Second Operation and Hospital Time

Tuesday I visited Hubby who was very cheerful and in between I stopped at the workshop to check on things. All was fine so I went down to Hubby before going home but after getting a call from the workshop I returned to get supplies they needed. First Vusi and I went up to get sawdust that’s needed for the moils etc. before I went to get oil for the hammer. Diane and I visited again in the evening after stopping to do some shopping on the way down to the hospital.
Wednesday I left the plot just before eight so that I would be there for when Hubby came out from the op. To my surprise he was still waiting to go to theatre so we chatted and did crosswords until they eventually came for him at half ten. This time he was in Room 4 so the bed could be wheeled out for theatre. I went to the hospital Cafe for some breakfast and coffee and then carried on with the crossword and reading the magazine. Hubby was bought back to his room just before twelve- he had been so long as he had to lie and wait in line for his turn to be operated on. To his delight within minutes his lunch arrived and he tucked in immediately. I stayed with him until nearly two to see if the Dr would come and see him but unfortunately he was still busy in theatre. I returned to the plot and went back at five to fetch Diane and go back to the hospital. The Dr had been to see Hubby and told him that they had cleared out another infection they had found in the wound and that he would need very strong anti biotics to clear the one they had discovered out of his body. Tablets will not be strong enough and he would need to go to the hospital daily for an injection for at least a month. Hubby was very down and Diane said he was obviously hungry. When I asked what his supper had been he said it was some awful concoction. Hubby’s stomach sure rules his life. Diane and I decided to go across to Mike’s and have starters. It was pleasant to sit and relax. I had calamari and rice while Diane had mushrooms and we ordered chicken strips for Hubby. When we took Hubby’s food back he immediately brightened and by the time he had finished he was smiling and cheerful. Amazing what food can do!
Thursday morning I left the plot just after eight to go through to Ali for Travis’s birthday. She had phoned and said that Travis had been really sick with a temperature and coughing during the night. When I arrived at her we had a cappuccino before taking his cake to him at school so he could have it with his classmates. Travis was thrilled to see us and really enjoyed being sung to by everyone but as he was feeling lousy more than ready to leave. We took him straight to the Flora Clinic where both he and Ali got checked. Travis was diagnosed with pneumonia and Ali with bronchitis and they were given prescriptions. We stopped to get the medication and buy some lunch from Woolies before going back to Ali’s place. Josh was tired and while Ali saw to him I unpacked the car and started lunch. Travis needed to eat to take his medicine so I quickly made him a sandwich but he wasn’t very hungry so Ali gave him some of the chocolate mousse we had got him – it was his birthday and any food was good. After having a few mouthfuls we gave his medicine and Ali changed him into something cooler and settled him on the couch where he fell asleep. We ate our lunch and then I played with Josh on the bed till he fell asleep. I left about half two and went to visit Hubby at the hospital. Hubby was lying chatting to his friend Peter when I arrived and we chatted awhile before he left to collect a friend from the airport. The wound specialist, Lorainne, had been to see Hubby and had connected the KCI- vacuum pump- to his wound. This continuously pulses and draws blood down to the wound and keeps it clean while encouraging healing. I spent until just before five with Hubby before returning to the plot for the evening.
Friday was in Alberton early again as Hubby wanted help with washing and changing – not an easy process with a drip and the KCI attached. We sat chatting and having our drinks from the Cafe for about an hour before the Sister came in to discuss Hubby’s treatment. The hospital was waiting for authorisation from the medical aid for the KCI and anti biotics. The med aid had acknowledged receiving the letter but not replied. She asked me to contact them as this would probably speed up the process. I was going up to the workshop so I left immediately to make the phone call. At the workshop I paid the workers and then made the phone calls I needed to make and was pleased when they gave the authorisation number. While in the office I had a phone call from a customer wanting gwalas made so I asked Gino to get a price on the material for me and let me have the figures later. I went back to the hospital and gave the number authorising use of the KCI until the 10th September. After spending some more time with Hubby and Don who was visiting I left for home. I spent the afternoon cleaning and sorting things out the quote and order for the gwalas. I was too tired to return to Alberton and when Diane got home we had a glass of wine before having supper and relaxing for the rest of the evening.
Cheers and Have a Great Weekend.

