Hey

Sorry I haven't been around much for the last several days. I was in the hospital with a small bowel blockage, which, given that small bowel is all I have left, was pretty miserable. I was so sick when I went to the ER that I was dehydrated to the point of stage 3 kidney disease, according to the doctor. I have stage 2 kidney disease, so hearing that I was at the point of stage 3 kind of scared me. They had to put in an NG tube and drain my guts. That was the most unpleasant experience. They kept trying to force the tube and pulling it back out, all blood-covered. I know, gross. I have had an NG tube once before, and I don't remember it going that badly that time. I think maybe these nurses were not very experienced. When I got to the ER and they said I would have to be admitted, there were no beds in the hospital, so I had to spend the night in the ER and then was admitted the next day. It was so very boring in there, and I was so miserable I just wanted to go home. They did CT scans, X-rays, and blood work every day. I am hard to get a needle in, so it was not fun being a pin cushion. They ended up, once they got an IV in me, keeping that one in the whole time I was there. I was on constant IV fluids the whole stay, right up until hours before I was released. Fortunately, the blockage cleared on its own, and I didn't need surgery. It was kind of a scary week. This was my first blockage, so everything was all new to me. I was starving too, as I was NPO (nothing by mouth) for several days. I lost 6 pounds! I am still sort of weak. I went to the gym today but only did 8 miles on the bike. I was about to fall off after that. My usual is 15 miles. Anyway, that is where I have been. They gave me a bunch of reading on blockages, and it says that hernias are a cause of blockages. I have 3 hernias, so I just hope this doesn't become a regular thing. I am having my GP pre-op appointment today for the surgery to remove my gallbladder. That is set to be done on Feb. 23. All going well at the doctor this morning. I tell you one thing, I am tired of digestive issues. I had none before I got COVID and had my ileostomy. In the last 3 months, I have been in the hospital twice. I am sick of hospitals. Also, I am not a fan of ER waiting rooms full of sick people, who are cranky as all.

Lee

My heart goes out to you, Lee, regarding this recent blockage. I have had quite a few; it is not a piece of cake, that's for sure. Hopefully, you won't get any more of those.

The nasal tube insertion, to me, was like a form of Chinese torture. I shudder just thinking about the last times I had that, but of course, it certainly is well needed when so unwell.

Hopefully, all will go well for your next planned surgery due soon. My mum had that when she was about 40 years old. She was told she can't eat this, that, and the other (mainly fat content), but she tried everything in small portions over time, and she was fine. Hope all goes like that for you.

You must be a tough cookie, though, going on a bike at the gym, doing 8 miles so soon after your discharge. It took me several weeks to even get my breath back from my last blockage.

Take care and rest when you can. x

Oh Lee,  You have my sympathies.  I read your post and it took me right back to my worst blockage, first night in the ER, then several days of Hell.  They kept trying to get that f*^@king NG tube down me until they finally had success.  This would be a good torture for the military to have in their tool box for use on POWs!  They didn't feed me for nine days!  I don't know how much weight I lost, but I was basically a skeleton when I came out and had no strength whatsoever.  I remember when they finally sent me home, I tried to take a step up onto the porch of my house, and my leg just collapsed under me.  My husband caught me or I would have been on the ground.  I never wanted to see a hospital again either.  Unfortunately I didn't get my wish, but since then things have improved greatly and I hope they do for you too.  You have been through a lot and deserve a break.  Stay strong.  I'm rooting for you.  I just read your post on diet, and you really have a lot on your plate, no pun intended!  I hope you can sort that out with those dieticians figuring out what will work for both situations. 

Terry

That sounds awful. I wouldn't want to try going to an ER near a large city. It was bad enough here in our twin cities. I didn't really appreciate spending the night in the ER because there were no rooms in the hospital. They put me in a room with no TV, so there was nothing to do but be miserable and focus on my misery. One of my biggest issues was that they stopped all of my medications for 3 days. And I take a lot of medications. I didn't really like that because I know they could have given me some through the IV.

I don't really know about the complications of having my gallbladder out. Can you tell me some about that? I'd appreciate any insights.

Lee

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I am finding that I feel weak more so since going to the hospital. I did 9 miles today, but then I really did have to get off the bike; I was getting woozy. It frustrates me because before the blockage, I was doing 13 to 15 miles on the bike every day of the week. I just feel like crawling into bed and staying there all day. I didn't expect this to come from the blockage and dehydration episode. I just wish I didn't feel this way.

Lee

Prayers and healing thoughts for you, Lee. You've been through a lot. Glad you dropped in and gave us all an update. Missed you. Take care. Hugs, Linda

Thank you for the thoughts and prayers. I can use all of those I can get. Since I have been home from the hospital, things have been going well so far. The only thing I don't like is that I feel weak all the time. I keep pushing myself at the gym; today I did 12.2 miles on the bike, and I felt like if I did more, I would fall off the bike. Before the blockage, I was doing 15 miles on the bike a day, so I feel like I am failing or something. I know I should just give it some time, but I have been out of the hospital for several days now. When am I going to feel all better?

Lee