Auto-Pilot

After multiple trips back and forth to the U of MN for various reasons (appointments, ER trips, visiting mom when hospitalized...), many of the trips while I was in zombie-mode, I was truly feeling like there was now an auto-pilot setting which would get me to the University Hospital; my car knew the way.  The sad thing was, the guys at the valet area knew me by name and the coffee shop staff knew my coffee order by heart.  There is something to be said about the comfort that comes from seeing familiar faces and being in a familiar environment; I felt grateful for the familiarity if nothing else.

Monday, July 15, 2013 > Follow-Up, Dr. Vickers (Surgeon)
Dr. Vickers had scheduled a follow-up after our ER visit over the weekend.  He wanted to ensure the G-tube was staying put and not causing any other issues and he also just wanted to check on mom's wound and see how the healing was progressing.

It had become pretty obvious that most of mom's pain was not coming from the healing going on at the main incision site but from her skin, under the dreaded retention sutures.  These sutures, if you can even call them that, were starting to dig into the skin, causing the skin to breakdown in many places.  We were slathering the area with Neosporin regularly but some areas were looking pretty bad.  Dr. Vickers decided that it was time for some of the retention sutures to come out.  Upon further review, he clipped off and removed the bottom third of the retention sutures, leaving only 5 inches or so.  This brought some relief for mom, who found sitting up and rolling over a little easier but the skin where the sutures had been removed was quite "angry".

We left with instructions to continue the Neosporin treatment and call if there were any changes.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013 > Changes...
The dressing change on Tuesday brought lots of ooziness.  What looked like pus (sorry, I don't know any other word for this!) and made me worry about infection.
One call to Dr. Vickers' nurse and we were instructed to come in on Wednesday for another follow-up.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013 > Some Relief
One look at mom's skin under the remaining retention sutures and it was agreed that it was time for them to come out.  A few snips and off they came.  Mom was asked if she wanted them as souvenirs which she declined as she happily watched them tossed into the garbage.

Although it looked like a train had been going up and down her abdomen for weeks she was free of the retention sutures and her skin could start to get some relief.  We left with strict instructions that she wear her abdominal binder (a wide, stretchy elastic band that went around her waist) at all times, even when sleeping.  This would help keep things in place now that the retention sutures were out.

Another follow-up appointment was scheduled for Monday, the 22nd.  Mom would get some labs drawn and if her protein levels were looking good we could start discussing getting the dreaded G-tube removed, which was the next step to getting mom fully recovered!