As I said in my last posting, it DID do him good to not have me around. He was up, walking, made his own way to the toilet when needed, the doc gave the go ahead for FOOD so he was eating too (mostly rice porridge, but it was a start!), got used to the dressing (which had to be changed 3 times a day) and was actually sleeping a bit better too. THEN, on Friday, the dressing got changed. Now, remember I said that the removal of the sore left a large CAVITY? Well, imagine if you like, a foam plug, with a long tube inserted, which is used to plug that cavity, and the tube is connected to a vacuum pump which basically maintains a vacuum in the cavity and drains out any fluid or blood that seeps into the cavity. This will, apparently, cause the flesh in the cavity to grow faster. On Friday night, I got back to the hospital at 10pm, and after talking first to Husband (relief on both our parts that I was back safe with him, and that he is doing so much better), I went to talk to the nurses. The nurse who had been handling the night-time change of the previous dressing told me that already the cavity had shrunk - to the point that it is NO LONGER as big as my fist! That was such good news :-). Of course, he is not out of the woods yet, but at least we know he is on the way to healing.
Things have been quiet for him since then. Resting (or trying to rest with a strange contraption on the bum!), eating regular meals, walking quite a bit, but otherwise quite peaceful. The nurse who is 'handling' the vacuum dressing will be in to see Husband tomorrow, to check that everything is A-OK and see if the outer part of the dressing needs changing or not. After that, we should be A-OK to get Husband discharged and HOME. Actually, that is also a bit nerve-racking cos he is NOT going to enjoy sitting in the car, over very bumpy roads (particularly just outside the hospital itself!), for the 20 minutes or so that it will take to get him home. But, we will take it slow and easy.
So, what happened in SG? Well, everything pretty much went as planned:
- Wednesday: Dropped the cheque for Husband's taxes in the mail, went to acquire a pair of bright orange single chairs which Husband and I had been planning to buy, returned the dishes/plates to HP, with Suja and Michael's assistance, then met TonyO for dinner and passed him what he needed to renew road tax for me.
- Thursday: at 9.30am one solitary packer turned up - skinny, small, Malay guy (by name of Fendi) with a big big smile. Suja and I thought "oh oh... the packing isnt going to finish until late", but MAN did this guy prove us wrong. He worked his way efficiently and neatly, room by room, through the entire house, stopping only once for a 15 minute cigarette break, and was DONE by 4.30pm (except for those items which we had asked him to pack the next day - like our bedding, so we could still sleep that night!!). Phew, we were most impressed with him! Then out for dinner - Suja and I again, with Cathy and Indu, and TonyO (who passed me back my road tax disc, all done - and who took the Starhub stuff off me to cancel the CableTV/ISP/Phone accounts).
- Friday: at 9.05am, the packers were there again. 4 guys this time (including Fendi). They packed up the last bits and pieces, and started taking everything down to load the truck. They were done by 11am, and while they were doing the final checking and re-checking and arranging, and the final paperwork, Suja and I hopped into town to return a bunch of books to the 2nd hand bookshop, and get some lunch. By the time we got back, the paperwork was done and the truck was ready to leave... and they then gave me a shock by saying that they would be delivering everything the NEXT DAY (Saturday!!) to our place - Hijauan Kiara at Mont'Kiara! I had originally planned for delivery on Monday - so had to quickly call the condo management to change everything to the Saturday. I have to say though that the management were very helpful and sorted all that out for me. That done, my wonderful part-time help was already upstairs cleaning, so I was able to pay her (plus a bonus as a thank you) and get the access card and keys back from her.... and she was crying by the time she left. She is an absolute darling, and has been working with us for so many years already and is such a truly honest and good person. Hard to find people like her! She has become more friend than just help! Our agent (Kylene, also a wonderful person) came early and we caught up on news, then our landlady's agent turned up on time... and then the landlady came late!! By the time we finished the walk through and handed everything back and she finally wrote the cheque for our deposit it was already 3.30pm and I was on TENTERHOOKS because I wanted to LEAVE... Sigh... Anyway, passed the cheque to Kylene to drop off in our account, then Suja and I loaded the car with the final bits and pieces and LEFT!! We took 2.5 hours to get to Melaka, where we stopped at my brother/sis-on-law's place to have tea and pick up their maid... then continued to KL. Got home by 8.45pm, unloaded our stuff, then I packed some stuff for me to rush back to the hospital and stay with Husband again, then dropped Suja off at her Mum's place (as it is pretty close to the hospital) and continued on to the hospital, arriving there at 10pm. I have a feeling Husband was pretty happy to see me :-D.
Saturday, by 9.15pm the movers were at Hijauan already. Did not take them long to unload - basically got them to stack all the boxes in the study area, and then help with the placement of whatever little furniture we brought back with us - not a lot - a dining table, 8 dining chairs, an orange sofa bed, 2 orange single chairs, 1 carpet, and a few small pieces (like floor cushions, clothes racks, stand mirror, etc).
Went back to the hospital after that, and then realised that I had left my laptop at home the night before and would be unable to update my blog - obviously getting a wee bit forgetful in my old age! My sister came to visit Husband this afternoon, and luckily I remembered to ask her to pick up my laptop and bring it with her - hence the update now :-).
In between all this, my Mum, who is still recovering from the bypass she had last November, came down with an extremely bad case of the 'trots', which literally had her trotting to the toilet very frequently... and that went on for TWO DAYS!! Am happy to say that she is (after taking medication prescribed by my bro-in-law, who is a doctor) doing much better now. She did not want to take the risk of going to church today, but at least she had company at home - in the form of my youngest nephew (son of my sister and above mentioned bro-in-law) as he was pretty sick today with a bad sore throat and all.
Well folks, that is all the excitement for this week. I have to say that I strongly feel that it is all your prayers, your love, your thoughts of us, your wishes for us, that have helped us both, especially Husband, pull through to now. Thank you, thank you, thank you - there is no way really to say ENOUGH thank you's to all of you, so just know that we treasure all of you, and will do for always.
Till next time, stay safe, stay HEALTHY!
Things have been quiet for him since then. Resting (or trying to rest with a strange contraption on the bum!), eating regular meals, walking quite a bit, but otherwise quite peaceful. The nurse who is 'handling' the vacuum dressing will be in to see Husband tomorrow, to check that everything is A-OK and see if the outer part of the dressing needs changing or not. After that, we should be A-OK to get Husband discharged and HOME. Actually, that is also a bit nerve-racking cos he is NOT going to enjoy sitting in the car, over very bumpy roads (particularly just outside the hospital itself!), for the 20 minutes or so that it will take to get him home. But, we will take it slow and easy.
So, what happened in SG? Well, everything pretty much went as planned:
- Wednesday: Dropped the cheque for Husband's taxes in the mail, went to acquire a pair of bright orange single chairs which Husband and I had been planning to buy, returned the dishes/plates to HP, with Suja and Michael's assistance, then met TonyO for dinner and passed him what he needed to renew road tax for me.
- Thursday: at 9.30am one solitary packer turned up - skinny, small, Malay guy (by name of Fendi) with a big big smile. Suja and I thought "oh oh... the packing isnt going to finish until late", but MAN did this guy prove us wrong. He worked his way efficiently and neatly, room by room, through the entire house, stopping only once for a 15 minute cigarette break, and was DONE by 4.30pm (except for those items which we had asked him to pack the next day - like our bedding, so we could still sleep that night!!). Phew, we were most impressed with him! Then out for dinner - Suja and I again, with Cathy and Indu, and TonyO (who passed me back my road tax disc, all done - and who took the Starhub stuff off me to cancel the CableTV/ISP/Phone accounts).
- Friday: at 9.05am, the packers were there again. 4 guys this time (including Fendi). They packed up the last bits and pieces, and started taking everything down to load the truck. They were done by 11am, and while they were doing the final checking and re-checking and arranging, and the final paperwork, Suja and I hopped into town to return a bunch of books to the 2nd hand bookshop, and get some lunch. By the time we got back, the paperwork was done and the truck was ready to leave... and they then gave me a shock by saying that they would be delivering everything the NEXT DAY (Saturday!!) to our place - Hijauan Kiara at Mont'Kiara! I had originally planned for delivery on Monday - so had to quickly call the condo management to change everything to the Saturday. I have to say though that the management were very helpful and sorted all that out for me. That done, my wonderful part-time help was already upstairs cleaning, so I was able to pay her (plus a bonus as a thank you) and get the access card and keys back from her.... and she was crying by the time she left. She is an absolute darling, and has been working with us for so many years already and is such a truly honest and good person. Hard to find people like her! She has become more friend than just help! Our agent (Kylene, also a wonderful person) came early and we caught up on news, then our landlady's agent turned up on time... and then the landlady came late!! By the time we finished the walk through and handed everything back and she finally wrote the cheque for our deposit it was already 3.30pm and I was on TENTERHOOKS because I wanted to LEAVE... Sigh... Anyway, passed the cheque to Kylene to drop off in our account, then Suja and I loaded the car with the final bits and pieces and LEFT!! We took 2.5 hours to get to Melaka, where we stopped at my brother/sis-on-law's place to have tea and pick up their maid... then continued to KL. Got home by 8.45pm, unloaded our stuff, then I packed some stuff for me to rush back to the hospital and stay with Husband again, then dropped Suja off at her Mum's place (as it is pretty close to the hospital) and continued on to the hospital, arriving there at 10pm. I have a feeling Husband was pretty happy to see me :-D.
