Journal entry by Leanne Rose —
One week Post- Operation
We are now one week from mom’s massive abdominal surgery to remove her sarcoma cancer tumor. She is still in the hospital recovering.
This week, mom has experienced God’s healing and some incredible nurses at Wake Forest Baptist. Her healing journey has been like a roller coaster ride, ups and downs. Challenges and celebrations!
Successes: Her surgeons are pleased with the incision site. Her physical therapist is thrilled with her mobility, she is walking so fast in the hallway a nurse gave her a ticket. Most importantly her spirit is positive! It helps to have her awesome sister staying with her in the hospital! Her blood pressure is back to her normal. She is starting to eat some food.
Areas for improvement: her epidural had to be removed sooner than planned so she had to rely on oral pain meds. But… The oral pain meds upset her stomach that is “still sleeping” from the anesthesia used in surgery. So… The nausea has limited food progression. In addition… Her IV had to be moved.
All of the ups and downs of healing are normal but worth noting. I keep trying to remind her that she is healing and progressing SO much faster than she did last time! Keeping that experience in mind helps keep things in perspective. She is doing better now, one week post op, than at the two week mark in hospital previously (sarcoma surgery 2 years ago).
Moving forward, we still have some areas to pray for.
- Mom’s stomach needs to function normally. Her stomach is still being effected from surgery, specifically the anesthesia. The surgeon’s rudimentary description is “her stomach and digestive system is still asleep.” Mom says her stomach feels like it is full immediately even after just a few ounces of food. Sadly, mom says she continues to feel super full for hours on end. That discomfort plus oral med causes nausea. However, once her stomach is fully recovered, we can progress with food! Food is good, nausea is not!
- Continued pain management. As with anyone, when you are tense, it’s hard to heal. The more mom continues to have her pain and discomfort under control, the faster she will recover. Thankfully, they are finding a pain medication that works, without making her feel lethargic
Thank you friends and family for checking on my mom. Thank you for praying for her recovery. Thank you for being in our lives! I strongly believe we were meant to live in community and fellowship with each other. We are so honored that you are apart of our community rooting for Susan!!!
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