I guess it’s been a bit since I updated. I added a few quick comments to let the 2 or 3 readers know what was going on, but I ought to do it in an official post.
PT’s big gay liver is hooked up, and seems to be working well. I went to visit him in the ICU right after the surgery, and man – he looked like hell. He had tubes coming out of everywhere, and was unable to speak because of it. His eyes were glazed, and his face was swollen to the point where one eye was swollen shut. He was unable to see out of the open one, as well. I was there with my mother and uncle Tommy, and I have to say that I was a bit disconcerted with how he was doing. He was semi-with it, though, and was able to gesture a bit. He pointed to his eyes and waved his hand to show he couldn’t see a damn thing, and did the universal “I could use something to drink” gesture, which showed him raising an imaginary glass and tipping it back. Obviously, that wasn’t a possibilty, and you could see how aggravated he was by being unable to do anything but lay there in pain. I let him know I was there, but there wasn’t much of a conversation. Tommy just stood there, patted his arm a few times, and mumbled something. I actually think PT made more sense, but I digress…
The next day (or maybe 6 hours later – I forget), DJ and I showed up and he looked a LOT better. He couldn’t talk yet due to the intubation, but he could gesture more coherently, and was even able to write stuff down on a clipboard to communicate. He could see a bit, which was nice. Unfortunately, while the nursing staff in the ICU seemed very capable, he got the misfortune to have 2 male nurses assigned to him for the 1st 24 hours. Their names were Richard and Tomo. Richard was noticably gay (not that there’s anything wrong with that), and PT was asked by me whether his new liver was requesting Richard’s services, specifically. I got a pantomimed bitch-slap for that. Tomo was from some european country, I think, and was a bit more butch. Since that first day, though, the nursing staff specifically charged with checking in on PT has been a lot more feminine and way cuter. Although PT wouldn’t mind getting out of there, I’m sure they help make his stay a little better, and they make my visits fun, too.
The usual routine for my visits are that I call before I leave to see if PT needs anything other than the usual. He only had the intubation tube for 2 days) I always go to the nearby store and pick him up a newspaper. Sometimes he asks for a Sprite, sometimes other things like VHS tapes. While the ICU rooms don’t provide cable, they wheeled a tv/vcr combo into his room. It has an antenna that lets him pick up a slightly fuzzy NBC feed, as well as a fuzzier PBS feed. That’s about it. I brought it some classic movies that he still had VHS copies of, and this apparently made him popular in the ICU. Nurses sometimes come in to watch with him, and other patients with similar tv set-ups have borrowed a few. I drive the 10-15 minute trip, pull into the parking garage, and make my way to floor 3. While the posted visiting hours are pretty strict for the ICU (they have 10-10:30AM, 2-2:20 PM, and 8-8:30 ONLY), I usually stay longer. Apparently PT’s nurses are more easy-going about this, or maybe someone pulled a string. I usually just go back to his room whenever I get there instead of waiting till 8, and then hanging out until at least 9. For the first few times, I had to wear gloves and a face mask, but now they just ask that I wash my hands.
PT’s been recovering fast, though. In fact, the docs/nurses are surprised by how fast. Soon after the surgery (and re-surgery, although it was minor – some connections weren’t tight enough, apparently), I got a call around 1AM. It was PT telling me, “I took a shit!” I wasn’t sure what else to say but “Congratulations,” but evidentally this happened well ahead of schedule. The nurses actually didn’t believe him when he said he felt the need, but he proved them wrong. What I find amazing, is that he did this while 2 female nurses were in the room doing their thing. I can’t even piss at a urinal with some due nearby, so I couldn’t imagine pooping with 2 strange women in the same room. He informed me that through this whole process, modesty has pretty much gone out the window.
Other than that, not a whole lot’s going on. I feel slightly better and more accustomed to spending so much time away from home, but I still hate being away from everything. I actually need to figure out what I’m doing for Easter tommo….today. I think my mom is doing dinner at her place, but I’d feel bad about leaving PT. I could maybe visit him in the afternoon, then head home, then head back to Pittsburgh later or the next day. Thing is, I don’t know if I really feel like driving that much in so short a time. PT said he wouldn’t feel slighted by any means if I went home, but I’m just not so sure what I want to do. Hopefully I’ll figure it out soon, as it’s already technically Easter. To celebrate and explain my post title, here’s a pic:
I’m probably going to hell for laughing at that.
Hip-deep in Shallow Tenacity 
March 23, 2008 at 10:05 am |
I’m glad he’s doing so well!! That he’s pooping is a great thing, that’s one of the ‘benchmarks’ (is a good word) that I”ve had to meet before I go home anytime I’ve had my stomach cut open. Since it was a transplant, does that mean that he’s going to have to take those anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life? (Yeah, I know, that’s a small price to pay for living.)
For easter, I made cupcakes, dyed seven eggs (there *is* only the three of us that has to eat them and I’m SO not fond of deviled eggs..), and put together easter baskets. Since it’s a completely secular holiday (we refuse to go to church since neither of us has any real belief at all), I figure that’s more than enough celebration for a three year old. :p
March 23, 2008 at 3:58 pm |
Yeah – he’ll be taking those for life. They’re expensive, which kinda sucks, but I’m more hoping that he can stop doing dialysis eventually. That blows since it’s costly as hell, and he was on a schedule where he had to do it 3 times a week. He’s whizzing as well, so that’s a good sign.
Your celebration is going to be way more than I got going on. Looks like I’ll be doing Easter dinner at the hospital cafeteria. That’s my choice, though. I’m just too tired to drive home, methinks.
March 28, 2008 at 3:30 am |
Hey Doox,
I haven’t check your blog out in a very long time, but since its 3 o’clock in the morning and I’ve got a test to study for I figured why not check it out, and I was shocked and am sorry to have read about PT. The stuff you’ve written and posted about your uncles over the years make them sound like some of the coolest people – even Tommy is fun to read about – but especially PT. Though I’m glad to have read he is able to take a deuce now, and hope that his recovering continues to go well.
I have to say though that after catching up on your blog I hope that twenty years from now you manage to run into people like Psycho Girl and blog about it, I figure you’d hate it, but as a reader it’d be awesome to read. Its one of the neat things about the stuff you blog, the random people you run into from time to time, like this Kathy, just stuff like that.
Anyway, don’t stop blogging Doox, and again here’s wishing PT all the best.
-Durin.
March 28, 2008 at 10:52 pm |
Durin ❤
Thanks – I appreciate the boost and it’s good to hear from you. I’ll add a quick little blog entry in your honor.