Saturday, by 9.15pm the movers were at Hijauan already. Did not take them long to unload - basically got them to stack all the boxes in the study area, and then help with the placement of whatever little furniture we brought back with us - not a lot - a dining table, 8 dining chairs, an orange sofa bed, 2 orange single chairs, 1 carpet, and a few small pieces (like floor cushions, clothes racks, stand mirror, etc).
Went back to the hospital after that, and then realised that I had left my laptop at home the night before and would be unable to update my blog - obviously getting a wee bit forgetful in my old age! My sister came to visit Husband this afternoon, and luckily I remembered to ask her to pick up my laptop and bring it with her - hence the update now :-).
In between all this, my Mum, who is still recovering from the bypass she had last November, came down with an extremely bad case of the 'trots', which literally had her trotting to the toilet very frequently... and that went on for TWO DAYS!! Am happy to say that she is (after taking medication prescribed by my bro-in-law, who is a doctor) doing much better now. She did not want to take the risk of going to church today, but at least she had company at home - in the form of my youngest nephew (son of my sister and above mentioned bro-in-law) as he was pretty sick today with a bad sore throat and all.
Well folks, that is all the excitement for this week. I have to say that I strongly feel that it is all your prayers, your love, your thoughts of us, your wishes for us, that have helped us both, especially Husband, pull through to now. Thank you, thank you, thank you - there is no way really to say ENOUGH thank you's to all of you, so just know that we treasure all of you, and will do for always.
Till next time, stay safe, stay HEALTHY!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Separation anxiety...!!
First time in close to 7 weeks that I am going to be apart from Husband for more than a few hours!!! It was quite nerve-racking for me (and maybe for him too) to leave the hospital at 8.45am today, knowing that I wont be seeing him till Friday evening at the earliest. But, to a certain extent, I think NOT having me around is also good - he wont have a 'gofer' around, he wont have me hovering around petrified at every move he makes, and he will have to be a bit more independent... especially as the nurses are pretty overworked and cant be around all the time.
It seems to have worked! He has, today alone, gotten up not just once, but TWICE!! Yes, believe it. Made it to the toilet under his own steam TWICE :-) Hmmm, maybe I should have left him on his own earlier???
The dressing on his sore has been changed twice today already - once in the morning, once in the early evening - and one more change of dressing will happen later tonight. Each time the dressing is changed it is quite painful and traumatic for him, but each time it is changed, it heals faster! The plastic surgeon, in the next day or two, is also going to change the type of dressing on the sore to something that will promote faster healing. I was asked today - how big is the cavity left by the sore? And I said, look at my closed fist. That fist can fit INSIDE the cavity! Yep, it IS that big.... and it IS that painful for him too. Imagine, every time they clean the cavity, however gently, they are touching raw nerve endings. I cannot even IMAGINE how bad it is, and he has had to endure this every day since Sunday, 2 or 3 times a day. NOT a very nice experience. What keeps him going is the knowledge that it is helping to speed up the healing process.
The drive to SG today was a good one. My very dear friend, Suja, came with me, and we literally spent all our time in the car just catching up on a lot of news and a lot of history. It isn't very often that we have this opportunity to just CHAT! We left KL around 10.30am, and were back home in SG by 2.30pm. No speeding folks :-).
I had thought my most difficult task would have been to settle Ken's taxes, so imagine my most pleasant surprise to find that his company had filed the taxes for him, and IRAS had sent the assessment already, and when I emptied the mailbox, there it was. All I had to do today was write the cheque and stick it in the post. Then our friend, Michael, turned up, we loaded up the car with the plates/dishes that I was returning to HP, and we drove to her sisters place and unloaded it there. Then went to Centrepoint to meet up with TonyO for dinner. Passed TonyO all the stuff for the road tax renewal, and he has taken some time off tomorrow morning to do that for me, while Suja and I keep an eye on the packers to make sure that they dont pack anything that belongs to the landlady :-p. We are then meeting him for dinner, together with my ex-boss from Capgemini (Cathy - a truly wonderful boss), and my good friend, Indu, and I will have to pass him all the stuff to cancel our Starhub account.
On Friday the packers will be loading up the truck with all the packed items. My part-time helper (a most amazing and wonderful lady who is MORE than just a 'help'!) will be coming at 1.30pm to help clean the apartment, and I hope to get the landlady to come earlier than originally planned (say by around 2.30pm), so that we can do the walk through, check inventory, hand over keys, get back deposit, then SCOOT BACK TO KL!! Fingers crossed that everything works out as planned.
Well, I wont be able to update my blog tomorrow, as the ISP/Phone/CableTV will be cancelled tomorrow (ie, the Starhub stuff), so my next update of this blog will only be by Friday night at the earliest, or Saturday if I am too tired to do it on Friday.
In the meantime have a good life, stay safe, stay HEALTHY.
It seems to have worked! He has, today alone, gotten up not just once, but TWICE!! Yes, believe it. Made it to the toilet under his own steam TWICE :-) Hmmm, maybe I should have left him on his own earlier???
The dressing on his sore has been changed twice today already - once in the morning, once in the early evening - and one more change of dressing will happen later tonight. Each time the dressing is changed it is quite painful and traumatic for him, but each time it is changed, it heals faster! The plastic surgeon, in the next day or two, is also going to change the type of dressing on the sore to something that will promote faster healing. I was asked today - how big is the cavity left by the sore? And I said, look at my closed fist. That fist can fit INSIDE the cavity! Yep, it IS that big.... and it IS that painful for him too. Imagine, every time they clean the cavity, however gently, they are touching raw nerve endings. I cannot even IMAGINE how bad it is, and he has had to endure this every day since Sunday, 2 or 3 times a day. NOT a very nice experience. What keeps him going is the knowledge that it is helping to speed up the healing process.
The drive to SG today was a good one. My very dear friend, Suja, came with me, and we literally spent all our time in the car just catching up on a lot of news and a lot of history. It isn't very often that we have this opportunity to just CHAT! We left KL around 10.30am, and were back home in SG by 2.30pm. No speeding folks :-).
I had thought my most difficult task would have been to settle Ken's taxes, so imagine my most pleasant surprise to find that his company had filed the taxes for him, and IRAS had sent the assessment already, and when I emptied the mailbox, there it was. All I had to do today was write the cheque and stick it in the post. Then our friend, Michael, turned up, we loaded up the car with the plates/dishes that I was returning to HP, and we drove to her sisters place and unloaded it there. Then went to Centrepoint to meet up with TonyO for dinner. Passed TonyO all the stuff for the road tax renewal, and he has taken some time off tomorrow morning to do that for me, while Suja and I keep an eye on the packers to make sure that they dont pack anything that belongs to the landlady :-p. We are then meeting him for dinner, together with my ex-boss from Capgemini (Cathy - a truly wonderful boss), and my good friend, Indu, and I will have to pass him all the stuff to cancel our Starhub account.
On Friday the packers will be loading up the truck with all the packed items. My part-time helper (a most amazing and wonderful lady who is MORE than just a 'help'!) will be coming at 1.30pm to help clean the apartment, and I hope to get the landlady to come earlier than originally planned (say by around 2.30pm), so that we can do the walk through, check inventory, hand over keys, get back deposit, then SCOOT BACK TO KL!! Fingers crossed that everything works out as planned.
Well, I wont be able to update my blog tomorrow, as the ISP/Phone/CableTV will be cancelled tomorrow (ie, the Starhub stuff), so my next update of this blog will only be by Friday night at the earliest, or Saturday if I am too tired to do it on Friday.
In the meantime have a good life, stay safe, stay HEALTHY.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The morning after the night before
Well, what can I say? The adrenaline that has kept me going the last few days, particularly yesterday, has disappeared. I am tired, sleepy, wiped out, but RELIEVED!!
