The last words I said to Katie were "I love you and I'll see you after your surgery". Little did I know that those would be the last words she heard from me for two weeks. After the informed us Katie was back from recovery I was excited to go and sit by my wife. The bad news hadn't ended yet, during the recovery, waking her was tanking her vitals and they needed to leave her
in a medically induced coma. The day progressed with slowly lower vitals that no one was comfortable with. Talks of another surgery began. Fears rising because her vitals were worse, would she survive another round? Hours pass slowly and the time to go to surgery was upon
us, only to be delayed many times because the surgeon they wanted was tied up in a case elsewhere. Katie of course, continues to slip, nurses began squeezing units of blood into her body. Blood pressure sky high, face as alred as a tomato all so she could be stable enough for surgery. 230 am all was done, but still no culprit could be found. A win that she was alive, but no answers. Drs. Pacing the floors and calling colleagues across the country for ideas still couldn't prevent her decline and consumed the next two day. Lab results meant nothing and fluids could not be drained without vitals crashing. Immunotherapy was even used to try and jump start
the bodies natural defenses, I think I'm the end that's a big factor in her survivability, of course I didn't know it then. Things took an ugly turn again. TEG Tests were used to gauge coagulation numbers and we found out we should just assume that all results were zeroes. All the fluids in Katie's body were passing out of her veins and arteries into every corner of her body. Surgery was the only option. I took time to go see Ellie and Jeffrey and let Ellie, a 3 yr old, know she may not see mommy again. The hardest news I have ever had to share in my life. The hospital called and needed my decision. I returned in tears and met with the Drs. They're suggestions: "You can watch her die slowly in that bed or you can give her a fighting chance on the table." The answer was obvious, she's a fighter give her the chance. I held each of her sisters and apologized if this was how they would see her last then cried nonstop in the stairwell. Hours passed and Katie was taken to surgery for a hail Mary attempt. I was so worried, it went longer than expected and I dredded the surgeon walking through the door. She finally came through and informed us she made it through and they made a huge discovery. They found something on a section of Katie's colon, opened her from chest to pelvis and removed the sigmoid where the spot was, gave her insides a fluid bath and packed her with gauze and used a press and seal like cover to hold it
all in. Too weak to close, would give her time to heal. Stable in a new room I was stopped by
the original surgeon two days later. In the middle of the hallway, I was informed the spot was cancer. With all that had gone on, why wouldn't it be cancer as well. I walked to Katie's room dumbfounded at how to explain all this when she woke up. How the hell do drop that bomb on your wife? The coming days were still difficult, no idea when there would be positive news, but praying she would be healthy for the surgery to close the open incision and begin the weaning of sedation. Her 4th surgery was successful but coagulation numbers were still below expectation. She needed time to recover. Thanksgiving was the 23rd, and the busiest one I had seen at the hospital in years. CTS, ICU and Pharmacy put together a feast for us but couldn't stick around due to the workload. It was great to be around family, but depressing knowing Katie was still upstairs battling, alone. Some of her caregivers thought to lighten the mood and drew a turkey on her TPN IV nutrition) bag, so Katie did kind of get a thanksgiving meal. IV's began to be slowly removed as it was time to slowly bring her to. What was once 12 IV's, was down to 3. Hope finally showing its face. Two days later, signs of awareness began and I was asked to leave her side as any interaction stressed her out and spiked her vitals, a very long day and a half for me. Blinking and nodding were tools Katie used and then finally Katie was aware enough, after extubating herself, to say yes and no. Miracles performed and prayers answered, it was time to move on to the next phase, rehabilitation.
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