Hospital: Day 6

Devan had surgery yesterday on his tummy. The surgeon, Dr. Hashimoto, was able to get all of the infected, inflamed & blocked areas out. He ended up taking out about 10 inches of intestine. The operation took about 2 1/2 hours, which was a little longer than we expected. But the Dr. did a great job and Devan pulled through like a champ and here we are today recovering.



The first couple of hours after the surgery were the hardest part of the recovery process. He was in a lot of pain, sweating like crazy (he didn't have a fever), and completely incoherent from the all the drugs. It was hard to see him go through all of the pain...but I know that in the long run things will be so much better.
One major bonus we got yesterday was that they moved us to a single room. Hurray!!! Let me just give you a brief run down of the 3 different roommates we had. The first one watched TV (very loudly) until 5:00 am. I actually had to ask him to turn it off...I'm not sure exactly why he that was cool or considerate thing to do since the guy, who is also, is laying right next to you. The second guy was by far the best. He was quiet and very consciencense about he actions effected us. Then we come to roommate number three who was by far the worst. The old guy was hard of hearing, so he yelled everything. Plus, in the middle of the night he grunted, snorted, and talk in his sleep about every ten minutes. He was a really nice guy...but incredibly obnoxious. So here we are in room 2112 all buy ourselves. Plus our room looks out toward the west so we have a beautiful view of the valley. It is especially pretty right now because it is snowing.




The nurse yesterday was able to redo tape his nose hose with something a little more comfortable which has been even just a little bit more bearible. Plus, once he was out of surgery, he could start eating ice chips (he hasn't even been able to do that since we've been here.) He said it was the best ice he has ever tasted. He also came out of surgery yesterday sport a new IV, cathater, and some leg wrap things that inflate and deflate to help keep the blood circulating. I personally wish they had an extra pair for me because Devan says they lightly massage his legs all day.



Last night we got a visit from Scott, Sarah, Jackson & Price. When Sarah told Jackson that they were going to come visit Devan in the hospital and that he was very sick he immediately ran and grabbed a back pack and started filling it with things he thought maybe he would like to have while he was here. These items included some "billy bob" teeth, grimlin stuffed animal, Backyardigans memory game, big fake diamond, toy t-rex, and the movie Madagascar. He wanted Devan to know that these were just for when he was sick and not for keeps.



Last night the nurse brought me in a roll-a-way bed for me to sleep on. Now, it is not the best bed and I might get Tetnis from it because of all the springs and the bailing wire holding it together...but it felt fantastic. It definately beats sleeping in a chair.

At about 8:30 this morning our nurse, Seiko, came in and got Devan to go for a walk. This was the first time he has gotten up since his surgery. He walked all the way to the end of the nurses counter and back. He did great!!! The walking will not only help keep any blood clots from forming but it will also help him heal faster. He is going to have to do is a couple more times today. The down side to walking is that it hurts and also makes him nauseous and dizzy. But the more he does the easier it will get.



That's about it for now. I am blogging, Nyla is sitting in the chair by the window freezing, and Devan is half sleeping half watching Pokemon. Thank you for all of your prayers, thoughts and visits. We appreciate them all.