Post Surgical

I've talked to Rich twice now, expecting another call tonight. We now know both what we know and what we don't but still need to.

Surgery started at 4PM yesterday. What they found was a massive infection, cause unknown. He was told it could have been something as stupid as an ingrown hair. They took multiple blood samples before surgery, cleaned and drained the site, restuffed it with gauze which will need changing three times a day, and sent him up to a room.

They also took new samples of the infection for testing to try to find the best antibiotic. Since it will take 72 hours for those results, he well could be in the hospital for another three days. Last night after surgery he was feeling no-o-o-o-o pain. Even if he hadn't told me, I could tell it from how he spoke, one of those offshoots from dealing with somebody who has gotten high. For both those same reasons, I knew he was hurting this morning.

He's allowed to be ambulatory, though I suspect from my own previous surgeries that it's more a matter of being encouraged than allowed. He's also back on food, at least to some extent. He requested that I bring him some from home, along with his phone chargers, last night since his only meal of the day, supper, was very light. Er, late. Er, both. Just as I was heading out the door to drop off his package at the ER door, he called back to inform me I was not allowed to bring any food from home. The chargers were still a go, though.

Two chargers, you ask? One is for his phone, the other for his phone's mobile charger - if I have the terminology right. I have multiple chargers, but they are all for the same phone (or kindle or other non-phone items), but they are for charging in multiple rooms or the car, depending on where I am when I need one. It must be a generational thing.

Once he returns home, wound care will have to be ongoing, three times a day. It is expected to still involve removing gauze, flushing out the cavity, applying medication, repacking, and rebandaging. Last night he thought I would likely be doing it. After sleeping on that thought, and with all the complications in this house of having clean spaces and fighting bugs spreading, that might not be the easiest thing to accomplish. At the very least, I would have to be shown the proper procedures required. I'd need equipment I don't have, knowledge of how much and how long for each procedure, and information on how to tell if reinfection has set back in.

I am so feeling inadequate. Maybe some kind of nursing service can visit?

More news later.