This morning, I was at ICU by 8.45am and they DID let me in (against all rules, but since the surgeon had told them to let me in at any time the day before, they assumed the same applied today as well! Thank goodness!). Got to see Husband before they started all their procedures and probings. He was exhausted. Three or four times since I had left he had sort of bled out again. Only, those few times, it wasn't blood any more but bilious fluid. The doctors had been told, and they were quite pleased (well, they werent the ones leaking bile, so they could afford to be pleased!!), because it meant that the bleeding had stopped. I think, all in all, he must have lost at least 2 pints of blood, if not more! They did transfuse him with 2 pints of plasma, and they had to go to the National Blood Centre to get 2 pints of blood for Husband yesterday (and it took forever to arrive), and another pint today. The reason for the difficulty in getting blood for him, is that he is blood type O, rhesus negative.. which is quite rare.
Anyway, they did the scopes, both ends, and Husband's digestive system has been pronounced pretty clean. Mild gastritis in the stomach, but given that he has not eaten anything since 19th March, and today is 24th March, that is not very surprising! So, they said they would move him out of ICU and back to the normal room straight after transfusing him with a pint of blood today. They started at around noon, and it did not finish till 4.20pm... and then, by the time they finished their paperwork on his transfer back, got his meds, sorted the bed, etc, etc, etc... it was 6.15pm before he got back to the room! My sister and my parents had already arrived, before 6pm, to see him, so they waited in the lounge until I called them.
Suffice to say, he is weak, he is shaky, he has not slept for 2 days SOLID, he still can only drink clear liquids, his pressure sore is still SORE, his back still aches, he still cant sleep comfortably on his side because it feels like his insides are sloshing to the side... and he needs time to get some energy back into him. Mind you, he hasnt lost his sense of humour! Earlier I told him that "we have hit rock bottom, and now we are getting back up again.", and his reply was classic - "Right. I have all the rocks sitting under my bottom now!"
We now have a plastic surgeon involved in getting the bed sore healed faster than it can without intervention. Given that, by the time they cut away the dead flesh, they left a huge cavity, bigger than my fist, you can imagine how long it would take to heal if just let to its own devices! It could take more than 3 months, that is if you are lucky enough not to get it infected again in the process of healing. Anyway, he is having special dressings packed into the cavity, which will keep the wound healthy and promote healing, and hopefully with all this, the cavity should start shrinking and the wound be well on the way to healing within the next 2 - 3 weeks... Once it is progressing well, he recommends that Husband can go ahead and start chemotherapy - which may slow down the rate of healing, but wont stop it. The key thing is not to delay chemo any more than can be helped.
Anyway, as per the last few days, I am staying at the hospital with Husband. However, tomorrow I have to leave here at 9am, head home first, then leave home at 10am (with a good friend, Suja) to drive to SG to get things settled there. Income tax, road tax, terminate cable TV/ISP/Phone, movers coming in on Thurs/Fri, return plates/dishes to our friend (Peng) who lent them to us, clean the apartment, hand back the keys to the landlady, get our deposit cheque back, drop it off in the bank, and then COME HOME ON FRIDAY - back to my beloved Husband. I HATE having to leave him, but, unfortunately I do not have a choice... so please please keep praying for him while I am away. I am lucky that Suja is able to come with me - it would be awfully depressing to go on my own - so many thanks to Suja as well, especially as she can also drive if needed :-). TonyO is helping me renew road tax, and terminate the TV/ISP/Phone accounts. MichaelO is helping return the dishes to Peng.
I do not have enough words to thank my very dear family, and all of you, our friends, for the prayers, the love, the friendship, the help that has come our way. We are not at the end of the trying road that still lies ahead of us, and I hope you will keep praying for us - Husband especially - but we could not have even made it this far without your support. Thank you all, and, till next time, stay safe, stay HEALTHY!
This morning, I was at ICU by 8.45am and they DID let me in (against all rules, but since the surgeon had told them to let me in at any time the day before, they assumed the same applied today as well! Thank goodness!). Got to see Husband before they started all their procedures and probings. He was exhausted. Three or four times since I had left he had sort of bled out again. Only, those few times, it wasn't blood any more but bilious fluid. The doctors had been told, and they were quite pleased (well, they werent the ones leaking bile, so they could afford to be pleased!!), because it meant that the bleeding had stopped. I think, all in all, he must have lost at least 2 pints of blood, if not more! They did transfuse him with 2 pints of plasma, and they had to go to the National Blood Centre to get 2 pints of blood for Husband yesterday (and it took forever to arrive), and another pint today. The reason for the difficulty in getting blood for him, is that he is blood type O, rhesus negative.. which is quite rare.
Anyway, they did the scopes, both ends, and Husband's digestive system has been pronounced pretty clean. Mild gastritis in the stomach, but given that he has not eaten anything since 19th March, and today is 24th March, that is not very surprising! So, they said they would move him out of ICU and back to the normal room straight after transfusing him with a pint of blood today. They started at around noon, and it did not finish till 4.20pm... and then, by the time they finished their paperwork on his transfer back, got his meds, sorted the bed, etc, etc, etc... it was 6.15pm before he got back to the room! My sister and my parents had already arrived, before 6pm, to see him, so they waited in the lounge until I called them.
Suffice to say, he is weak, he is shaky, he has not slept for 2 days SOLID, he still can only drink clear liquids, his pressure sore is still SORE, his back still aches, he still cant sleep comfortably on his side because it feels like his insides are sloshing to the side... and he needs time to get some energy back into him. Mind you, he hasnt lost his sense of humour! Earlier I told him that "we have hit rock bottom, and now we are getting back up again.", and his reply was classic - "Right. I have all the rocks sitting under my bottom now!"
We now have a plastic surgeon involved in getting the bed sore healed faster than it can without intervention. Given that, by the time they cut away the dead flesh, they left a huge cavity, bigger than my fist, you can imagine how long it would take to heal if just let to its own devices! It could take more than 3 months, that is if you are lucky enough not to get it infected again in the process of healing. Anyway, he is having special dressings packed into the cavity, which will keep the wound healthy and promote healing, and hopefully with all this, the cavity should start shrinking and the wound be well on the way to healing within the next 2 - 3 weeks... Once it is progressing well, he recommends that Husband can go ahead and start chemotherapy - which may slow down the rate of healing, but wont stop it. The key thing is not to delay chemo any more than can be helped.
Anyway, as per the last few days, I am staying at the hospital with Husband. However, tomorrow I have to leave here at 9am, head home first, then leave home at 10am (with a good friend, Suja) to drive to SG to get things settled there. Income tax, road tax, terminate cable TV/ISP/Phone, movers coming in on Thurs/Fri, return plates/dishes to our friend (Peng) who lent them to us, clean the apartment, hand back the keys to the landlady, get our deposit cheque back, drop it off in the bank, and then COME HOME ON FRIDAY - back to my beloved Husband. I HATE having to leave him, but, unfortunately I do not have a choice... so please please keep praying for him while I am away. I am lucky that Suja is able to come with me - it would be awfully depressing to go on my own - so many thanks to Suja as well, especially as she can also drive if needed :-). TonyO is helping me renew road tax, and terminate the TV/ISP/Phone accounts. MichaelO is helping return the dishes to Peng.
I do not have enough words to thank my very dear family, and all of you, our friends, for the prayers, the love, the friendship, the help that has come our way. We are not at the end of the trying road that still lies ahead of us, and I hope you will keep praying for us - Husband especially - but we could not have even made it this far without your support. Thank you all, and, till next time, stay safe, stay HEALTHY!
Monday, March 23, 2009
A long and scary day... hope the night is a good one.
10am, 12.30pm, 2.45pm, 3.30pm, 4.30pm, 5.45pm, 7pm... those are the times when bleeding recurred again and again today. 2.45 to 4.30 were particularly bad, as the bleeding was incredibly heavy... but the last two were considerably less and the blood was not RED blood any more, it was brown - the colour of old blood. This is, the doctors feel, a good sign - that the bleeding has stopped and the system is just eliminating any 'dead' blood that is in the body.
Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning they are going to 'scope' him out, from top and bottom, to investigate the entire digestive system. And if they find nothing and, if the bleeding has stopped (God willing), I guess he will be on the road to recovery.
It has been such a horrible few days. It feels like just as something improves slightly, then something worse comes along and knocks us back again. 1 step forward, 3 steps back. I hope and pray that we have reached the bottom of this cycle and that we are now moving back upwards again - to recovery.
That's the updates for now. Too tired to write any more. Till next time, safe safe, stay HEALTHY!
Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning they are going to 'scope' him out, from top and bottom, to investigate the entire digestive system. And if they find nothing and, if the bleeding has stopped (God willing), I guess he will be on the road to recovery.
It has been such a horrible few days. It feels like just as something improves slightly, then something worse comes along and knocks us back again. 1 step forward, 3 steps back. I hope and pray that we have reached the bottom of this cycle and that we are now moving back upwards again - to recovery.
