The Word B

yup. you guessed it. i made it through. it was a crazy nightmare. most of the stay in hospital i was too doped up on morphine to know what exactly was going on. but my wonderful wife had sent an email out to friends and family, that better sums up and explains my situation.

cherrybean said: brent is doing amazingly well. with the major invasion and huge gash in his belly, he is noticeably better everyday. we are sure the massive
amounts of chinese herbs he took weeks prior to the surgery are helping in his
strong recovery. his liver is getting worked with all the drugs - pain relief,
antibiotics, anti nausea etc. he is still just on a liquid diet of -
chicken broth, jello and apple juice, 3 times a day. mmm. and he farted
yesterday!! yay! first time. so that was actually a big step, as his bowel is
waking up and going to start working soon. he wee's alot with the sodium chloride
iv drip that keeps him hydrated. so that is lots of ups and shuffles to
the loo, instead of peeing in the bottle. he takes walks [shuffles] around
the ward, one hand out in front, braced, and the other dragging his iv pole
along. i give his calves and feet a really good massage every day. his
feet and ankles are quite swollen. but still wears the compression socks, as
he spends most his time laying on his back. he is starting to want to lay
on his side, but still too painful. it takes him a while to sit up and is
shaky when he stands, but he's on a mission and having less pain everyday.
they will take him off morphine soon, perhaps today. it makes him itchy all
over, sleepy and nauseas, but still likes the relief it gives. he vomits here
and there, which really hurts his belly. he is getting alot of visitors now, which entertains him and loves the support and care he is getting, but it tires him out. by late afternoon he is pretty groggy and not very responsive. i snuggle down with him for a couple hours at night and he sleeps alot easier with me there. snuggle
bunny that he is, laying on his back and straight, i make all effort to be
still and just rub his head and his hands. he has bruises on his arm from
needles and has a needle in his collarbone/shoulder area still [a central line,
for more immediate response]. the nurses have generally been great. its
being in a public hospital with all the noise and 4 people to a room, with
construction going on in the room next door that doesn't allow him really
enough good deep sleep.