Saturday, 5 days after the surgery, my brother went back to his job. I
started missing the medical talk with a doctor brother during the long
nights. My curious mind needs information. Assertion of data points and I
committed not to google any thing !
My brother-in-law comes in for a week for the night duty. He is a peoples person. Within a day, all the hospital staff, started greeting him "Good morning Sir, good evening sir".
The more and more my body started recovering and getting back energy to stand, walk, go to the bath room on my own, I started missing home. I always, thought if I am able they will send me back soon.
Take off all the tubes. My problem with abundant free time will some how reduce if I am home.
All my negotiations, with doctors revolved around reducing number of pricks in a day, and reducing number of tubes. Some pricks I could successfully negotiate, but the RT Tube for feeding, Oozing tube from neck, and IV line needed to be there.
The swelling bug, hit me worst Saturday night, and I SOS'ed doctor late night. He tried to come and aspirate with a syringe, guided by ultra sound report of fluid deposit, how ever it was too risky and any touch of the flap would cause serious flap failure.
On one side, life was simplifying with reduced pricks, medication and even more mobility and on the others ide it was being more painful because of the new complication of saliva deposit.
I was waiting each morning, for my wife to show up, after sending off the kids to school (exam season). When she shows up, she picked the job off giving me the sponge bath (she was not happy with what nurses did), feeding the RT feed through the nose tube (she wanted to master it before I go home).
I would joke naughtily with her - "Its been a while we have taken a bath together :)" while see used to give me sponge bath.
Doctors gave me an estimation of 10 days in the ward before I can go home. I was calculating in my mind, it should not be more than 1 week.
I had that agenda, and I had a game plan of negotiations. if I am taking Diclofenac for pain, why paracetamol too ? One can stop ?
Why blood clotting injection ? Is there dispersive form of the antibiotic medicine that I can mix with the RT Feed instead of going IV or IM ?
Well with all the questioning, doctors started changing over all the medicines to dispersive tablets going through with liquid food rather than the IV line by Monday. Now the IV line is disconnected through the day, and gets connected back during night just for continuity while sleeping.
Ooze tube comes out on Tuesday, exact a week after the surgery. Felt like free man. Just the nose tube for feeding.
Walking around, talking briefly ! Using laptop to pay bills online, order stationary for kids school work online to be delivered home. Browsing e-mails. Occasionally chatting with friends on instant messaging. A lot got added with free hands and increased mobility and reduced number of tubes.
There was no reason, for me to hang in there in the hospital. I successfully negotiated myself out of there by Wednesday, 8th post op day, a full 3 days ahead of schedule.
Of course, the entire Wednesday went in doing the discharge formalities with insurance company and all. I was irritated, and my wife was superbly irritated with me because I was irritated. She gave me piece of her mind, and asked me to behave.
Wednesday evening, I was home among kids, mom, brother-in-law, neighbors, friends. With a DTH programming, where I can choose some thing to watch. I had recorded a bunch of programs from my phone in the hospital. They were all sitting in the set top box. Kids were being just kids. No idea what is going on. No intention to know too.. they just saw a few bandages on me, and stayed a bit away. Made fun of my RT Pipe as Ganpati. But then, went on with their life, exams etc.
I ve the terrace to walk now. Own bed to sleep. Wife has 24x7 schedule between kids, mom and the recovering husband, but doing that all in own home was definitely a relief.
My brother-in-law comes in for a week for the night duty. He is a peoples person. Within a day, all the hospital staff, started greeting him "Good morning Sir, good evening sir".
The more and more my body started recovering and getting back energy to stand, walk, go to the bath room on my own, I started missing home. I always, thought if I am able they will send me back soon.
Take off all the tubes. My problem with abundant free time will some how reduce if I am home.
All my negotiations, with doctors revolved around reducing number of pricks in a day, and reducing number of tubes. Some pricks I could successfully negotiate, but the RT Tube for feeding, Oozing tube from neck, and IV line needed to be there.
The swelling bug, hit me worst Saturday night, and I SOS'ed doctor late night. He tried to come and aspirate with a syringe, guided by ultra sound report of fluid deposit, how ever it was too risky and any touch of the flap would cause serious flap failure.
On one side, life was simplifying with reduced pricks, medication and even more mobility and on the others ide it was being more painful because of the new complication of saliva deposit.
I was waiting each morning, for my wife to show up, after sending off the kids to school (exam season). When she shows up, she picked the job off giving me the sponge bath (she was not happy with what nurses did), feeding the RT feed through the nose tube (she wanted to master it before I go home).
I would joke naughtily with her - "Its been a while we have taken a bath together :)" while see used to give me sponge bath.
Doctors gave me an estimation of 10 days in the ward before I can go home. I was calculating in my mind, it should not be more than 1 week.
I had that agenda, and I had a game plan of negotiations. if I am taking Diclofenac for pain, why paracetamol too ? One can stop ?
Why blood clotting injection ? Is there dispersive form of the antibiotic medicine that I can mix with the RT Feed instead of going IV or IM ?
Well with all the questioning, doctors started changing over all the medicines to dispersive tablets going through with liquid food rather than the IV line by Monday. Now the IV line is disconnected through the day, and gets connected back during night just for continuity while sleeping.
Ooze tube comes out on Tuesday, exact a week after the surgery. Felt like free man. Just the nose tube for feeding.
Walking around, talking briefly ! Using laptop to pay bills online, order stationary for kids school work online to be delivered home. Browsing e-mails. Occasionally chatting with friends on instant messaging. A lot got added with free hands and increased mobility and reduced number of tubes.
There was no reason, for me to hang in there in the hospital. I successfully negotiated myself out of there by Wednesday, 8th post op day, a full 3 days ahead of schedule.
Of course, the entire Wednesday went in doing the discharge formalities with insurance company and all. I was irritated, and my wife was superbly irritated with me because I was irritated. She gave me piece of her mind, and asked me to behave.
Wednesday evening, I was home among kids, mom, brother-in-law, neighbors, friends. With a DTH programming, where I can choose some thing to watch. I had recorded a bunch of programs from my phone in the hospital. They were all sitting in the set top box. Kids were being just kids. No idea what is going on. No intention to know too.. they just saw a few bandages on me, and stayed a bit away. Made fun of my RT Pipe as Ganpati. But then, went on with their life, exams etc.
I ve the terrace to walk now. Own bed to sleep. Wife has 24x7 schedule between kids, mom and the recovering husband, but doing that all in own home was definitely a relief.
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