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Happy Thanksgiving! Back to the hospital for a bit...

11/22/2017

5 Comments

 
While walking this morning, Dad had a very controlled fall. The good news is that he did not damage his chest incision or sternum and he did not hit his head! The bad news was that this lightheaded-ness and general GI discomfort meant that he had to head back to the hospital. After a quick ride to the hospital, the ER staff ran some blood tests, X-rays, and a CT scan and determined that his initial atrial fibrillation (afib) had returned and he had an ileus, which was contributing to the GI discomfort.

The afib is tricky because it makes him feel generally nauseous and tired. The doctors and nurses told us that afib is decently common after surgery, but that they wanted to admit him back to the cardiac unit so that they could monitor for a few days and make sure that it stabilized back into sinus (normal) rhythm. After a couple hours in the ED, his heart returned to its normal rhythm and he feels a little better. Hopefully, it will continue to stay that way for the next few days.

The ileus basically means that his intestine is not properly moving things through his digestive system. He's had some improvement in that area over the last few days, but they did move him back to no food or liquids for the next 24 hours while they medicate "from the top and bottom" to get his GI tract back on track. Hopefully in a day or so, he'll be able to eat and drink again, and return back to normal.

None of the medical team seems hugely concerned, but certainly the symptoms are worth monitoring and we are thankful that he has such a good staff to help him over the next few days. We wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving tomorrow. We as a family are so thankful for his progress so far, for the excellent staff at UW hospital, and for my parents' recent move to Wisconsin that allows Abby, John, Grace, and I to be so close so we can be there with him. Within the next few days, we anticipate being thankful to have Dad back home with us again. Until then, please keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming!

Andrew, Abby, and Leslie
5 Comments
Barb
11/23/2017 05:42:59 am

Leslie, Lee had a kidney removed about 4 weeks ago and his biggest issue he had was getting his GI system operating normally—which his medical team said is the single biggest issue after major surgery for virtually everyone. It took about a full week but once he got past that, recovery has been pretty smooth. We drove up to Chicago yesterday to spend the holiday with Erin and her husband - which says a lot about how well he’s doing! Sending good thoughts to Dale that his recovery gets back on track quickly!

Reply
Doug Fuller
11/23/2017 06:34:10 am

Thanksgiving in the hospital is no fun (I experienced it as a junior in high school). However, as long as Dale is getting better, turkey and cranberry sauce can be made anytime! Our thoughts and prayers continue.

Doug

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Doris Spies
11/23/2017 06:46:05 am

Sending lots of love on this Thanksgiving Day!!

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Helen
11/23/2017 11:54:15 am

Glad you have excellent care and support to get that heart and digestion back on track. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you; you are all still in my prayers!

Reply
Doug Fuller
11/25/2017 01:37:45 pm

Admit that I am a bit worried about the lack of an update. Thoughts and prayers remain in process. Doug

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