That's the updates for now. Too tired to write any more. Till next time, safe safe, stay HEALTHY!
Last night was so scary :-(
It started off good. At 8.30pm last night (ie, Sunday 22nd Mar) the little trainee nurse (Marina) did an EXCELLENT job of changing the dressing in the huge cavity left where the bed sore used to be. When Husband turned onto his back, he felt a lot more comfortable and there was a lot less pain. Then the scary stuff started.
He had been feeling queasy and uncomfortable in the stomach since the day before and it had been building up. Then, at 9pm Sunday night, what felt like diarrhoea started up, but it was BLOOD. Not a lot at that time, but very scary to see that! Marina helped me to clean up, re-dress the outer dressing on the sore (as some of the blood got onto that), and I called the surgeon, and he said it should be OK, it is probably just old blood flushing out from his system as it gets used to 'being used again', and that it should taper off.
OK, we settled in for the night.. then at 3.15am, Husband said he could no longer hold things in... at which point I told him he SHOULD NOT, he should just let things go, to clear his system out. So, he did. Oh MAN, that was so frightening. There was SO MUCH BLOOD.. very thick and gooey but it was still fresh blood(!) and it seemed like every time we thought it had stopped, after a few minutes, it would start again. I think neither Husband nor I have ever been so scared in all our lives. The nurses were wonderful. They were there immediately I pressed the buzzer, they took over the cleaning and watching over him. They called the M.O. He turned up pretty fast, checked what was happening. Said it was fresh blood - not 'old' blood - and called the surgeon. He then examined Husband's insides to see if he could identify where the bleeding was coming from, and he said it was definitely coming from 'higher up', he could see a trickle (not a flood) of blood, and the reason there seemed to be so much was that Husband had been trying to hold everything in since 9pm!! The 'flooding out' stopped around 4.30pm pretty much. On the surgeon's instructions they gave Husband an injection to stop the bleeding (it was something that would 'thicken' the blood so he would not bleed so easily), cleaned him up thoroughly, changed the outer dressing of the wound over the sore again, then carted him off to ICU to keep him under observation - ie, they wanted to connect him to all those machines that track blood pressure, pulse, etc. I have to say that even till then, his pressure, pulse, blood oxygen saturation level, were all still excellent!!
So, they took him off around 5am to ICU. I packed up all our stuff in the room, called home to let them know to take the latch off the door or I would not be able to get into the house, and drove home.
At 9.15am today (ie, Monday 23rd March) the surgeon called. He had already seen Husband, who was sleeping quite comfortably. There had only been one more episode of the bleeding, and that very little, and nothing since then. He explained that he thought that it was due to all the mobility that had happened to Husband the last two days - having the 2nd op; going for the dressing change and turning onto his side so often for that; the blood thinner (to prevent any recurrence of a mini-stroke); and possibly a blood clot that would have been on the colon wound (where the original op had taken place) and (with all the movement) that clot could have given way and the blood thinner would have exacerbated the flow of blood and caused that 'trickle' that the M.O. had seen earlier. Since he had the blood 'thickener' injected, the flow seemed to have stopped....
So, they are keeping him in ICU today, possibly till noon tomorrow, to be sure that it has stopped, and to keep an eye on his vital signs. They will keep him in hospital for a few more days at least, and the surgeon and plastic surgeon will take over the monitoring and changing of the dressing on the bed sore.
It was such a relief to know that the blood flow had stopped, and that Husband was sleeping. I will be seeing him at noon today (visiting hours at ICU are only noon to 2pm, and then another couple of hours in the evening). I have to remember to be strong and not cry in front of Husband. I don't want to upset him any further than he is already!
So, friends, keep your prayers coming, we really do need them at this time. Till next time, stay safe, stay HEALTHY!
He had been feeling queasy and uncomfortable in the stomach since the day before and it had been building up. Then, at 9pm Sunday night, what felt like diarrhoea started up, but it was BLOOD. Not a lot at that time, but very scary to see that! Marina helped me to clean up, re-dress the outer dressing on the sore (as some of the blood got onto that), and I called the surgeon, and he said it should be OK, it is probably just old blood flushing out from his system as it gets used to 'being used again', and that it should taper off.
OK, we settled in for the night.. then at 3.15am, Husband said he could no longer hold things in... at which point I told him he SHOULD NOT, he should just let things go, to clear his system out. So, he did. Oh MAN, that was so frightening. There was SO MUCH BLOOD.. very thick and gooey but it was still fresh blood(!) and it seemed like every time we thought it had stopped, after a few minutes, it would start again. I think neither Husband nor I have ever been so scared in all our lives. The nurses were wonderful. They were there immediately I pressed the buzzer, they took over the cleaning and watching over him. They called the M.O. He turned up pretty fast, checked what was happening. Said it was fresh blood - not 'old' blood - and called the surgeon. He then examined Husband's insides to see if he could identify where the bleeding was coming from, and he said it was definitely coming from 'higher up', he could see a trickle (not a flood) of blood, and the reason there seemed to be so much was that Husband had been trying to hold everything in since 9pm!! The 'flooding out' stopped around 4.30pm pretty much. On the surgeon's instructions they gave Husband an injection to stop the bleeding (it was something that would 'thicken' the blood so he would not bleed so easily), cleaned him up thoroughly, changed the outer dressing of the wound over the sore again, then carted him off to ICU to keep him under observation - ie, they wanted to connect him to all those machines that track blood pressure, pulse, etc. I have to say that even till then, his pressure, pulse, blood oxygen saturation level, were all still excellent!!
So, they took him off around 5am to ICU. I packed up all our stuff in the room, called home to let them know to take the latch off the door or I would not be able to get into the house, and drove home.
At 9.15am today (ie, Monday 23rd March) the surgeon called. He had already seen Husband, who was sleeping quite comfortably. There had only been one more episode of the bleeding, and that very little, and nothing since then. He explained that he thought that it was due to all the mobility that had happened to Husband the last two days - having the 2nd op; going for the dressing change and turning onto his side so often for that; the blood thinner (to prevent any recurrence of a mini-stroke); and possibly a blood clot that would have been on the colon wound (where the original op had taken place) and (with all the movement) that clot could have given way and the blood thinner would have exacerbated the flow of blood and caused that 'trickle' that the M.O. had seen earlier. Since he had the blood 'thickener' injected, the flow seemed to have stopped....
So, they are keeping him in ICU today, possibly till noon tomorrow, to be sure that it has stopped, and to keep an eye on his vital signs. They will keep him in hospital for a few more days at least, and the surgeon and plastic surgeon will take over the monitoring and changing of the dressing on the bed sore.
It was such a relief to know that the blood flow had stopped, and that Husband was sleeping. I will be seeing him at noon today (visiting hours at ICU are only noon to 2pm, and then another couple of hours in the evening). I have to remember to be strong and not cry in front of Husband. I don't want to upset him any further than he is already!
So, friends, keep your prayers coming, we really do need them at this time. Till next time, stay safe, stay HEALTHY!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Day 3 Post Op: Part 2.. Out of OT, Back to the room
All done and over and he is back. Was back in room by 10am. Later than expected because the plastic surgeon who is supposed to take over the role of getting the sore healed ASAP came in late - due to not having gotten the message of the procedure starting at 8.30am, instead of 9am. But, once he got there, things got done fast. The previous dressing has been removed - the wound is now in far better condition than it was on Op day. A little bit more necrotic flesh had to be taken out, but very little, and overall looks clean.
Plastic surgeon has recommended a special type of dressing that needs to be changed three times daily (minimum twice a day), with a drainage channel that will drain out the accumulating fluids. This will speed up the healing process! The nurses will have to change the dressing, and Husband will probably have to stay in hospital until next weekend, but if it actually does speed up the healing process, then it is well worth it.
He is in pain still from the sore, and discomfort from the surgery to reverse the ileostomy. Luckily, the pain in the surgical site is reducing on a daily basis, which is a bit of a relief.
Nights aren't going to be any easier, but, still, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel, however faint that light may be. And, I guess, after all this suffering, when Husband starts on chemotherapy, that is going to be a piece of cake in comparison to what he is going through now.
Keep him in your thoughts... and, till next time, may life treat you kindly, and if you are ever hospitalised do ANYTHING to avoid getting bed-sores.
Plastic surgeon has recommended a special type of dressing that needs to be changed three times daily (minimum twice a day), with a drainage channel that will drain out the accumulating fluids. This will speed up the healing process! The nurses will have to change the dressing, and Husband will probably have to stay in hospital until next weekend, but if it actually does speed up the healing process, then it is well worth it.
