Lara (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} msretro) wrote,@ 2007-09-13 14:54:00 |
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Eventful Night
Yesterday's mellow day didn't exactly go as planned.
Simon had been feeling sort of run-down and fluish off and on since about Friday. When he came home yesterday for lunch, though, he was complaining of a pain in his abdomen and looking a lot worse for wear.
We went out for lunch with the kids, and he wasn't able to eat more than soup. Over a period of a couple of hours, he got worse, and I insisted he go to the doctor.
By the time he was ready to go, he was feeling pretty awful, so we went straight to the emergency room. The doctor there ordered tests, since his two theories were Crohn's Disease* and appendicitis. The evening nurses were awesome, super helpful. The only off-note was when they let a nursing student try to put in his IV. Now, Simon's afraid of needles to begin with. It certainly doesn't help when someone who is just learning how to do this botches the procedure. Luckily, the training nurse was able to do the IV in the other arm without Simon even feeling it.
Simon got the same doctor I had when I had my hernia. In the intervening years, his bedside manner has not approved appreciably. *L* (Upon discovering that it hurt when he rapped on the lower right side of Simon's abdomen, he did it two more times for illustration purposes.) I was very happy with the fact that he did not try to brush off Simon's symptoms, as is too often the case when you are uninsured, and ordered the tests right away.
The tests showed appendicitis, so they took him in for surgery around 11:00. The operation went smoothly, and they were done by midnight.
By then, I'd had to go back to the house, because Andy was with the kids and needed to go home and go to bed. Simon's mom had come up to the hospital by then, though, and the two of them called me afterward.
I went back this morning as soon as the kids were at school and spent the morning with him, helping him get ready to leave.
I wasn't 100% thrilled with the day staff at the hospital. They couldn't tell him anything about aftercare. They also forgot to give him the surgeon's contact information and any of the aftercare sheets that he was supposed to get. I found the surgeon's number online, though, and was able to make a follow-up appointment and find out what we are supposed to do until then.
He's very sore, and has spent most of the day sleeping. I was a little concerned about them letting him come home so quickly, as his blood pressure has been very low. But, he wasn't getting any sleep at the hospital, so I figure this is a better place to rest up. The nurse at his surgeon's office said that he can go back to work pretty much whenever he feels ready, but to take it easy. Given how physical his job can be, I'm figuring that he may be home as long as a week.
His diet's restricted to soft foods, so I'm making him some potato soup tonight with a side of scrambled eggs. It's the first time he's had an appetite since this started, so that is good. I'm just really, really grateful that he's okay.
Yesterday's mellow day didn't exactly go as planned.
Simon had been feeling sort of run-down and fluish off and on since about Friday. When he came home yesterday for lunch, though, he was complaining of a pain in his abdomen and looking a lot worse for wear.
We went out for lunch with the kids, and he wasn't able to eat more than soup. Over a period of a couple of hours, he got worse, and I insisted he go to the doctor.
By the time he was ready to go, he was feeling pretty awful, so we went straight to the emergency room. The doctor there ordered tests, since his two theories were Crohn's Disease* and appendicitis. The evening nurses were awesome, super helpful. The only off-note was when they let a nursing student try to put in his IV. Now, Simon's afraid of needles to begin with. It certainly doesn't help when someone who is just learning how to do this botches the procedure. Luckily, the training nurse was able to do the IV in the other arm without Simon even feeling it.
Simon got the same doctor I had when I had my hernia. In the intervening years, his bedside manner has not approved appreciably. *L* (Upon discovering that it hurt when he rapped on the lower right side of Simon's abdomen, he did it two more times for illustration purposes.) I was very happy with the fact that he did not try to brush off Simon's symptoms, as is too often the case when you are uninsured, and ordered the tests right away.
The tests showed appendicitis, so they took him in for surgery around 11:00. The operation went smoothly, and they were done by midnight.
By then, I'd had to go back to the house, because Andy was with the kids and needed to go home and go to bed. Simon's mom had come up to the hospital by then, though, and the two of them called me afterward.
I went back this morning as soon as the kids were at school and spent the morning with him, helping him get ready to leave.
I wasn't 100% thrilled with the day staff at the hospital. They couldn't tell him anything about aftercare. They also forgot to give him the surgeon's contact information and any of the aftercare sheets that he was supposed to get. I found the surgeon's number online, though, and was able to make a follow-up appointment and find out what we are supposed to do until then.
He's very sore, and has spent most of the day sleeping. I was a little concerned about them letting him come home so quickly, as his blood pressure has been very low. But, he wasn't getting any sleep at the hospital, so I figure this is a better place to rest up. The nurse at his surgeon's office said that he can go back to work pretty much whenever he feels ready, but to take it easy. Given how physical his job can be, I'm figuring that he may be home as long as a week.
His diet's restricted to soft foods, so I'm making him some potato soup tonight with a side of scrambled eggs. It's the first time he's had an appetite since this started, so that is good. I'm just really, really grateful that he's okay.
