Home Sweet Home

 Butch called me about mid-morning to tell me they were letting him come home today depending on how well the food went down today. I went there about noon as always and he had a tray with liquids of various forms in front of him and he ate about one spoonful of each item.😕Nothing tasted good and he said he just could not make it go down. About another hour went by and they brought him another tray with similar items. Same story. Big Heavy Sigh. So we hung out in much the same way as in the past except he went for frequent walks and burped big each time he got up AND many trips to the bathroom for both big and small jobs. About 5 they brought him a tray of food and I mean real food, beef tips, rice, green beans, vanilla pudding. He ate two tiny bites of meat and a few spoonfuls of vanilla pudding. His nurse came in, saw the tray, and said what is going on here? you should not be eating this kind of food.

Butch was kind of uncertain about going home not feeling the best so we talked it over with his nurse and she said, "You are not throwing up so you are on the road to recovery and I have found patients do much better when they go home and eat food they are used to." So we have taken Clarinda's advice and he is home. We got here at 6:30 PM. I think most of the issues he is dealing with may have more to do with the gallbladder removal than the blockage. At any rate, we are hopeful and glad to be home.

Happy Birthday to me!

And it is a happy one to be sure. My guy is getting better and back to his cheerful self. It was last year the day after my birthday, March 7th that Butch broke his leg. It has been quite the year all around. Still hoping for bigger and better things.

My friend Mickey sent me a video that made me LOL 😆 and I thought I would share it with you so you could chuckle too. Thanks, Mickey!!

Mrs. Hughes - Winnipeg Comedy Festival - YouTube

PM Update

 Butch got the tube out this afternoon!! It wasn't as bad as he thought it might be. His next big hope is FOOD. He says he is having dreams about food. It is a full week today since he has eaten anything that even remotely looks like food. So it seems we have turned a big corner and we have hopes he can come home in a day or two. I am thinking once they know all systems go they will turn him loose.

While Butch has been laid up, 2 of his best buds have been working on getting the generator working as a surprise for him and today their efforts were successful. So more cause for celebration.

With Tube

A gift from Leo and Keri

Without Tube!

Friday AM update-Butch

 Butch called this morning and sounded like his normal self! He said he slept well. His catheter has been removed and that part is working normally. He has had several walks and on one of his last ones, they unhooked all of his "stuff" so he could walk unencumbered. He still has the tummy tube and he is getting too much output yet to have it removed, although he did say he is starting to have dreams about food. In his past, he has always been a picky eater and I once told him that he had never been really hungry or he wouldn't be so picky. I said if you were really hungry any food would taste good. This morning he told me he thought he was there. Once the output is low enough they will remove the tube but right now the thought that he might have to vomit has cooled his jets to have it removed.

I saw his incisions yesterday. There is a 10 inch(?) vertical one in his upper abdomen and a smaller one to the right side. They both look like they are healing normally.

We are both much encouraged that this life episode is headed in the right direction.

Till next time...

Butch Update Thursday PM

 I spent 3 hours with Butch today and he is definitely better. They took x-rays during the night and they say everything is good. He has developed a problem with excess phlegm but he has found a way to deal with it. Unpleasant but doable. His surgeon must not know the staff cannot get Claritin D, they can only get Claratin so he said not to bother. He wasn't too crazy about the process he would need to go through to get it down his gullet anyway.   He stayed awake the entire time I was there. That is a first. He has had several walks, and someone comes on a regular basis now to unhook him so he can go for a walk and he will soon be able to go on his own. They hope to take the tube out tomorrow if things continue to improve as they have thus far. They are beginning to wean him off his hookups. He looks better and his mood is much better. 

Some things I have noticed that are a major difference from the 1960s when I worked in the hospital. It used to be the hospital basically shut down at 11:00PM and did not resume until about 5:00AM when things began to commence for the next day. Yes, things needed doing but only if on a usual schedule or unavoidable. Butch has had an X-ray, a bath, and a walk during the traditional nighttime hours. But as I thought about it, Why Not!! It is a good use of time and manpower. Wonder how long they have been doing that!

By the way, Leo B., He called to tell me you sent balloons and a cute little bunny to keep him company.

Till next time!!

Butch Update Thursday AM

 I called Butch earlier this morning and he told me he didn't sleep well due to too much phlegm. This has been a chronic issue for him so nothing new there but what do you do when you have a tube down your throat? My anxiety goes up a few notches when he has trouble.

Well, he just called and his surgeon came in and he will be getting some Claratin -D. They took x-rays last night and everything looks good. His bowel is just slow to respond and that is not unusual. Now the tube has to stay in because of the phlegm and he understands. Having reasonable answers is all he needs to be more content. Seeing a light at the end of the tunnel also helps.

The difference in his voice from my first phone call to when he called me was like night and day. I rest easier when he does...and vice versa.

I will be going up at noon so will post again later today. It is so much easier for me to use the blog to communicate and I do appreciate all of you checking in to see the updates.

Butch Update-Wednesday

 Butch got some information from a nurse practitioner after raising Cain about not getting any information. He complained to the night nurse and she called his surgeon at midnight and low and behold the right people showed up today with info.

He had two surgeries in one. They removed his gallbladder and then addressed the obstruction, which was scar tissue from an appendectomy when he was in his late teens, and in addition to that, his bowel had become twisted so they straightened it out. So his innards have had a lot happen in the past week.

