User avatar
ElizabethB
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2105
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:53 am
Location: Lafayette, LA

Set Back

Last Monday I had to take George to the ER. He began having pain in his lower right abdomen Saturday evening. It continued to get worse. I wanted to take him to the ER Sunday evening. "I'm not going to the ER." By Monday evening he had hard, swollen spot to the right of belly button. The pain had intensified.
So - conversation -"George get in the car I am taking you to the ER." "I am not going to the ER." "Pick one - option A you get in the car and I drive us to the ER - option B I call 911 and they carry you there." He got in the car.

Because he was post bariatric surgery there was no waiting around. Within an hour he had a contrast CT Scan. Good news - no problem with the sleeve - no twisting, no slipping and no leakage. Bad news - a large hematoma in his right abdomen.

The large ab muscles are incased in a membrane. The blood was collecting between the muscle and the membrane, putting pressure on both the muscle and the abdominal wall. There was no bleeding in the abdominal cavity.

Lots of blood and blood product infusions. Stopping the bleed (Dr. described as an ooze) was a problem because of the Coumadin.

We came home Saturday. George is on Lovenox shots 2 x daily. He sees his Cardiologist Thursday to come up with a plan to get back on Coumadin. Tricky business. Trying to thin his blood enough to avoid a clot in his artificial aortic valve but not start another bleed.

Good news - he starts eating pureed foods tomorrow :!:

He is not in a huge amount of pain. Going from a seated position to standing and from standing to sitting is painful. Getting out of bed is tough. He is not on any narcotic pain meds. He is taking the maximum dose of Extra Strength Tylenol. Unfortunately he can not continue taking Tylenol for an extended period of time. Liver damage. Because of his blood thinners he can not take any other OTC pain meds.

We will have to deal with that later.

The prognosis is 4-5 weeks of a lot of pain. 10 - 12 weeks for the hematoma to be absorbed back into his body.

:roll:

We are working through this one step at a time.

User avatar
webmaster
Site Admin
Posts: 9476
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2004 12:59 pm
Location: Amherst, MA USDA Zone 5a

My condolences on the setback however I'm heartened to read that he'll get better in time.

All the best to you.

R

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13947
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I'm sorry to hear that. It is a problem with coumadin. You need it to thin the blood to prevent clots, but if you get sick or have surgery you have to weigh the risks of stopping it and possible having a stroke or knowing when to restart it to prevent a bleed somewhere. Not to mention the danger of falling down.

ButterflyLady29
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1030
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2015 9:12 pm
Location: central Ohio

I am so sorry to hear he's having problems with this. I hope and pray he heals and gets better very soon.

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

My partner has been on Coumadin a couple times. She hates it . Says it makes her feel bad, though I've never gotten clear on what that means specifically. It is after all rat poison.

My condolences to you and George. Stay strong!

User avatar
ElizabethB
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2105
Joined: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:53 am
Location: Lafayette, LA

I forgot to update.

George is doing great.

His Dr; told him to expect weeks of intense pain from the hematoma.. Did not happen. He took Tylenol for a couple of weeks then nothing.

He is still on a strict diet but at least he can eat real food - soft but not pureed.

We have an appointment with our bariatric team on the 10th. His portions will increase and he will be able to add red meat to his diet. IF they don't bust him for not following his daily exercise routine.

George has been working from home and making day trips to call on clients. He is a Business Development rep for a major pipeline construction company. This week he made his first out of town trip.

Today he went fishing with one of his buds.

The lump of the hematoma is still visible but slowly decreasing in size. It will take several months for his body to fully absorb the coagulated blood.

Steady weight loss. 1 lb. per day average.

George has done the up and down weight loss thing with diets. He has clothes in multiple sizes. He is punching new holes in his belts and I will have to do some alterations this week. :-()

All is good on the home front.

User avatar
webmaster
Site Admin
Posts: 9476
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2004 12:59 pm
Location: Amherst, MA USDA Zone 5a

Glad to hear that! :)

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30504
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Oooh I was worried. So glad the complication turned out to be less severe and he is making progress!



Return to “Non-Gardening Related Hoo-ha and Foo”