Emerging

I am sitting down here at Scripps Encinitas, fourth day away and a little lighter and a little worse for wear.  Well maybe not that much lighter as a kidney is only a bit larger than an ear and the ureter probably doesn't have much cubic mass at all. Things have gone well but it's not a picnic.  I have a lot of abdominal pain where they cut muscle above the groin.  The other large incision was right over the top of the last one and doesn't seem to hurt as much since the nerves and muscles had already been previously cut.  I got off the dilaudid yesterday - had that little monkey on my back years ago and am trying to do it solely with Tylenol this time.  They are forcing me to walk about five times a day, pushing my i.v. machine around the floor.

My urologist just left and said that he is thinking about sending me home tomorrow. My creatinine levels are at the highest rung of normal and according to him I am going to have to modify my life style somewhat. He says that I can never get dehydrated. I am anemic at the moment and I must make certain that I stay away from medical procedures that will put die in my body, which apparently is very damaging to the kidney.

I don't remember much from my procedure - I met the highly recommended anesthesiologist Maxwell and he asked me about religious preference. I said that the closest I have come was being a follower of the Grateful Dead. Lo and behold when I got wheeled into the operating room, New, New, Minglewood Blues was playing for me and the surgeons. Nice touch. I guess I was almost coherent at the end of the procedure and fairly demanding. Got dead throughout the surgery. Didn't have any major complications. I can turn to the right but not to the left. There is a trapeze bar on top of the bed which I am using to respirate with. Really hard to lose phlegm without ittitating the abs. People keep asking me about my bowels and flatulence. Sorry but after 6 days of all liquid diet, I am all out of both.  I have just been released to regular food.

I started hallucinating the two days following the surgery. There was a photo in the room that I was forced to cover with a towel because it was changing sizes and shapes. When I told the Doctor, he laughed and said that he had hallucinated too at the end of the arduous eight hour procedure.  The doctor removed the chest plug yesterday, which looped over a rib and caused great discomfort.  He also pulled the foley catheter.  Today, they removed another drain bulb - one more to go tomorrow.  He told me not to expect to be right for about six more weeks. Some of the staff has  been exceptional, some not so good.

Thanks to all the well wishers, and those that have visited. Leslie just came by with the computer and the phone charger. I am tired and will keep this short.

If you don't believe me, you're gonna make it hard to believe in you...