Update on Hubby

Friday morning we were up early and ready to leave just after seven for Hubby’s check-up. Once at the hospital the Sister took Hubby into the ward and removed his bandage before leaving him for the Sister –in-Charge to come and check on the wound. While we were on our own Hubby took the covering off and we had a good look at the wound. We were both surprised and pleased to see how well it was closing up. The Dr and Sister -in-Charge bustled in to look saying that the Sister who had removed the bandage had told them she had noticed pus in the wound. The Dr was concerned and forced the wound open so that it could get cleaned out – they couldn’t allow it to close while there was still infection. I left Hubby to them as I couldn’t face watching them work on the wound. The Sister forced padding into the wound to hold it open and filled the hole with ointment before bandaging it again. Both Hubby and I felt really down as we really had thought it was improving. The Dr. told Hubby to leave the dressing for the weekend and come back on Monday morning for them to check it again and monitor progress. We quickly popped in to the workshop to hand out payslips and check on things before returning home for Hubby to get back into bed. I started my invoicing and statements doing them in between nursing Hubby and sticking to a careful eating plan to keep his sugar levels down. I told him it is like looking after a baby as I give him something every three hours and any shopping etc has to be fitted in around these times. Hubby said he feels like a baby because if his food is not exactly on time he feels like crying. Diane was home after work and we had a glass of wine together before having supper. While I cleaned up afterwards she organised her things for the week ahead.
Saturday Ali came over to visit with the boys and Travis really kept us busy with his antics. Mid afternoon Diane’s client came over with products that she needed pics of for her website which kept Diane busy until after five. Once the client was gone she got herself ready for an evening out at a birthday party. I did some cleaning up after Hurricane Travis and then Hubby and I spent a quiet evening watching TV. I was too tired to do any office work.
Sunday morning Diane was home just after seven as she had stayed at Margaret because the party went on till late. She needed to check her pics and start to get them ready for her client. We left about half ten to meet up with everyone at the Botanical Gardens where Pauline had booked for her 60th birthday do. It was a lovely sunny day and the parking area was already almost full but luckily having the wheelchair gave certain privileges and we were able to park fairly close to the entrance. After a short wait we made our way down to the restaurant where we were able to have refreshments on the deck and catch up with everyone. David was the last to arrive as he had flown in from Durban and had come straight from the airport. Once everyone was there we toasted Pauline with champagne before sitting down at the table to start the meal. The meal was a self service carvery with starters, main course and desserts. The food was tasty and we all thoroughly enjoyed the meal. It was good to get together again and see family members that we hadn’t seen for years. Kelly had made the birthday cake which was a delicious chocolate cake though she was upset that the hot sun had melted some of the chocolate decorations around the sides. Nobody had expected the weather to get so hot so quickly. Spring has certainly arrived. Yay! It was good to be wearing summer clothes again. Both Hubby and I really enjoyed ourselves – it was good to chill after our stressful week. We left the restaurant about four and were home by five as we stopped to do some shopping on the way home. Diane got on to the computer to carry on with her pics and I finished my statements off before watching some TV. Hubby hasn’t been sleeping well as his leg has been throbbing and keeping him awake so he fell asleep after a light supper. I made his last snack at eleven and almost left him to sleep but the Dr had said the last snack at night is very important to keep his sugar levels down during the night so I woke him to eat it before Diane and I went to bed. She had finished her pics but was too tired to stop and put them on a disc.
Monday morning we were up early again and Diane quickly did her client’s disc for collection before leaving for work and her week at Margaret. Hubby and I left soon after for his wound check-up. While the Sister checked Hubby’s wound I went for coffee and breakfast. When I got back Hubby’s was sitting waiting for the Dr. The Dr checked the wound and got the Sister’s feedback. The wound still had a lot of pus and the area around the wound was starting to get red. The Dr said they needed to admit Hubby again to put him back onto an antibiotic drip to stop any bacteria developing again. The Sister dressed the wound again and Hubby was allowed to return home to pack his bag for his stay in hospital. We were both very upset as his sugar levels have stayed low – around four the last few days- and we had hoped this was a good sign. After packing his bag and giving Hubby his snack we returned to the hospital where Hubby was re-admitted. I spent a couple of hours with him before returning home to start e-mailing and faxing my statements. I finished the majority of them just before five in time to return to visit Hubby and see how things were progressing. Diane had finished work so I stopped to pick her up on the way to the hospital. When we got to the ward the Sister told us that Hubby was having his op on Wednesday morning. Doug was visiting and not long after he left the Sister came in to check on Hubby and spent time updating us on Hubby’s progress. They are going to cut deeper and clean everything infected out so his toe can heal. He has now been classed as high risk and needs to be monitored carefully before his op can be done. His kidneys are very bad – when the stent was put in after his heart attack iodine was pumped through the veins and this is what caused the damage. He was also given chest x-rays and an ECG during the afternoon. The wound specialist had also come to see him as he had asked about leech therapy. Leech therapy can only be used when there is dead and decaying skin and as Hubby’s wound has very little it will not work for him. After the Sister had gone Hubby laughed and said this is the first time he has felt so good and been told he is so bad. I’m glad he is staying positive and so cheerful.
Well that’s all for now. I will keep you updated on his progress.