He is in pain still from the sore, and discomfort from the surgery to reverse the ileostomy. Luckily, the pain in the surgical site is reducing on a daily basis, which is a bit of a relief.
Nights aren't going to be any easier, but, still, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel, however faint that light may be. And, I guess, after all this suffering, when Husband starts on chemotherapy, that is going to be a piece of cake in comparison to what he is going through now.
Keep him in your thoughts... and, till next time, may life treat you kindly, and if you are ever hospitalised do ANYTHING to avoid getting bed-sores.
Day 3 Post Op: Part 1.. and back to the OT!!
Yep, Husband is back in OT, to remove the packed in dressing from the sore. They wheeled him off, bed and all, around 7.45am. Procedure is supposed to start around 8.30am, and should take less than 30 minutes. Once it is done, and he is awake enough, they will bring him back to the room... so here I am, sitting and waiting....
The nights are always bad - if you can't sleep properly, and all you have to look at is a vague and indistinct ceiling above you, and you are feeling weak and shaky, and haven't had anything to eat in 3 days, and your surgery is causing discomfort, your tummy is rumbling, the dressing in the sore is pressing up against the spine and causing so much pain... well, let's just say that it does NOT inspire you to heights of cheerfullness. More like depths of despondency. Was awake with Husband most of the night, talking him through the night, massaging his feet, his arm (the one without the IV's going into it). Yes, he did sleep a bit here and there, at which time I also tried to catch some sleep, from about 2 to 4am, and again from 4.30am to 5.30am. I suppose that is better than nothing, though it sure doesn't feel like it!
Will update again once he is back. Hopefully SOON!
The nights are always bad - if you can't sleep properly, and all you have to look at is a vague and indistinct ceiling above you, and you are feeling weak and shaky, and haven't had anything to eat in 3 days, and your surgery is causing discomfort, your tummy is rumbling, the dressing in the sore is pressing up against the spine and causing so much pain... well, let's just say that it does NOT inspire you to heights of cheerfullness. More like depths of despondency. Was awake with Husband most of the night, talking him through the night, massaging his feet, his arm (the one without the IV's going into it). Yes, he did sleep a bit here and there, at which time I also tried to catch some sleep, from about 2 to 4am, and again from 4.30am to 5.30am. I suppose that is better than nothing, though it sure doesn't feel like it!
Will update again once he is back. Hopefully SOON!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Day 2 Post Op....
Last night was pretty bad. Husband was in a lot of pain from the sore, as the dressing packed into his wound was starting to press up into his spine. Got a nurse to pull him over onto his side for a little while just so I could wedge the corner of a folded blanket under him, to lift him slightly off the bed so that the pressure is less. It helped a bit!
The surgeon came by again this morning, to check on him, and with his and my help Husband managed to first sit up and then stand up and transfer to a chair for a while. Got the nurses to change his sheets while he was up..... After that he managed to walk a few steps before he got back into bed. Was also able to give him a pretty much full wipe down with hot wipes, and get a new gown on him, so he feels a bit better. In fact, even as I write this he is fast asleep - for a change! Wonder when a nurse is going to charge in to take his BP or some such, thereby disturbing him!
You know, dont ever come to a hospital for a rest. Even at night, every 1.5 hours or so, they come in to: check BP, check temp, change IV, inject antibiotic, connect antibiotic IV, replace hot water. So, EVERY SINGLE TIME, just as you doze off, they will come in, switch on the light and wake you up. EVERY SINGLE TIME!! Bad enough Husband is trying to sleep despite the pain, and I am trying to get comfortable in a DECK CHAIR...
Tomorrow morning Husband is going to have the dressing on the sore changed. Because it has been packed in so tight, he has to be under GA (general anaesthetic) for it to be changed. Kinda scary to think how tight it must be packed for it to be so painful that he needs GA to change it! After that, however, the dressing will not be packed tight, and should be simpler to change, with minimal pain or discomfort (or so I am told!! I will believe it when I see it!).
My parents and my sister have been regular visitors - sis turned up with her two boys yesterday just for a while. Bro-in-law calls when he can, to check on things. Brother and sis-in-law might be able to make it today, from Melaka. Apart from immediate family, I am not encouraging ANY visitors as it just makes Husband feel uncomfortable. So, to all our truly wonderful friends out there, wait till Husband is mobile, better, and HOME.. then feel free to come and see us... and we do look forward to that.
More updates tomorrow, after the dressing is changed. Till then, keep Husband in your thoughts and prayers, and may life be good to you all.
The surgeon came by again this morning, to check on him, and with his and my help Husband managed to first sit up and then stand up and transfer to a chair for a while. Got the nurses to change his sheets while he was up..... After that he managed to walk a few steps before he got back into bed. Was also able to give him a pretty much full wipe down with hot wipes, and get a new gown on him, so he feels a bit better. In fact, even as I write this he is fast asleep - for a change! Wonder when a nurse is going to charge in to take his BP or some such, thereby disturbing him!
You know, dont ever come to a hospital for a rest. Even at night, every 1.5 hours or so, they come in to: check BP, check temp, change IV, inject antibiotic, connect antibiotic IV, replace hot water. So, EVERY SINGLE TIME, just as you doze off, they will come in, switch on the light and wake you up. EVERY SINGLE TIME!! Bad enough Husband is trying to sleep despite the pain, and I am trying to get comfortable in a DECK CHAIR...
Tomorrow morning Husband is going to have the dressing on the sore changed. Because it has been packed in so tight, he has to be under GA (general anaesthetic) for it to be changed. Kinda scary to think how tight it must be packed for it to be so painful that he needs GA to change it! After that, however, the dressing will not be packed tight, and should be simpler to change, with minimal pain or discomfort (or so I am told!! I will believe it when I see it!).
My parents and my sister have been regular visitors - sis turned up with her two boys yesterday just for a while. Bro-in-law calls when he can, to check on things. Brother and sis-in-law might be able to make it today, from Melaka. Apart from immediate family, I am not encouraging ANY visitors as it just makes Husband feel uncomfortable. So, to all our truly wonderful friends out there, wait till Husband is mobile, better, and HOME.. then feel free to come and see us... and we do look forward to that.
More updates tomorrow, after the dressing is changed. Till then, keep Husband in your thoughts and prayers, and may life be good to you all.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
2nd op done. Status....
Op started before 6pm on 19th March, and only finished around 9pm. Much longer than expected because of some complications...
First, they did the chemo-port implant... as that was quick and clean and they figured they might as well get it done first. Need to do an xray tomorrow to make sure it is positioned correctly, but other than that it was straightforward. (UPDATE as of 20th Mar: They did the xray this morning without Husband even having to leave his bed. Brought a portable Xray machine, slid a metal plate under his upper body, took the Xray, and left!! Fast and relatively easy!)
Second, they did the reverse ileostomy - and that was more complicated than expected as all Husband's "internals" had shifted around and clumped together - apparently a normal happening with ileostomies, but worse than expected!! They took time to 'unclump' everything and get them all into place, especially as they did not want to make any more incisions and had to work through the small incision that was there from the original ileostomy. Anyway the incision is sutured shut, there is a gauze dressing on it, and there is NO MORE COLOSTOMY BAG REQUIRED (PHEW!!). Husband can now sleep on either side without worrying about the bag leaking. However, he cant eat yet - only sips of water - and when he can eat it will have to be very very mild foods (eg, rice porridge). And, if he has to cough or sneeze anytime in the next 2 - 3 weeks, he has to hold firmly to his side so that nothing gives way. (UPDATE as of 20th March: He is much better today. Pain is less obvious. He is able to speak normally.. just has to be careful not to make any sudden moves. Still only allowed sips of water...)
Finally, they went to debride the sore on the bum, and got a shock as it was far deeper than expected ( a full fingers depth!!), and there was apparently a huge pus-filled abscess below the thick surface layer of dead skin... so it took time to drain it and clean that out, leaving quite a big hole in the bum. The surgeon has packed it with silver paper and iodine, which will remain in place for at least 2 days - then when it is removed Husband will have to be under anaesthetic again as the removal process will be quite painful. Apparently it will take at least one month to heal up properly! (UPDATE as of 20th Mar: Even though he is sleeping on his back, ie, on the sore bum, it is still much less painful now, so he is not suffering from that at least!)
Right now, it looks like Husband will have to remain in hospital for at least the next 10 to 11 days or so - depending on how fast he heals up. Also, the chemo will have to wait till the bum is healed up nicely... which puts that somewhere at the end of April. To complicate matters a wee bit, I have to be back in SG from 25th - 28th March, to pay taxes, to renew car road tax, to terminate StarHub services, and to be there when the movers come to pack up our stuff. I HATE having to leave Husband, but I have no choice!
