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John, thanks for posting Jerry's surgery details for me last night. I'll give it a try tonight.
Jerry-Day One Post Surgery
He?s doing great! By the way, he did get to watch his Badger basketball game last night in the ICU and even remembered some of it. We went back to St. Mary?s Hospital around 9 AM this morning and arrived just in time to learn Jerry was soon going to be transferred to his room in the Patient Care Unit for the remainder of his stay. The man who shared Jerry?s ICU room had difficulties around 11 PM last night, so Jerry unfortunately didn?t get much sleep after we left him. Evidently, when the man?s anesthetic was wearing off, he panicked badly and was thrashing around, may even have tried to get out of bed, and was wrestling with tubes, etc. I?m so glad Jerry had a good idea of what to expect before his surgery! The nurses were still talking about all the excitement when we arrived this morning. We did see Jerry?s ICU roommate later in the day and he was doing much better!
After being moved to his new room, Jerry took his first short walk around 11 AM. Last night, after we left, he had been allowed to stand-up and take a couple of steps but the morphine made him very dizzy. He did not have any problem with dizziness when I followed him down the corridor this morning, but he had not had any morphine since early morning when he told the nurse that it was making him too nauseous. They are giving him Tordal (spelling?) instead when he needs it. His pain level has been a fairly consistent level of 2 with a couple of reports of level 3 last night when he was still coming out of the anesthetic while still in ICU. His ICU roommate was indicating levels of 8 or 9 most of the night, and Jerry was feeling concerned about him.
We left for lunch around noon and Jerry?s parents came to visit for a couple of hours shortly thereafter. When we returned, Jerry was obviously tired and all four of us knew it. He had another couple of visitors who called to say they would be coming to see him at 7 PM. I wanted to call them to ask that they come tomorrow, but Jerry insisted he wanted to see them. I stayed with him until his friends left and suggested it was time to call for the nurse to help him get from the recliner to his bed but he insisted on doing it by himself inspite of being told not to so. I held my breath and hoped he wouldn?t trip over the catheter tube. He made it okay to his bed, but I tattled on him at the nurses station as I was leaving Hopefully Jerry will get more sleep tonight. I told him, we all were planning on sleeping in tomorrow, he should do the same if he could, and not expect to see us until late morning. So far, I don?t know of anyone planning on coming to visit him until Sunday afternoon.
The catheter tube, the pacemaker wires (not in use so far), and one IV for blood draws are the only remaining items to still be removed. Jerry really wanted that catheter tube out today but has to keep it in until tomorrow. He?s still producing a lot of fluid from his 3 lb. weight gain from the surgery.. Also, Jerry was running a temperature this afternoon and this evening (100.4). They suspect that it may be related to the antibiotic they began giving him around noon. He has a penicillin allergy and the antibiotic was given just before the temperature rise. The antibiotic is similar enough to penicillin that it may have caused him have a mild allergic reaction.
Jennie, about Dr. Zehr?s immunilogical study, Jerry is #28 after he was asked to be a participant. We?d really like to hear details on your one year follow-up with Dr. Zehr. John, I didn?t get to see Dr. Zehr today, but will definitely say hello from you, Jennie and Brooks when I do.
More later,
Jerry-Day One Post Surgery
He?s doing great! By the way, he did get to watch his Badger basketball game last night in the ICU and even remembered some of it. We went back to St. Mary?s Hospital around 9 AM this morning and arrived just in time to learn Jerry was soon going to be transferred to his room in the Patient Care Unit for the remainder of his stay. The man who shared Jerry?s ICU room had difficulties around 11 PM last night, so Jerry unfortunately didn?t get much sleep after we left him. Evidently, when the man?s anesthetic was wearing off, he panicked badly and was thrashing around, may even have tried to get out of bed, and was wrestling with tubes, etc. I?m so glad Jerry had a good idea of what to expect before his surgery! The nurses were still talking about all the excitement when we arrived this morning. We did see Jerry?s ICU roommate later in the day and he was doing much better!
After being moved to his new room, Jerry took his first short walk around 11 AM. Last night, after we left, he had been allowed to stand-up and take a couple of steps but the morphine made him very dizzy. He did not have any problem with dizziness when I followed him down the corridor this morning, but he had not had any morphine since early morning when he told the nurse that it was making him too nauseous. They are giving him Tordal (spelling?) instead when he needs it. His pain level has been a fairly consistent level of 2 with a couple of reports of level 3 last night when he was still coming out of the anesthetic while still in ICU. His ICU roommate was indicating levels of 8 or 9 most of the night, and Jerry was feeling concerned about him.
We left for lunch around noon and Jerry?s parents came to visit for a couple of hours shortly thereafter. When we returned, Jerry was obviously tired and all four of us knew it. He had another couple of visitors who called to say they would be coming to see him at 7 PM. I wanted to call them to ask that they come tomorrow, but Jerry insisted he wanted to see them. I stayed with him until his friends left and suggested it was time to call for the nurse to help him get from the recliner to his bed but he insisted on doing it by himself inspite of being told not to so. I held my breath and hoped he wouldn?t trip over the catheter tube. He made it okay to his bed, but I tattled on him at the nurses station as I was leaving Hopefully Jerry will get more sleep tonight. I told him, we all were planning on sleeping in tomorrow, he should do the same if he could, and not expect to see us until late morning. So far, I don?t know of anyone planning on coming to visit him until Sunday afternoon.
The catheter tube, the pacemaker wires (not in use so far), and one IV for blood draws are the only remaining items to still be removed. Jerry really wanted that catheter tube out today but has to keep it in until tomorrow. He?s still producing a lot of fluid from his 3 lb. weight gain from the surgery.. Also, Jerry was running a temperature this afternoon and this evening (100.4). They suspect that it may be related to the antibiotic they began giving him around noon. He has a penicillin allergy and the antibiotic was given just before the temperature rise. The antibiotic is similar enough to penicillin that it may have caused him have a mild allergic reaction.
Jennie, about Dr. Zehr?s immunilogical study, Jerry is #28 after he was asked to be a participant. We?d really like to hear details on your one year follow-up with Dr. Zehr. John, I didn?t get to see Dr. Zehr today, but will definitely say hello from you, Jennie and Brooks when I do.
More later,
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