Post Surgery- Day 1

Matthew is holding his own. He's hooked up to a plethora of tubes and wires-- IV (with 3 incoming lines), oxygen, NG tube, monitors, and a foley catheter. His arms are covered by 'no-nos', arm splints which keep him from bending his arms, which keep him from trying to take out his tubes or IV.

If he is awake, he is whining. He often points to the door, in hopes he can leave (we tell him sorry, you have to stay), the food because he wants to eat (which we have since hidden from his view) or the water bottle in hopes that he can have something to drink (we hid that too). He is NPO (nothing by mouth) until his intestines wake up. So we wait.

Thankfully, his pain seems well managed with just a bit of morphine and periodic tylenol. He has been asleep the majority of the night and day.

They began nutritive IV fluid today since he hadn't had anything to eat since Tuesday. I freaked a bit because I know it is hard on the veins, but acquiesced since it is a modified version meant to go in a peripheral vein and the benefit outweighs the risk at this point. He needs nutrition to help him heal. Tomorrow he will have a central line placed so the IV nutrition will go into a larger vein more able to handle the load.

I am sure the nursing staff, and the doctors are already tired of addressing our concerns, as Darren pushed them on why the foley cath is still in place (we will continue to push for removal), and I did on the nutritive IV and additional fluids. I have warned them that for everything they order, they need to explain it to me and be ready to answer the risks and how it might affect his 1 good functioning kidney as well as his other uniqueness like his unusual venous structure. I am sure they will be as ready for us to leave as we are!