That's the udpates folks... and it would be great if you could continue to keep Husband in your prayers and your thoughts, as he is still not out of the woods yet.
Till next time, may life treat you kindly.
First, they did the chemo-port implant... as that was quick and clean and they figured they might as well get it done first. Need to do an xray tomorrow to make sure it is positioned correctly, but other than that it was straightforward. (UPDATE as of 20th Mar: They did the xray this morning without Husband even having to leave his bed. Brought a portable Xray machine, slid a metal plate under his upper body, took the Xray, and left!! Fast and relatively easy!)
Second, they did the reverse ileostomy - and that was more complicated than expected as all Husband's "internals" had shifted around and clumped together - apparently a normal happening with ileostomies, but worse than expected!! They took time to 'unclump' everything and get them all into place, especially as they did not want to make any more incisions and had to work through the small incision that was there from the original ileostomy. Anyway the incision is sutured shut, there is a gauze dressing on it, and there is NO MORE COLOSTOMY BAG REQUIRED (PHEW!!). Husband can now sleep on either side without worrying about the bag leaking. However, he cant eat yet - only sips of water - and when he can eat it will have to be very very mild foods (eg, rice porridge). And, if he has to cough or sneeze anytime in the next 2 - 3 weeks, he has to hold firmly to his side so that nothing gives way. (UPDATE as of 20th March: He is much better today. Pain is less obvious. He is able to speak normally.. just has to be careful not to make any sudden moves. Still only allowed sips of water...)
Finally, they went to debride the sore on the bum, and got a shock as it was far deeper than expected ( a full fingers depth!!), and there was apparently a huge pus-filled abscess below the thick surface layer of dead skin... so it took time to drain it and clean that out, leaving quite a big hole in the bum. The surgeon has packed it with silver paper and iodine, which will remain in place for at least 2 days - then when it is removed Husband will have to be under anaesthetic again as the removal process will be quite painful. Apparently it will take at least one month to heal up properly! (UPDATE as of 20th Mar: Even though he is sleeping on his back, ie, on the sore bum, it is still much less painful now, so he is not suffering from that at least!)
Right now, it looks like Husband will have to remain in hospital for at least the next 10 to 11 days or so - depending on how fast he heals up. Also, the chemo will have to wait till the bum is healed up nicely... which puts that somewhere at the end of April. To complicate matters a wee bit, I have to be back in SG from 25th - 28th March, to pay taxes, to renew car road tax, to terminate StarHub services, and to be there when the movers come to pack up our stuff. I HATE having to leave Husband, but I have no choice!
That's the udpates folks... and it would be great if you could continue to keep Husband in your prayers and your thoughts, as he is still not out of the woods yet.
Till next time, may life treat you kindly.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Quick updates
Xray (Loopogram) done today. It was very difficult and painful for husband - he had to lie on a HARD METAL TABLE, which was agony on his back and on the bedsore, and FREEZING COLD to boot. The nurses there kindly went to get him blankets, but, of course, during the Xray itself, the blankets had to come off. By the time he finished the Xray (11.55am to 12.20pm) and I went in to help him get dressed, he was so cold he was shivering really violently.
We got home around 12.30pm. Husband was shaky and weak, and it wasnt until 1.30pm that I could "convince" him to eat lunch. A couple of hours after that he was approaching normalcy again - once the food had gotten into him and given him some much-needed energy!
The doctor was able to tell me that everything looked A-OK, which basically means that the operation on Thursday is confirmed... PHEW!!! Three procedures to be done in the one operation:
- Reverse ileostomy (ie, the small intestine gets pushed back into place, and there will be no need for the colostomy bag any more)
- Chemo-port implant (just below the collar bone, to facilitate future chemotherapy)
- Debridement of the dead flesh from the bed sore (thereby allowing it to heal up faster).
And, of course, one outcome of the op will be that Husband can finally sleep on his side in comfort - thereby speeding up the healing process on the bed sore too.
Two more days... or, as Husband says, two more nights of sleeplessness, staring at the ceiling all night. Keep him in your prayers, that he has the strength to stick it out for the next two days, and the strength to get through the operation.
Till then... all the best everyone!
We got home around 12.30pm. Husband was shaky and weak, and it wasnt until 1.30pm that I could "convince" him to eat lunch. A couple of hours after that he was approaching normalcy again - once the food had gotten into him and given him some much-needed energy!
The doctor was able to tell me that everything looked A-OK, which basically means that the operation on Thursday is confirmed... PHEW!!! Three procedures to be done in the one operation:
- Reverse ileostomy (ie, the small intestine gets pushed back into place, and there will be no need for the colostomy bag any more)
- Chemo-port implant (just below the collar bone, to facilitate future chemotherapy)
- Debridement of the dead flesh from the bed sore (thereby allowing it to heal up faster).
And, of course, one outcome of the op will be that Husband can finally sleep on his side in comfort - thereby speeding up the healing process on the bed sore too.
Two more days... or, as Husband says, two more nights of sleeplessness, staring at the ceiling all night. Keep him in your prayers, that he has the strength to stick it out for the next two days, and the strength to get through the operation.
Till then... all the best everyone!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
So many Thank You's to say... and more to come!
So many people have rallied around Husband and I at this time, by giving us their time, their prayers, their love, coming to keep me company, cheering us up, even cooking for us!! I don't normally use names in my blog postings, but this time I have to....
My parents, my brother and sister-in-law, my sister and brother-in-law, my nieces and my nephews. The support, the medical advice and assistance from brother, sister-in-law and brother-in-law (all of whom are doctors!), the help, the company, the chicken soup (for Husband, made by my Mum), the errands run by my sis to pick up a never ending supply of ribena, orange juice et al. The sheer comfort of knowing that this amazing family of mine is there for us!
Our friends who keep us in their prayers, and in their hearts - Suja, Liz, Beena (all three of whom came to spend time with me at various times!); Hwee Peng (who came with us to KL on our last trip, so she could help cheer us up, which she did!); Gigi; TonyO (thank you for that absolutely gorgeous photo, we will treasure it!); Koshu (who also helped to find out where we could get the colostomy bag/base in SG); Indu, Anita, Sid, Tim (all 4 of whom came to see us and spend time with us in SG); Cathy (from Capgemini, the best boss ever, who gave me the time needed without ever putting pressure on me, but who took a lot of pressure on herself to give me that time); Ben & Christine (who have been keeping in regular touch with us from Netherlands and Scotland); Jason (Husbands son, who has been cheering his father up with regular, and cheeky, emails); Kevin (Husband's best friend, who is coming over to KL in April to give us what support he can); Jan & Geoff, Molly, Efy & Sianny, Poh Moi, Hadar & Oren, Annie (from Numonyx), TT, Fay, Rini, Joanna, Budy, Dinesh & Sharanya, Jean-Louis, Mike M, Yulstar, Hari, Keen; Philip, Jessie, Ruku, Mercy J (who brought her hairdresser over to our house in PJ so Husband could have his hair cut), Kasturi, Helen from Oracle Malaysia; Connie, our amazing helper; Erik and Bilal from Capgemini NL; Joy & Laura, Shanti & Mammen (who cooked enough for an army and brought the food to me all the way from Changi to Jurong), Grace C & Mo (who also cooked enough for an army and brought it over to us by TAXI); Michael O; Oskar, and Robyn from PetroProd who helped me to sort out Husband's paperwork for tax, etc; Jonathan & Jodi; Jacqui & Sean; Steve & Jackie; Ram, Marina and Rashidah from Capgemini SG; the team from AMS IBM Singapore - especially Phyllis, Janet, Sandeep, Audrey, Ben, Cherries, Lian Sang...
I am sure I have left out so many names too - but that is only forgetfulness on my part, not lack of love on yours. Thank you all, for everything, and I hope one day to be able to show you how much we both appreciate all of this.
Till next update (after 19th March), have a good life, stay safe, stay well.
My parents, my brother and sister-in-law, my sister and brother-in-law, my nieces and my nephews. The support, the medical advice and assistance from brother, sister-in-law and brother-in-law (all of whom are doctors!), the help, the company, the chicken soup (for Husband, made by my Mum), the errands run by my sis to pick up a never ending supply of ribena, orange juice et al. The sheer comfort of knowing that this amazing family of mine is there for us!