Today I went to see him at noon. He has been able to pass gas and he is certain he could do better if he could get more walking in. The problem is a shortage of help (nurses) and they have a shortage of time. You have to admit that nurses have been heavily overworked in the past year. I would take him for a walk if I only knew how to disconnect him from his numerous attachments.

Some Good News. As I have gone to see him each day the matter in his gastric tube has been an ugly brown. But today it was a very pale green! I know there was bile in it but it was a very pale color and very clear. I got excited when I saw it and it became better and better as the afternoon went on. I do not think it will be long now when he can get the tube out. I think it will do wonders for him both mentally and physically.

And now for the other question I have been getting. Yesterday I went for my second "Fauci Ouchie" and no, I did not have a reaction. I do have a sore arm but not by any means severe. I slept well last night and felt completely normal all day. Butch's second Fauci Ouchie has been rescheduled for March 18th at 8:00AM. I hope by then our life has returned to a semblance of normal.

I plan to go back again tomorrow and stay as long as possible.

Stay tuned for further updates!

Quick note

 Internet has not worked properly this morning so I have not been able to update. So this is just to tell you everything is pretty much the same. I will leave in a few minutes to go to the hospital and will have more info later. I do know the nurse heard bowel sounds this morning and that is good news.

Later...I promise!

Early Tuesday Update

 When I talked to Butch last night he sounded down and discouraged and it concerned me because through all he has been through, throughout his life I had never heard him like that. But after talking to a close friend, I called his night nurse...he doesn't like his day one...and she assured me that all of his "numbers" were good and they hoped to be able to take out his biggest irritant, the nasal tube today. I think that will do wonders for his outlook so keep your fingers crossed. Oh yes! His night nurse's name is Margarita!

Butch called me this morning and he sounded much better. Big relief to me!

Today is when we were scheduled for our second covid vaccine. I am going to get mine and hopefully get his rescheduled.

Not a lot to relate to you this morning. The leaves are starting to unfurl on the trees. Always a welcome sight. It is a bit of a shock when we return to the upper midwest and see the trees are still naked in April. We do however get to experience two spring events.

Check in later today...Okay?

Later today Update

 Butch is slow going on the recovery but considering what he has been through he is doing very well. When I arrived today he was returning from a walk with two physical therapists. He has always excelled at physical therapy and he had the chance last year to get really good at it.

He still has all his tubes and attachments. No food or even water yet. They want to make sure his stomach and bowels are awake and up to the job. So far there isn't a sign of it. They listen with a stethoscope and their goal is to hear the gurgle of a fart ready to find its way out. So that is his next goal and he is ready for the challenge. Say a prayer for him and give God a chuckle and get his attention.

Butch is still sleeping quite a bit. But he needs to, obviously. Just from an observation point, I would say this is a condition no one wants and it has the ability to kill you in a short period of time. I think we caught it just in time. This guy has always kept me on my toes!

I think we will see a big improvement when he can be completely detached and de-tubed.

We also found out his obstruction was caused by scar tissue from prior surgery. The only abdominal surgeries he has had were an appendectomy in his late teens and a prostate surgery in 2005. That was a surprise that you might have to deal with scar tissue even that many years later. At least we now know what the cause was. I will be sure to update again tomorrow.

Remember to say your prayers!

Iowa: "The Sleepy Ones"

 Iowa and its name

In 1893, a man named Peter Melendy claimed that the name Iowa meant "beautiful land." However, historians beg to differ. The Ioway tribe, also known as the Ayuways, lived in Iowa for decades, until the early 1800s, when they were displaced through the Indian Removal Act. "Ayuway" reportedly comes from "Ayuxba," which is what the Dakota Indians called the tribe. And "Ayuxba" means "sleepy ones." Some people still debate whether the 29th state should be pronounced "I-uh-wuh" or " I-uh-way."

Butch update 2

 I came home from the hospital at about 4:30 pm yesterday. Butch called and said the surgeon had been in to see him and said he had an emergency surgery before him but he would be next after that. Butch said he would call after surgery (procedure?). I guesstimated that to be around 9 0r 10 pm giving him time to lose some grogginess. I went to bed at 10 with the phone near me. Still had not heard from him at 6 am so I waited till 6:30 and called him. No answer. My anxiety escalated so I called the McAllen Medical Hospital and eventually talked to his nurse. He had not been returned to his room until midnight. He called me then and his phone was too far away when I called. He is in a great deal of pain. Unusual for him to complain after surgery. They had just given him pain meds before I called. He said the surgeon will be in to see him this morning and he will call me then to give me an update on what they had done and where we go from here. I think the healing process is going to take a little longer this time than in the past. And I think the "procedure" was a bit more than he expected.

Stay tuned for Butch update 3 later today.

Butch Update

 He didn't get much better. Vomited Friday night's supper at about 2:30 or so Saturday afternoon and felt much better for a short period of time. Then about 8:00 or so vomited again and that was very dark, a huge amount, and scary! That is when I said we needed to get to the Alamo ER. After way too much time they determined he had a bowel obstruction and took him by ambulance to McAllen ER. I came home and went to bed. This was Sunday morning, 1:30 AM. I had been waiting in the car trying to sleep (impossible). He came out and told me he was headed to the hospital and I came home. Finally slept about 3:00 AM and woke at 6. They just called and told me I could come to the hospital at noon and see him. I will take his phone to him when I do.

Will keep you all posted as best I can. I look for this issue to be resolved fairly quickly. Ever the optimist that I am.