After surgery to patch the hole in mom's bowel she spent a few days in the ICU at the U of MN. It was a quiet unit but being connected to multiple monitors all the time was difficult for mom and we were happy to move back to her old stomping grounds of the surgical oncology unit.
Monday, July 1
Upon our arrival on 7C (surgical oncology floor) we were met by multiple nurses who had helped my mom with her initial recovery from the Whipple procedure; she actually ended up in the exact same room with the same nurse assistant! It was somewhat comforting to know that she was surrounded by nurses who knew her and made it easier for Kim and I to spend time away from the hospital.
Wednesday, July 3
The decision was made to have a "wound vac" placed for mom's incision site. Given that the surgeon had chosen to leave the incision about 1.5 inches open to allow for healing it was making for frequent bandage changes and discomfort for mom. Having the wound vac placed was a big help. If you've never seen a wound vac before it is a pretty cool contraption. Basically, a very porous sponge is placed in the wound and a suction tube is added. Over the top of it all goes a special tape and as long as there aren't any holes in the tape the suction tube draws out all the drainage from the wound. This only needed to be changed 3 times a week versus the multiple daily bandage dressing changes we were doing previously. It also has been shown to assist and speed the healing process.
Through the ICU stay and then back to 7C it became obvious that mom was more uncomfortable this time around as well as more reserved. She had been through three invasive surgeries within a month's time and was starting to have trouble seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The support of our family and friends has been more important than ever and added to the support of her surgical and oncology teams as well as her nursing staff at the hospital we have no doubt we will get her spirits back up. Minute by minute; one day at a time.
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