After Britton’s surgery we spent one night in the ICU. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him there alone over night so I slept on a cot in the corner of his room. For the first two hours that he was in there, a nurse came in every 30 minutes to check on him and give him meds. About every hour or two they would come in and move him around in his bed to avoid bed sores and stiffness. He was on a Fentanyl drip that he could push a button and be delivered pain medication at six minute intervals if he needed it. He was also hooked up to an IV, catheter and oxygen. The first night was a rough one. Once his family arrived on Saturday morning I left for a nap and shower. While I was gone they moved Britton into his normal room.
We decided to pay extra for a private room since we knew there would be so many family members stopping in to visit him. His first day out of surgery was a quiet one and he slept most of the day. He was taking regular dosage of Tylenol extra strength, Oxycodone and a steroid. His head was still bandaged up and couldn’t wear his glasses so I had to help with dinner that night!
As you can see, he was so pleased… The spaghetti dinner just wouldn’t stay on the spoon! So he had a lot of pasta on his gown. Whoops! That was the only night I didn’t stay in his room in an attempt to get some regular sleep. It didn’t work.
Beware, the next picture is graphic. This was his incision after the bandages were removed.
They removed his bandages before 6 am on Sunday morning and I missed his doctor’s visit despite being there at 5:45 am. That was a huge reason why I never stayed at the hotel again. I hated missing the doctor’s morning rounds. By this time he was feeling much more alert and decided to move to a chair next to his bed for some of the day. Later in the day he felt comfortable removing the catheter too so he could be more mobile.
By Sunday night he was even up for a walk down the hall with the help of a nurse and his lovely wife! His dad even recorded his steps so we could watch his progress!
Sunday night I stayed close by his side on a cot in the corner and was up to help him anytime he needed to move around or use the restroom. We were so lucky that he was mobile, it meant we didn’t need to call a nurse to help him out of bed. I was allowed to do that for him.
Monday was another good day for Britton. His brother Jordan, as well as his aunts and uncles, Diane, Terry, Lee and Kathy, all came to visit. Diane and Terry brought pizza and brownies although chocolate tasted funny to Britton. I took a break with my mom while Britton visited family and got out and about for a few hours. When I returned everyone was in the family waiting area watching the BCS championship and chowing down on pizza.
While Britton was making great progress I had a few concerns. He just wasn’t himself. Sounds silly too, I realize, after surgery who would be their usual self?! But I talked with the nurses to make sure it wasn’t abnormal. Everyone knows Britton has a great sense of humor but it was gone and I was worried. The nurses were very glad I addressed it too because they don’t know what their patients normal selves look like. What we did find was that Britton was trying to go without as much pain medication as he probably needed and that made him more agitated than normal. He didn’t get back to normal for another week or two but I was very glad to have discussed it with the nurse just to make sure something wasn’t wrong. Our doctor said that the brain has a funny way of coping with something as traumatic as surgery and for Britton it was coping in this way. He was short, never smiled and definitely never laughed. Everything bothered him and no one could do anything right. It was tough to watch but I am so glad he is back to normal now.
steelewall 