24 Hours with BlancheNoE - A hellish day in paradise

[pendragon]

Howdy Folks

Greetings from Not Europe

So basically I had just these two simple questions for the doctors,...

1. Is this establishment just a front for the CIA?
2. Do you really believe that my wife is a card carrying member of the Taliban?

Or,... how else can the following be explained?

   (To put it all in context,... BlancheNoE is experiencing extreme abdominal pains and suffering from severe nausea. It completely eludes her to get comfortable in the bed. The top mattress seems to be a special offer purchased from the renowned Inquisition Supply Company Inc.

   She continuously attempts to vomit,... but can't,... to be entitled to puke, you have to have put something down your throat first. She hasn't eaten anything in days so it is just not going to work. Somewhere very deep inside, she knows this very well. But, you don't think that something as trivial as the impossible is going to stop our intrepid Blanche do you? Riiiiiight,... she strictly adheres  to the old adage, If at first you don't succeed,...

   Intermittently she loudly appeals, in general for help and specifically to God for assistance,...not in the least taking into consideration that it was He who put her in this awkward predicament in the first place. Duh.

   To her defense though, she is too distracted by current events to question the wisdom of calling on the ultimate arsonist fireman.)

From Wed. Dec 14. 2011 4:00 PM  (2 days after operation, 1 day after leaving ICU) 

   to Thurs. Dec.15. 2011 4:00PM)

  4:00  PM    Vitals (Blood pressure, temperature, pulse et al.)

  6:00  PM    Meds

  7:00  PM    Pain patch applied / more meds

  8:00  PM    Vitals

10:00  PM    Wound drains checked

                                                       (At 11 PM I leave to take care of essential matters)

11:30  PM    A bed alarm is installed

12:00  PM    Vitals

                                                       ( At 2:00AM I return)   

  2:05  AM    Bed alarm goes off, blood sugar reading, BlancheNoE is weighed. (To make sure she's all there?)

  4:30  AM    Vitals

  5:30  AM    Meds

  5:45  AM    1 Doctor looks her over

  6:00  AM    Wound drains checked

  6:30  AM    Blood sugar reading

  6:40  AM    A drip alarm goes off 

  6:45  AM    5 Doctors check her out

  6:50  AM    Pain patch removed (It had neglected to have any effect)

  7:15  AM    Shift change

  7:30  AM    Breakfast

  8:00  AM    Vitals

  8:45  AM    BlancheNoE questioned regarding lunch

  9:00  AM    Meds 

  9:05  AM    Daily newspaper delivered

10:00  AM    Wound drains checked, meds

10:05  AM    Occupational therapy survey and interrogation

10:40  AM    Blood sugar reading

10:50  AM    Oxygen hose to nose

11:05  AM    Forced to sit in a chair,... as exercise

11:10  AM    Room cleaning

11:40  AM    Vitals and meds

11:45  AM    Lunch

11:55  AM    Home care survey and interrogation

12:00  AM - 1:15  PM  Transplant coordinator briefing  

                                                    ( 3 incoming calls missed,... so sorry NatureJunkie)

  1:30  PM    BlancheNoE questioned regarding supper

  1:35  PM    1 Doc looks her over, blood oxygen levels checked

  2:05  PM    Wound drains checked

  2:35  PM    Meds

  2:40  PM    Refit drains dressings

  2:50  PM    More meds

  3:00  PM    Dietician questions her

  3:10  PM    Even more meds

  3:45  PM    Blood sugar reading

  3:50 PM    Vitals

  At 4:00  PM,... BlancheNoE finally dozes deep enough and finally stops groaning,... and a young lad walks in just to scan some pieces of equipment, thereby waking her. And the rest?

   I mean,... just sayin’,... sleep deprivation has been recognized as and is proven to be an effective method of torture. 

      (I recall,... decades ago,... when I would regularly come home, skunk drunk, or beaten up, or wasted from a triple shift,... or all three,... experiencing the almost magical rejuvenation powers of a good nights sleep. Its regeneration of mind, body and soul.)

   I confront he Doctors with these tidbits of information.

   Meanwhile, I am very disconcerted to see that BlancheNoE has developed the classic “Thousand yard stare”.

   Much to their credit, the Doctors make arrangements that she is not to be interrupted from 11:00  PM Thursday until 4:00  AM Friday. I thank them profusely.

   It is all for nought. Bloody friggin holes in socks! Five so precious consecutive hours irretrievably lost. I am so loathe to stand impotent, to experience so intensely the torment of their slipping our grasp. Thursday night is too horrendous that I desire to describe. But in essence, I stop trying to be “Mister Nice Guy” and slap her around a bit. (Of course not physically) 

   

    She stops looking so far in the distance. 

   The evil spell is broken and in the course of the Friday she regroups her forces, gathers her strength,... culminating in some video footage to be shown at a later date. 

   So tired. My mind has gotten crowded at the edges. I feel my eyeballs need a shave. Tentatively gruntled, I can go home for a night, to partake of the almost magical rejuvenation powers of a good nights sleep. 

   Now, only to search for fleeting Morpheus and nestle in his arms.  

[lima]

Yes. lack of sleep can really do a number on you both.  I hope all starts coming to a calm soon and everything goes well with her foods.  Keeping you both in my thoughts!  

[Chig]

Eventually you will feel lonely because no one will come in the room for hours.   Of couse that will be the day you spend waiting and waiting ad waiting for that hospital discharge.  You'll get there.  Hang in.

[Marie]

Lots of positive energy being sent to both of you.

[Victoria]

thankfully, we do not have a recall mechanism for pain.  but in the here and now, is Blanche on a pain pump?    you have to be exhausted.  it's hard to watch our loved ones going through this, sounds like you're doing a GREAT job.  :)

[S.A. Murray]

Hoping the Blanche fared the weekend .. checking the rest of the posts now :)