Our friends who keep us in their prayers, and in their hearts - Suja, Liz, Beena (all three of whom came to spend time with me at various times!); Hwee Peng (who came with us to KL on our last trip, so she could help cheer us up, which she did!); Gigi; TonyO (thank you for that absolutely gorgeous photo, we will treasure it!); Koshu (who also helped to find out where we could get the colostomy bag/base in SG); Indu, Anita, Sid, Tim (all 4 of whom came to see us and spend time with us in SG); Cathy (from Capgemini, the best boss ever, who gave me the time needed without ever putting pressure on me, but who took a lot of pressure on herself to give me that time); Ben & Christine (who have been keeping in regular touch with us from Netherlands and Scotland); Jason (Husbands son, who has been cheering his father up with regular, and cheeky, emails); Kevin (Husband's best friend, who is coming over to KL in April to give us what support he can); Jan & Geoff, Molly, Efy & Sianny, Poh Moi, Hadar & Oren, Annie (from Numonyx), TT, Fay, Rini, Joanna, Budy, Dinesh & Sharanya, Jean-Louis, Mike M, Yulstar, Hari, Keen; Philip, Jessie, Ruku, Mercy J (who brought her hairdresser over to our house in PJ so Husband could have his hair cut), Kasturi, Helen from Oracle Malaysia; Connie, our amazing helper; Erik and Bilal from Capgemini NL; Joy & Laura, Shanti & Mammen (who cooked enough for an army and brought the food to me all the way from Changi to Jurong), Grace C & Mo (who also cooked enough for an army and brought it over to us by TAXI); Michael O; Oskar, and Robyn from PetroProd who helped me to sort out Husband's paperwork for tax, etc; Jonathan & Jodi; Jacqui & Sean; Steve & Jackie; Ram, Marina and Rashidah from Capgemini SG; the team from AMS IBM Singapore - especially Phyllis, Janet, Sandeep, Audrey, Ben, Cherries, Lian Sang...
I am sure I have left out so many names too - but that is only forgetfulness on my part, not lack of love on yours. Thank you all, for everything, and I hope one day to be able to show you how much we both appreciate all of this.
Till next update (after 19th March), have a good life, stay safe, stay well.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Round 2....
Phew, finally got confirmation of the operation to reverse the ileostomy (ie, to push the intestine back inside, close off the hole in the abdominal wall, and do away with the frustrating colostomy bag).... it is gonna be on... ta dah... wait for it... Thursday 19th March! FINALLY!! And, in the same op, Husband will get the chemo-port implanted, and the dead flesh from the bed sore cut off - which will still require time to heal, but at least he can sleep on his side again and allow the bed sore to heal up completely! Of course, we still have to put up with the colostomy bag till the 19th, and endure the frustration of the base not sticking properly each time, but at least we have a timeline to go for.
How is Husband doing? He is still very tired - since food doesnt get into the large intestine, he is only getting half the nutrition he should be from the food he is eating. And, add in the lack of sleep due to the pain and discomfort caused by the bed sore, and I have one tired Husband on my hands. Yes, he IS getting better, slow and steady, and I know he will get better in leaps and bounds after the 2nd op, but, till then, patience, love, and small amounts of food on a very regular 2 hourly basis, all help to get him through this.
Given the situation, my wonderful boss has agreed that this Friday (13th Mar) will be my last day at work. So, this weekend sometime, we will be heading to KL. Tuesday we do the xray, taking pictures of the internal surgical joining of the colon, to make sure he is completely healed internally. Then..... the OPERATION.. That will really be cause for celebration!
I will have to be back in SG by 25th March, or maybe a day earlier, to settle income tax for both of us, renew car road tax, and, of course, because the movers are coming in on 26/27 Mar to pack up our stuff and ship it back to KL.
Sometime in April, after Husband has gained some strength, we will be moving into our new home at Mont'Kiara. It is a really nice complex, called Hijauan Kiara, and our unit has been fully renovated to our taste (and our designer/contractor, Athelea, and her partner, Deward, have done a WONDERFUL job!). Our stuff from SG will go straight to Hijauan Kiara, and we still have some of our stuff from PJ to move there too - eventually. Once we have got things moved, we will also move in there. We are looking forward to it too. Close enough to my parents and sister, and yet back in our own place again. It will be nice to finally feel like we are SETTLED.
So, to all our friends, give us time to settle in, and then come over to KL for a visit. You know how to get in touch with us (phone as well as email :-), and we look forward to having you as our guest in the not too distant future.
More updates after the 2nd op, and when we have more news on chemo. Till then, have a good life, and keep the prayers coming.
How is Husband doing? He is still very tired - since food doesnt get into the large intestine, he is only getting half the nutrition he should be from the food he is eating. And, add in the lack of sleep due to the pain and discomfort caused by the bed sore, and I have one tired Husband on my hands. Yes, he IS getting better, slow and steady, and I know he will get better in leaps and bounds after the 2nd op, but, till then, patience, love, and small amounts of food on a very regular 2 hourly basis, all help to get him through this.
Given the situation, my wonderful boss has agreed that this Friday (13th Mar) will be my last day at work. So, this weekend sometime, we will be heading to KL. Tuesday we do the xray, taking pictures of the internal surgical joining of the colon, to make sure he is completely healed internally. Then..... the OPERATION.. That will really be cause for celebration!
I will have to be back in SG by 25th March, or maybe a day earlier, to settle income tax for both of us, renew car road tax, and, of course, because the movers are coming in on 26/27 Mar to pack up our stuff and ship it back to KL.
Sometime in April, after Husband has gained some strength, we will be moving into our new home at Mont'Kiara. It is a really nice complex, called Hijauan Kiara, and our unit has been fully renovated to our taste (and our designer/contractor, Athelea, and her partner, Deward, have done a WONDERFUL job!). Our stuff from SG will go straight to Hijauan Kiara, and we still have some of our stuff from PJ to move there too - eventually. Once we have got things moved, we will also move in there. We are looking forward to it too. Close enough to my parents and sister, and yet back in our own place again. It will be nice to finally feel like we are SETTLED.
So, to all our friends, give us time to settle in, and then come over to KL for a visit. You know how to get in touch with us (phone as well as email :-), and we look forward to having you as our guest in the not too distant future.
More updates after the 2nd op, and when we have more news on chemo. Till then, have a good life, and keep the prayers coming.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Of surgery and treatments
Well, saw the surgeon today. He removed the staples from the surgical wound, so Husband no longer looks like he has a 10 inch zipper running down his middle, through his navel. The wound is still scabbing and healing so it looks a bit of a mess, especially in the navel - but, having seen my parents bypass surgery wounds heal until they are close to being invisible, I know that this will heal well too.
To digress a little - We are NOT having fun with the colostomy bags. The whole lot is actually in two parts - the BASE PLATE, and the COLOSTOMY BAG itself. The BASE PLATE has a hole in the centre (think of a flat doughnut), and the stoma (ie, the protruding small intestine), fits through that hole in the base. The area surrounding the hole in the base plate is supposed to stick firmly to the skin of the abdomen so that nothing can leak out from under. The colostomy bag itself clips onto the top of the base plate. The base plate is supposed to stay in place for 5 - 7 days, while the bag is supposed to be changed every 2 - 3 days. So... why are we not having fun? Well, the base plate has a problem sticking to Husband! One half of the plate, nearest the surgical wound does NOT stick properly. That is probably because the abdomen is pulled in due to the surgical wound (think of the surgical wound as a valley with high ground on either side!) and so the abdomen on that side is not flat - so how can a FLAT base plate stick to a not flat surface. On the OTHER side, away from the wound, it sticks very well indeed... but the net result is that, so far, every time we have had to change both the base and the bag together. And, therefore, Husband has very tender and sore skin under the base plate. My poor babe!!!
Anyway, back to the surgeon. He is going to schedule the reverse ileostomy (ie, the op to push the small intestine back into place, and remove the need for the colostomy bag) for week of 16th March. Next week the surgeon will confirm the actual date of the 2nd operation, and we will have to be back in KL 2 days before that, so that an x-ray (a special type called a 'loopogram') can be taken of Husband's insides, to ensure that the colon has healed well. In the same operation the surgeon is going to implant a chemo-port under Husband's collar bone (for eventual chemotherapy), and he is also going to cut away the dead flesh from the bed sore on the bum. He will also be having a CT scan of lungs, liver and pelvic region to check if the cancer has spread or not. Fingers crossed and prayers going that it has NOT spread!!! Once all that is done, we can finally get around to starting chemotherapy.
Husband and I are heading back to SG this coming Friday. A very, very slow drive, with plenty of stops along the way to let Husband walk off the soreness from the bed sore, and to empty the colostomy bag as needed.
I am supposed to continue with work till 26th March, but with all this happening I feel terribly guilty that I am not doing justice to my job. This whole week I have taken as leave, but that leaves such a burden on my boss - who has been incredibly and totally supportive of all that we have been going through. BUT, it is not fair to my employer or to my client, so I have been checking with my truly wonderful boss as to what can be done about this, as neither of us wants to see an unhappy client. It is also ironic that I am in a job that I am genuinely enjoying, with people who are great to work with, and I have to leave. Ah well... life can be funny! At least I am happy that I have found the perfect person to replace me. In fact, given time, I am pretty sure she will do an even better job than me :-D
So, that's the updates for now. If anything 'interesting' happens between now and the date of the loopogram, I will update this blog again. If not, well, have a great life my friends, and please continue to pray for us.
