Ileus Confirmed: Woe is We

A doctor just stopped in to tell us that Bill has been diagnosed with a more complicated type of ileus. This morning's unexpected x-rays revealed this. He confirmed that while ileus is very common, the degree of Bill's ileus is not common, and Bill may be looking at three weeks here.

Words fail me. And from the sublime to the ridiculous, my judgment about what to worry about first was so bad that I actually thought, "Oh, no! My dog sitter is only booked until April 1st." I am ashamed to confess that I even thought about dogs when my boy is so sick.

Having regained my right mind, I continue.

Bill will now receive the following treatment:

1) They will use a stomach tube through his side (not down his throat) to suction his stomach and upper intestines.

2) Specialists will insert a tube into his arm and up to his heart to provide more thorough nutrition. Why that location: I don't know. The doctor mentioned that the current clear bag of IV nutrition is no longer adequate in Bill's situation, and that if they don't give him different nutrition....here the doctor paused, and Bill said, "Everything shuts down?" The doctor said, "Yes, and we don't want that."

3) His pain medicine has been changed to a kind that lasts longer.

4) He can no longer even sip water.

5) He is on mega-doses of anti-nausea meds now, intravenously.

And poor Bill is so yellow (but not his eyes, so it's not jaundice), and is simply never awake any more unless someone talks loudly to him, and then he replies with his eyes closed, and you can barely understand what he is saying.

Oh, I also read that this situation is more likely when the patient has gone through chemotherapy before surgery. Which, of course, Bill did. There was a one-month break between chemo and surgery, but I'm sure Bill's body was not at Schwarzenegger level when he came here for the operation.

And it's funny how we don't even THINK about the cancer right now. Cancer itself has nothing to do with what is happening to Bill; I mean, if not for the cancer, he wouldn't be here, but ileus isn't a cancer-specific illness.

Till later.

Love,

Bethie Starting To Feel Like A Cheezburger, Too!