Day 6 - Post Bypass Surgery

Hi!
Today was another interesting day with my Jimmy. I came in this morning and he was sitting in his chair. He looked so cute that I had to take a picture. See him waving? I found out that, as I feared, Jim was awake most of the night. I'm a little paranoid about him getting his days and nights mixed up like he did five years ago. Sleep deprivation makes me cry a lot! He also had a new feeding tube in -- that makes two that he's pulled out...even with 'reminders'. He's a sneaky little bugger!

I guess that physical therapy came in early, unfortunately before I got there, and had him sitting on the edge of the bed. He said he was pretty weak, but I would expect that. That did seem to tucker him out a bit, so he took a short nap. He then stayed awake until I went to grab another yummy hospital cafeteria lunch. When I came back up, he was still awake and a little more goofy. The nurse was kind of concerned; the doctors seem to think that he's developing a kind of psychosis that is commonly associated with the steroid medication that he is on for the brain swelling. They also think that his long stretch of wakefulness throughout the night and day was a contributing factor. They gave him some morphine to knock him out and have ordered the nurses to refrain from waking him up for their assessments, except for certain ordered times. They want him to get some good uninterrupted sleep.

It was pretty interesting watching Jimmy 'wack out'. He became very strong and mobile, which I was a little pleased to see. He was really moving his legs around and even had one leg off the bed as he was determined to get up. He was very nimble with his hands as well, and I had to tie him down even while sitting right next to him. He kept going for that darn feeding tube -- which by the way runs from his nose, down the back of his throat, and into his stomach -- and was also trying to dislodge his catheter (ouch!). Have you ever heard of the term, "bound and determined"? Well, that's my Jimmy! He wasn't very happy with me, but he'll get over it. He's still a bit confused about his answers to where he is and why he's here, but he did refer to me as his 'lovely wife' today -- there are some perks to his quirky condition! He also wanted to use his cell phone and kept trying to get it out of his imaginary pocket. I did help him make a couple of calls to Mike, Rick, and my parents. His speech was pretty nonsensical and mumbly -- he knew what he was saying, but I was clueless! Anyway, as long as I can be assured that it's not something changing neurologically, I can find humor in his antics. I know they are keeping a close watch on him.

I went back to the hotel a little early as he was getting sleepy and I didn't want to tempt him to stay awake and chat with me. I was getting a little tired of arguing with him about his trying to 'make a break for it' anyway. As I am writing this, I just received a phone call from Dr. Fiorella, who will be doing the balloon angiogram/coiling tomorrow. He is going to take a look at Jimmy again in the morning and assess whether he is clear-headed and alert enough to be able to answer the questions that he will be asking during the balloon angio test. If so, they will probably go ahead and do the procedure/surgery later tomorrow morning. Otherwise, they will need to wait. I think there is a pretty good chance that they will be able to do it, because he's been able to answer the questions regarding how he is feeling without any problem, and those are the types of questions that they will be asking. Final decision goes to Dr. Fiorella and Dr. Spetzler -- I would say that they've done a pretty good job so far! Please be sure to send your prayers for a successful balloon angio test and coil installation without any of the scary potential complications. That would be very much appreciated (smile). It's time to call on all the angels once again!!

Gratefully,
Krissy

P.S. I am so excited to tell you that the 'pipeline gent' is doing much better. He suffered a small stroke that was in a bad spot, but he is regaining much of the strength on his left side that was compromised. He is still not out of the woods for another few weeks, but most of his thrombosis has already dissolved, so they are feeling much more optimistic. Even though this may not have been the best risk option for Jimmy, it is very exciting to see the wonderful results they are having with this new device. So please remember to keep him on your prayer lists as well -- thanks!