==============
Final comment: The word 'interesting' in the last paragraph above is used in the context of the Chinese curse "May you live in 'interesting' times". :-P
To digress a little - We are NOT having fun with the colostomy bags. The whole lot is actually in two parts - the BASE PLATE, and the COLOSTOMY BAG itself. The BASE PLATE has a hole in the centre (think of a flat doughnut), and the stoma (ie, the protruding small intestine), fits through that hole in the base. The area surrounding the hole in the base plate is supposed to stick firmly to the skin of the abdomen so that nothing can leak out from under. The colostomy bag itself clips onto the top of the base plate. The base plate is supposed to stay in place for 5 - 7 days, while the bag is supposed to be changed every 2 - 3 days. So... why are we not having fun? Well, the base plate has a problem sticking to Husband! One half of the plate, nearest the surgical wound does NOT stick properly. That is probably because the abdomen is pulled in due to the surgical wound (think of the surgical wound as a valley with high ground on either side!) and so the abdomen on that side is not flat - so how can a FLAT base plate stick to a not flat surface. On the OTHER side, away from the wound, it sticks very well indeed... but the net result is that, so far, every time we have had to change both the base and the bag together. And, therefore, Husband has very tender and sore skin under the base plate. My poor babe!!!
Anyway, back to the surgeon. He is going to schedule the reverse ileostomy (ie, the op to push the small intestine back into place, and remove the need for the colostomy bag) for week of 16th March. Next week the surgeon will confirm the actual date of the 2nd operation, and we will have to be back in KL 2 days before that, so that an x-ray (a special type called a 'loopogram') can be taken of Husband's insides, to ensure that the colon has healed well. In the same operation the surgeon is going to implant a chemo-port under Husband's collar bone (for eventual chemotherapy), and he is also going to cut away the dead flesh from the bed sore on the bum. He will also be having a CT scan of lungs, liver and pelvic region to check if the cancer has spread or not. Fingers crossed and prayers going that it has NOT spread!!! Once all that is done, we can finally get around to starting chemotherapy.
Husband and I are heading back to SG this coming Friday. A very, very slow drive, with plenty of stops along the way to let Husband walk off the soreness from the bed sore, and to empty the colostomy bag as needed.
I am supposed to continue with work till 26th March, but with all this happening I feel terribly guilty that I am not doing justice to my job. This whole week I have taken as leave, but that leaves such a burden on my boss - who has been incredibly and totally supportive of all that we have been going through. BUT, it is not fair to my employer or to my client, so I have been checking with my truly wonderful boss as to what can be done about this, as neither of us wants to see an unhappy client. It is also ironic that I am in a job that I am genuinely enjoying, with people who are great to work with, and I have to leave. Ah well... life can be funny! At least I am happy that I have found the perfect person to replace me. In fact, given time, I am pretty sure she will do an even better job than me :-D
So, that's the updates for now. If anything 'interesting' happens between now and the date of the loopogram, I will update this blog again. If not, well, have a great life my friends, and please continue to pray for us.
==============
Final comment: The word 'interesting' in the last paragraph above is used in the context of the Chinese curse "May you live in 'interesting' times". :-P
Sunday, March 01, 2009
The latest in the continuing saga...
.... we are back in KL - having arrived here, via Melaka, yesterday just after noon. Our very dear friend from Singapore (HP) came with us, to keep us company, cheer us up, and lend whatever assistance she could offer for the trip. It was great having her with us - because she DID help to cheer us up, a lot... and she was very helpful when it came to running small errands when I did not dare leave Husband alone. Thank you HP :-)
Husband is doing reasonably well - it has been just over 3 weeks since the op and he is recovering steadily, but he is in SUCH a lot of discomfort from the bed sore. The surgeon had prescribed this unusual dressing which comes impregnated with silver which is apparently a natural antiseptic. We change the dressing every couple of days (it can remain on the sore for a max of 7 days), and I can see, everytime I change the dressing, that the sore is getting better. Unfortunately it takes a LOT of time to get better, so the discomfort will be there for a while yet.
We have an appointment with the surgeon on Wednesday, when we hope to sort out several things - including the 2nd operation to push the small intestine back into place, close the hole in his abdomen where it was poking out, and therefore eliminating the need for the colostomy bag. What else do we need to sort out? Well, one thing I have not said in my previous two postings is that it has been confirmed that Husband has colon cancer. Currently identified as Stage 3, but we need to have a CT scan of the lungs, abdomen and pelvis done asap, to check if it has spread. If it has, then it is Stage 4. We are not letting this get us down. We will take each day as it comes, as a blessing, and we will do whatever is necessary to fight this. This is where your prayers will come in so helpful, as I strongly believe in the power of prayer.
Once the scan has been done, and the 2nd op done as well, Husband can start on chemotherapy. As part of the 2nd op the surgeon has recommended that Husband has a 'chemo-port' implanted, just under the skin, below the collar bone. The chemo-port is kinda like an IV. The part that the needle gets connected to is the part under the skin. From there a fine tube runs through the vena cava (the main vein leading to the heart), and it stops just short of the heart. This will make it easy to do the chemo, as it won't be necessary to look for a vein each time, and it will allow Husband to be completely mobile and go about life as usual during chemo, rather than being bed-bound in a hospital. It is also the best delivery mechanism as the chemo drugs get pumped straight from the heart to the whole body.
While we were in Melaka, we had the opportunity to speak to the oncologist, and he was able to tell us about the expected side effects. Would you believe that the biggest worries (hair loss and constant nausea) are NOT side effects of these drugs? In fact, the biggest side effect, and that is also generally something that slowly wears off over the months after completion of chemo, is numbness of the fingers. Husband is a bit worried that it might stop him from playing the guitar, the piano and the clarinet, but, to both of us, this side effect is worth it to have the treatment work.
Well my friends, now you know the whole story. Pray for us, keep us in your thoughts, especially for strength for Husband. Thank you for listening, and, till next time, may life continue to be good to you in these difficult times...
Husband is doing reasonably well - it has been just over 3 weeks since the op and he is recovering steadily, but he is in SUCH a lot of discomfort from the bed sore. The surgeon had prescribed this unusual dressing which comes impregnated with silver which is apparently a natural antiseptic. We change the dressing every couple of days (it can remain on the sore for a max of 7 days), and I can see, everytime I change the dressing, that the sore is getting better. Unfortunately it takes a LOT of time to get better, so the discomfort will be there for a while yet.
We have an appointment with the surgeon on Wednesday, when we hope to sort out several things - including the 2nd operation to push the small intestine back into place, close the hole in his abdomen where it was poking out, and therefore eliminating the need for the colostomy bag. What else do we need to sort out? Well, one thing I have not said in my previous two postings is that it has been confirmed that Husband has colon cancer. Currently identified as Stage 3, but we need to have a CT scan of the lungs, abdomen and pelvis done asap, to check if it has spread. If it has, then it is Stage 4. We are not letting this get us down. We will take each day as it comes, as a blessing, and we will do whatever is necessary to fight this. This is where your prayers will come in so helpful, as I strongly believe in the power of prayer.
Once the scan has been done, and the 2nd op done as well, Husband can start on chemotherapy. As part of the 2nd op the surgeon has recommended that Husband has a 'chemo-port' implanted, just under the skin, below the collar bone. The chemo-port is kinda like an IV. The part that the needle gets connected to is the part under the skin. From there a fine tube runs through the vena cava (the main vein leading to the heart), and it stops just short of the heart. This will make it easy to do the chemo, as it won't be necessary to look for a vein each time, and it will allow Husband to be completely mobile and go about life as usual during chemo, rather than being bed-bound in a hospital. It is also the best delivery mechanism as the chemo drugs get pumped straight from the heart to the whole body.
While we were in Melaka, we had the opportunity to speak to the oncologist, and he was able to tell us about the expected side effects. Would you believe that the biggest worries (hair loss and constant nausea) are NOT side effects of these drugs? In fact, the biggest side effect, and that is also generally something that slowly wears off over the months after completion of chemo, is numbness of the fingers. Husband is a bit worried that it might stop him from playing the guitar, the piano and the clarinet, but, to both of us, this side effect is worth it to have the treatment work.
Well my friends, now you know the whole story. Pray for us, keep us in your thoughts, especially for strength for Husband. Thank you for listening, and, till next time, may life continue to be good to you in these difficult times...
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