(first off, a disclaimer - this is photo of hickman #1 - I'll try to update soon, but I'm not going to upset D right now by trying to take a picture of his hickman. If you look in the picture you can see a scar under his nipple on the right side of the picture. They put the new one in right by that scar)
OK, so here's a quickie version this hospital stay.
Thursday
11:30am Arrive at hospital, check in
12:00 pm get taken into presurgery area. D is weighed, measured, vitals taken, etc. We're put into an exam room to wait
12:40pm the anesthesiologist checks in for his presurgery visit
1:15pm the surgeon comes by for his presurgery visit. I have lots of questions, and he actually sits down and talks with me. None of the hickman options the other doctors and nurses have discussed with me are possible or likely to be helpful. I explain my concerns and problems we had with the placement of the last port. He listens attentively and offers to try to place it as much off to the side as he can. This sounds like a good solution to me. We also discuss infection control. Again, though others offered up a lot of ideas, when it comes down to it, there is nothing that can or will be done. The surgeon will give IV antibiotics in the OR. We'll be extra careful at home. That's frustrating... I check with both the doctor and several nurses and am assured that D will be admitted to the hospital after surgery.
1:40pm D goes back for surgery
2:40pm he's out of surgery. The surgeon checks in with me. All went well. No problems
3:40pm they call me back to see D and usher us into the recovery area for kids going home (normally we walk to his inpatient room) When I ask the nurses they tell me the doctor changed the orders. I ask to speak with the doctor. They sit me in a rocking chair and put D in my arms. He is completely out, never even opens his eyes or moves a muscle. My arm goes to sleep. It's nice to cuddle him, but he doesn't even know I'm there... there's no bed to lay him in.
However, my rocking chair is close to the nurses station, so I overhear a lot. They page the surgeon. He tells them to page the fellow (this is medical jargon for surgeon in training) who changed the orders and let her know that D can be checked in. They call the fellow, who is apparently quite irritable. Orders are changed, but not put in the computer correctly or fully and they have to call her again to let her know she needs to add on that he can't have food by mouth, and that she didn't order any IV fluids. She doesn't want to make changes (and is apparently yelling in the background) and tells them to remove the IV. The nurse takes out his IV along with removing all the tape they used to cover it and immobilize his hand... he never even flinches, and only opens his eyes once.
While I"m waiting I check out his new hickman. What??? They have placed it about 1.5 inches away from his feeding tube. He used to have a port there and it was a nightmare to keep clean, as ooze from his feeding tube was constantly getting on the bandages... So I guess the nightmare is on again. I overhear the surgeon fellow's name and try to remember it.
5:00pm we taken upstairs. Because D is too heavy for me to carry, we pull him up in a hospital wagon. When we get to the hospital room the bed hasn't arrived yet, but D doesn't care, he's still OUT. He gets checked into the new room. His bed arrives. He sleeps through being weighed and measured again.
7:00pm D wakes up and is playing a bit. He seems to be in pain so he gets some pain meds. He plays happily, sits on my lap, and starts a real feeding!
10:30pm I turn the lights out and D falls asleep
Friday
6:00am I wake up so I can catch the surgeon doing rounds and talk with him/her.
6:15am Surgery rounds - I check out her name tag (surgeons rarely introduce themselves) and see that it's our special fellow. Unfortunately I haven't spent enough time thinking about what and how I want to say the things I want to say. I show her how close the hickman is to the g-tube and she says something about how they have to go with the vein they can find, and they did their best. (At the time that shuts me up, but later I realize they didn't even try the other side... ) I think in my head that I want to ask her what the fuss was about the day before, and why she tried to send D home, and why she didn't talk to me about it ever, but I can't think of the right words and she seems to be in a hurry, so I say I don't have any more questions, and she leaves. I immediately think of many more questions, of course.
11:30am D is discharged from the hospital and we come home.
OK, so that wasn't a short version. But it was venting for me. I didn't put in nearly enough about how awesome the nurses were, and wonderful they are with D and how well they handle the doctors. We are home again, and that feels good.
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