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@susan2018
We are rowing a similar boat. To make a long story short my husband had a cystproctatectomy early Oct. Was discharged with an undiagnosed ileus and pelvic abcess three weeks later. He required admission to ICU 8 days post op, when he had 7 litres of aspirate drained immediately and 1 litre every 4 hrs for 24 - 36 hrs until it began to reduce. He had a NDE experience his first night in ICU. All this was in a private hospital where I had stayed mostly 24/7 and my concerns were generally ignored.
A little over 24 hrs after discharge I was forced to call the ambulance and had him transferred to our public hospital who could never understand how he was discharged. He underwent emergency surgery for a pelvic abscess and peritonitis, admission to ICU and another 5 week stay. He had a flexible colonoscopy and later a neostigmine infusion to attempt to 'kick start' his bowel with little effect honestly. It was 7 weeks until he passed flatus.
He was discharged 30 Nov and it continues to be a struggle. His quaillty of life has been effected majorly. He has had to withdraw from 2 state NFP committees he has been on for years, one as chairman as he is unable to perform his judicial duties. It is heartbreaking given he spent 6 months 'training' prior to surgery to ensure he was in the best possible shape. The staff at the public ICU say it is probably the reason he didn't die.
It is heartbreaking to say the least and others think because he is home he is OK which is so far from the truth.
Hope your husband is doing well and your weekend is peaceful. Take care. X
Replies to "@susan2018 We are rowing a similar boat. To make a long story short my husband had..."
I have thought about you and your husband and wonder how you both are doing? Are any of your husband’s issues resolving so he can gain strength? Are you able to go out and about and participate in normal day to day activities? I hope things are better.
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When my husband had his ileus after open heart surgery he was so desperately miserable,
It’s the only time I’ve ever seen him sink into a deep depressive state for several days. I can only imagine what it was like for your husband (and you.) And still is. Weeks of stress, not knowing, losing touch with your normal day to day life. Yes, they did a colonoscopy for my husband too. That relieved the pressure of the gas but what finally got things going was the medication Amitiza. The GI doc said it would basically cause cholera-like diarrhea. And it worked. Of course, then it threw his electrolytes off and caused his heart to go into atrial fibrillation which extended his hospital stay. He went home on Amitiza and gradually reduced the dosage. I’m wondering now if all that left his bowels especially sensitive and vulnerable to common GI bugs. Norovirus has been going around our community and that is what I thought he had originally. Labs came back negative, however the doc says if there is any blood in the stool specimen that can negate the results. So the mystery remains. Right now the big problem is that his kidney function has been affected by the dehydration and while it improved a little over last night, not much. Thanks for your response and writing about your awful but interesting experience.