Twelve Days after Surgery, 7:15am

Good mornin,

Anne had an up and down day yesterday, but she sounds great this morning. For the first time, her voice actually sounded normal again when she called at 7am today. I think there's some real healing going on in her throat now.

I just called Anne and she asks that you refrain from visiting today. She said she may be up for it later on today, but right now she isn't.

Yesterday, noonish, Anne coughed up some red (or pink) flem, and she got worried and decided she didn't want to take the Barium swallow test. She said she knew she would fail the test. She actually got pretty keyed up over it, causing discomfort and some real painful spasms in her back. Her doctors went with her idea to wait until Monday to do the test. This swallow test isn't a very pleasant thing to go thru. Anne said that the material they have you swallow tastes just awful.

During the afternoon she got calmed down and resting comfortably again. She then was taken down to Radiology for a chest xray to check on the fluid in her chest. We could see by looking at the drainage repositories that her right lung had not drained any fluid for the past day, however the left lung was still draining. Anne would love to get the tubes pulled. They are very uncomfortable. The doctors actually told us they would probably remove the right side tube today (Sat), but this morning they told Anne they would hold off till Sunday and hopefully remove both then. These tubes run in thru Anne's sides just down from her armpits. They run between the ribs and inside against the diaphram, causing pain.

Anne stated to me that it seems her bladder is finally waking up from the surgery. She is having to get up more frequently to exercise/empty it. She's going to start sitting in a chair again today, and will start moving and walking more. She has not been walking laps since the tubes were installed, but she is perking up to 'get moving' now.

Nurse Jenn explained to me yesterday that the kind of setbacks we've had seem huge to us, after all Anne had done so well for a week or so following the surgery, however for a recovery from a surgery of this magnitude, such 'bumps in the road' are common and to be expected, and we shouldn't be discourged.

The doctors were in changing her neck dressing when I called.

On Monday we expect to be talking with the discharge planning nurse again. She stopped in for a moment yesterday, just to touch base before going home for the weekend.

I hope I'm not repeating too many things in the blog the past few days. It seems like the news is repetitive, and to be honest all of the activities are sort of blending together for me lately. Not only that, but there are many many staff working on Anne's case, walking in and giving their thoughts and opinions all times of the day, and with that nothing seems to happen exactly as you are lead to believe. You know how selective hearing is........I'd also like to apologize if I am not able to keep up with any of your phone calls.

Have a good weekend all, and thanks for being there and for your continued support. Anne looks great, with rosey red cheeks, and is feeling much better minute by minute.