Mind over matter

I was right. It was a rough night.

Dan continued to feel rather crappy and began having worse dreams. He would wake up disoriented and it would take me quite a while to pull him back to reality. He began to feel as though he was being spiritually attacked. I set out the word for prayer, and we're determining to rely on God's protection and guidance.

This morning, we talked to the surgeons about Dan's alertness (or lack thereof) and they changed his PCA from dilaudid to fentanyl. He's not sure it's working any better, but he a little more alert. When McGreeky came to visit he was happy to see Dan more awake. I suppose we'll have to wait out the day to make sure things are picking up. The surgeon wants to switch Dan to non-narcotic oral pain meds tomorrow...which would mean no IV pole sometimes!

Speaking of McGreeky, he was actually happy about most of what's going on with Dan. He began diuresing the built-up fluids in his body last night without the help of Lasix. Additionally, his drains are putting out far less, which leads the surgeon to believe that the anastomoses are healing and not leaking. This is a huge praise as this was one of his initial concerns right after the surgery. Dan's hematocrit is still low at 24(it's been bouncing between 24 and 27 for the last couple days), but the surgeon is still waiting for the diuresis to balance out his levels. Dan's diet was advanced to soft foods, but Dan has asked to be backed down a level to full liquids to protect his stomach. He's getting a little more bloated and much more uncomfortable. Still no bowel sounds or passing of gas. On a good note, Dan is rid of the oxygen!

A few words from Dan: "I'm hanging in there and will be back to new in no time. I need my digestive system to cooperate."

Dan has been told several times now that this recovery will be mainly mind over matter. Yes, he feels rotten and in pain, but he's got to push through. He's stubborn anyway, so we just need to focus that stubbornness in the direction of getting better.

Prayer Requests:
* Bowel sounds and passing of gas (The longer it doesn't happen, the more miserable he'll feel. It could also prevent him from getting discharged on time)
* Pain control on less medication
* Awake and alert most of the day, no confusion or nightmares at night
* Letting me stay the night to help Dan with frequent ups and downs
* Husband/wife communication