Category Archives: Health and Wellness

Complications from Last Surgery

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Hello everyone!  I’m sorry it has taken so long for another post.  I have had a few technical difficulties, so to say.  When we left off the last post, I was just getting another PICC line inserted to receive TPN.  In this post, I will give you a recap of what happened during the lapse of time.

I felt so much better after receiving the TPN, no more running to the ER all the time.  In January of 2021, my Urologist told me he thought my bladder had healed from the hole I had in it, so he took the catheter out and sent me on my way.  All was going good until around August of that year.  I was running fevers and I was urinating blood.  I went to the hospital for a week’s stay.  During the stay, they pumped me full of antibiotics.  Afterwards, I was sent home with oral antibiotics.

All was well until February 2022 when all hell broke loose.  I ran a fever constantly and this time I was urinating feces!  I was back in the hospital for another week.  During this week, an incident happened.  So I had to collect my urine in what they call a hat.  I was urinating 50% urine, 50% feces.  It was shocking and alarming when I went to urinate and seen a lot of feces also.  So, housekeeping came along and was cleaning the bathroom.  One lady was overheard, by me, telling another lady in the hall that the patient has pooped in her hat and asked if they expect her to clean it up.  They were dogging me about it and I heard every bit of it.  I was hurt because I couldn’t help it and that’s why I was in the hospital in the first place.  I couldn’t help it.  The nurse came in and I told him what had happened.  I’m not sure, but I don’t think he took me seriously.  Luckily, the nursing supervisor just happened to come in and check on me.  I told her the situation and she asked me lots of questions about it.  She left and later came in and told me she talked to their supervisor and they were being disiplined.  Next time they talk about a patient, they should look around the corner!

It was determined that I still had a hole in my bladder and a fistula.  The Urologist took the catheter out when the hole wasn’t closed completely.  The doctors decided to put a drain in my bladder and the surgeon told me he didn’t want me to eat AT ALL!  Just rely on the TPN for the nutrients and calories I need.  P.S.– Anyone who knows me knows I love food!  They tweeked my TPN up alot to compensate for not eating.

I am going to stop right here and tell you the rest on the next post.  There are as much surprises as this post was.  Never a dull moment around here!  Remember to take one day at a time with this disease and don’t let it overwelm you.  If you would like to ask me something or make a comment, I am here to answer!

 

chow for now!

 

Home Sweet Home

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(My first day home)

Hello everyone!  I hope everything is going good your way, my way is much better!  In this post, I will tell you the trials and tribulations of finally getting home from the hospital after 29 days.

The day I got out of the hospital felt so surreal, I thought I would never get out!  I could not wait for my husband to get off work so I could get the heck outta there!  During my time in the hospital, my Aunt Shirley was on call, so to speak.  She had her bags packed ready to come and help me get around the house while my husband worked.  When we got home, she was like a breath of fresh air to me, for I knew I was close to freedom!

When I was discharged from the hospital, I could not walk very well because I didn’t have much physical therapy in the hospital due to my racing heart rate, so I had to walk with a walker.  I also had come home with a foley catheter, a pigtail (abdominal) drain and of course my colostomy bag.  I had all these drains hanging off me while I was trying to walk – it was some task!

That first week or two, I really couldn’t do much for myself.  Things that I took for granted before surgery, I now had to figure out how I was going to do them.  I couldn’t dress myself – I wore night gowns, I couldn’t shower myself – I had a stool sitting in the bathtub and my husband and aunt would help me shower.  Back then, it literally took all three of us!  I couldn’t cook for myself – either my aunt of husband would fix me something or we would order out.  I couldn’t drive – my aunt or husband would have to drive me to my doctor’s appointments, which averaged 2-3 times a week in St. Louis.  At night, I slept in the recliner in the living room because my bed is high and I couldn’t get in it, also I needed to sleep upright for my stomach.  If I needed something during the night, I would squeeze my dog’s piggy she had and it would oink loudly.  Whoever heard it first would come in and check on me…those were some good times!  Poor pig.

My mother also came up to take care of me.  There was this instance where I was trying to change my colostomy bag for the first time since I had been home.  No matter what I did or tried to do, I did something wrong.  I was on my third bag change and at my wit’s end when I thought I finally had done it correctly.  I looked down and I forgot to peel the backing off and I just broke down right there.  My mom told me to just walk away from it for awhile because I had been trying for an hour and a half and was mentally worn out.  If it wasn’t for her there telling me to walk away, I probably would have gone crazy!  I enjoyed our time time together and the talks we had.  I miss them now.  My best friend, Luann, also came up for a few days to take care of me.  I am so blessed to have someone like her in my life!

During this whole time, since I came home from the hospital, I have been eating and it came right out. I couldn’t keep anything in me because before the surgery, I had short gut syndrome and after my surgery, I really have short(er) gut syndrome!  To no surprise I was getting very dehydrated because of this, no matter how much I drank during the day.  My hair was falling out big time (I’m glad I had plenty to begin with), my nails were so brittle that they were just crumbling off and my skin was so dry and ashy it looked like it was snowing when I took my clothes off!  One day, before leaving for an appointment, I started vomiting and feeling light-headed.  I was headed to an appointment with my G.I. doctor so when my aunt and I got there, I told my doctor what was going on and she ordered some labs.  Just as I was almost home, my doctor was calling me and telling me that I needed to go to the ER and get an infusion of magnesium and potassium.  I was very low on my magnesium and that’s why I was vomiting and feeling light-headed.  I got my infusions and was admitted to the hospital for 3 days receiving more infusions until my levels were normal.  This issue happened 2 other times which landed me in the hospital again for 3 days each time.  It was then that the doctors and myself decided to put me on TPN again for the second time in my life.

I’m going to stop right here and save the rest for the next post.  This is what I endured during my recovery at home.  In the next post, I will tell you about the TPN and some of my mishaps during this time.  Just remember to take one day at a time and we will get through this together.  If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to ask.

 

Chow for now!

First Post Ever – What is Crohn’s Disease?

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Hi everyone, Kelly here!  I want to invite you to take a look at my “About Me” page to get a little bit of information of where I am coming from.  In case your not sure exactly what Crohn’s Disease is, in a nutshell, it is a chronic disease of the intestines that contains ulcers and open sores.  It is the most intense pain one could ever experience.  Crohn’s Disease can take hold anywhere from the inside of your mouth to the bottom of your anus, basically your entire system can be affected.

 

I was 18 in college for a degree in Medical Laboratory Technology.  In order to get blood to perform tests, we had to draw blood on our fellow classmates.  I can remember a particular test we had to perform for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Mine was the only test that came out positive!  At 18!  Back then, I would get knee pain one week out of the year and I called it my “author” but didn’t realize until that day that it was truly arthritis!  Little did I know then that arthritis can be a symptom of Crohn’s Disease that would rear it’s ugly head years later.

Anyhoo, I wanted to give you a little overview on Crohn’s Disease so you will know a little bit of what I will be chatting about and am going through.  I have included a link to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America because it’s such a good reference to have for this type of chronic illness.  I have so much information and experiences, new and old, that you may be able to relate to or may want to know more of.  Together I believe we can get through this horrible disease one day at a time!

Chow for now!

Kelly