Beware, A Clinical Report on a Thursday

I'll get to the clinical report farther down. I've spent most of this day huddled on the sofa beneath a blanket while wearing a heavy fuzzy pink robe. My hair is clean but not groomed, no makeup and a Lortab on board for the soreness in the abdomen.

A few times I have tapped in to Skype and visited with my old buddy Kathy. I truly appreciate that Kathy is usually right there at the click of a button and on camera she appears with her "What's up?" All is right in my world.

The day April and I received the news from the doctors visit about the cancer, the husband was out of town on a job. He was in Oklahoma I think. When he called and I told him the news, he didn't mention that at the end of that phone conversation, he threw all his stuff in the truck, told the client he was leaving and he hit the road.

April stayed with me until she had to go home and be with Carrie.

Kathy stayed with me that night. The iPad sat on the bedside table, the Skype camera tuned in and she stayed with me until I went to sleep. The husband got home in the wee hours of the morning.

 Sometimes we would talk but many minutes went by where no conversation was necessary. I didn't feel alone. I'll say it again, the internet is a wonderful thing and for me that night it was a comfort knowing Kathy sat there with me through tears and fear. That's a true friend. I can always depend on her to be there for me.

Clinically: You might want to stop reading right here. This is nurse charting and something I will refer back to should I need to know this information.

Head to Toe: 
The abdominal wounds are open to air. No signs of infection. Tenderness still remains. Pain relief is ordered at 1 to 2 Lortabs every 4 hrs. as needed. I never take two and never on a 4hr routine. I usually take 1 to 2 the entire day. 
1400 hrs/1 lortab for tenderness.
No BM and I am beginning to be concerned. A week plus one day, I readied my colon for surgery. A cleanse. This past Monday I was allowed foods. No BM. 

 Since Tuesday I've cut back to soft foods; puddings, applesauce and jello. One jello a day, or a pudding cup a day and yesterday the husband made a pot of beans and sausage. I had 1/4 cup of it. The husband offered to get me something else but I had to tell him I wasn't eating until I had a BM. Today was 3 tablespoons of mashed potatoes. My appetite remains subdued. I'm grateful.

The husband made his usual run to Walmart today and as usual as he passed out the door he called "Can I get you anything?"

"Prune juice." Get me some prune juice please."

With a colon resect, you you have to be careful on how you handle this problem. I chose to go the natural way instead of trying glycerin suppositories. 

He returned with dried prunes and a jug of prune juice. I drank 1/2 a water glass of the prune juice and ate a few of the prunes.

I can't begin to tell you how relieved I am..in more ways then one. I feared I was going to have to contact the doctor. Within an hour I was back to normal

I plan on being very careful on what passes my lips now. I'll do a soft regular diet for the next week. I could eat scrambled eggs and toast for every meal and I might just be doing that.

That's my report for today. I'm going to take a nap while that Lortab is still keeping me comfortable.