Hospital Time

Was just finishing off supper when Diane got home and we quickly ate before going back in to the hospital. Hubby was feeling a bit more cheerful about things but starting to feel like a pin cushion as they are checking his sugar levels every hour. The levels are up and down all the time and the insulin dosage is monitored very carefully to keep levels seven and below. Luckily Hubby had a good sleep on Thursday night as he will be having a very disturbed night tonight. Jocelyn came to visit Hubby as well and we had a pleasant chat together. We left about half eight for home and spent the rest of the evening watching TV and checking e-mails. Diane also started sorting things out for the week ahead as we will be busy backwards and forwards to the hospital over the weekend.
Saturday morning we were up early as we had lots to do. I did some washing while Diane finished sorting her things out. Ali phoned at nine to say she was leaving for the hospital and would meet us there at ten. She left the two boys with Leith. We quickly finished what we were doing and got ready to go in. It was just before ten when we arrived and as we couldn’t see Ali anywhere we went in to Hubby. Only Faizel was with him so I phoned to see where Ali was. She was stuck in traffic coming into Alberton but soon joined us. Diane and Ali went to get coffee/Milo from the Cafe and as they walked out Hubby whispered to me that the Dr. had been to see him earlier and things were not looking good at all. He didn’t want Ali to know as he didn’t want her getting upset. She has Josh to see to and being upset can affect him. Cordell phoned to see how things were and when I told him Hubby’s news he said he was coming up on the first available flight. Ali and Diane came back and Hubby told us all that when the Dr. had opened the wound it was still very infected so he had to remove the stitches to allow it to drain. This means the wound will take longer to heal as a layer must form over it. He will now have to stay off his feet for three months. He had asked the Dr. about cutting further up and he explained that this will cause all sorts of back and balance problems so we must just hope for the best. During the night his sugar had dropped to four so they took him off the insulin. When they tested him an hour later it was over eleven and he was put back on it and must stay on it now. We stayed with Hubby until about half twelve and then went shopping to get some reading matter for Hubby to keep him occupied. On the way back from the shop I ran in to give Hubby the magazines and asked him what else the Dr. had said but he said he was fine and there was nothing else. The three of us went over to Mike’s Kitchen and had some lunch. There lunchtime menu is excellent and we really did enjoy the meal. Ali ordered eisbein with chips, Diane had a pasta dish and I had prawns with rice. Before leaving we popped in to say bye to Hubby saying we would be back later when Cordell and Gino were there. Ali left for home and so did we. As we were leaving Alberton I suddenly remembered we had got the sms to say Diane’s phone was fixed and awaiting collection so we went back to collect it quickly. It was after three when we got home and I quickly got the spare room ready for Cordell to use and did some cleaning before getting ready to go back to the hospital. We were back at about half five finding Cordell and Gino there with Hubby who was enjoying Cordell’s company. It has been over a year since we were last together. Rodney and Jocelyn arrived to visit as well. We left at eight and took Cordell and Gino over to Mike’s. We must be their best customer at the moment! We had a great meal and chat together. It was after ten when we got home where we sat talking until midnight. When I got into bed I read awhile before putting out the light. No sooner had my head hit the pillow then my mind went into overdrive. All the pieces fell in to place. Hubby had said things didn’t look good. While talking to Cordell I remember hearing Hubby, in the background, say that in the anti-biotic drip were three separate bags each holding a different anti-biotic. When we first arrived in the morning he had looked upset. I now realised he must have septicaemia. That was me for the night. I tossed and turned until I gave up and got up to have a coffee early in the morning. I woke Diane fairly early and once Cordell surfaced I made him breakfast. He left not long after nine to spend time with Hubby. He took the Golf as Diane and I wanted to do some cleaning and Diane needed to pack her things to take into Margaret. We were ready to leave about half ten and went to do some shopping before joining Cordell at the hospital. The Dr. had been again and - according to Hubby - was pleased with the improvement in the wound and he should be going home on Monday. He had also explained why Hubby must stay off his feet. With the Diabetes the veins in his legs have narrowed which is why he has no feeling in his feet. Standing cuts the blood supply which means the wounds cannot heal. Explains why he hasn’t healed before. Hopefully this time he stays off his feet.During the night his sugar level had dropped to two and he needed glucose to get it back up.He is now off the insulin drip. We spent the day at the hospital having a sandwich about lunchtime at the hospital Cafe. About half four we went across to Mike’s again for a quick meal before returning to say bye to Hubby. Gino took Cordell back to the airport at six for his return flight. Diane and I went up to take her things to Margaret stopping to put petrol in her car on the way. After dropping her things off we drove in convoy back home where we had a fairly early night as we were both really tired.
Monday after Diane had left for work I put washing on and cleared the kitchen before phoning the hospital to see what was happening. The Sister in charge of the ward said the Dr had been and they were still worried about his wound and definitely no going home for him. The workshop needed stationery items so I got ready and went in to Alberton. After buying what was needed I dropped the things at the workshop before going to see Hubby. He was on his own and we had a good chat. He admitted how serious things were and that he does have septicaemia. I was cross and told him he must be honest with me about things. We spent the morning together and I left just before one to go back home. I finished the washing and did a bit of cleaning and some office work before going back in. I got there at five and chatted with Hubby a while before Diane and Doug arrived. After visiting Diane and I went across to Mike’s again. Definitely their best customer! Diane left for Margaret after our meal and I came home to do the blog. I am now off to bed for a well deserved sleep.
Cheers for now. Have a good week.