A Very Rough Day, Pain Threshold Tested, and Stretched!!!

Tom called this morning saying he was in tremendous pain. Turns out that 2 things happened. First in the night his bladder catheter became kinked and then flow ceased and things got full and pressed on his internal incision (Ouch) which made him restless in the night which made him wiggle which made him RIP OUT his epidural!!!!!!!! 

Problem is, the only person who can evaluate an epidural is the anesthesiologist, not a nurse and not a surgeon and not any of the other doctors, and apparently anesthesiologists don't work til 3 on Fridays. He had no pain medication of any kind until now (not even yet and its 6:30) and no one even evaluated his situation until 5, so he not only had no help, he had no sympathy either, and the regular staff was off and the new nurses weren't very kind to him (because they thought he was a drug-seeking whiner with an epidural) but instead her was really and truly suffering in a huge way. 

The fact that he's been 4 days without a shave or shower doesn't help either. 

Finally the anesthesiologist came and said, "oops, my bad," Well, actually, "oops, your bad." but too bad for tom, because now that its out, even one day early, they won't put it back in, and his pain free days are over.

Don't feel too sorry for him, however, well, feel very sorry for him for today, but don't feel too sorry for him for tonight, because he is about to get an IV morphine drip, so any time tonight or tomorrow will be a good time to call and ask him all those deeply probing questions you always wanted to ask, and to get him to sign all kinds of legal documents giving away his possessions and guaranteeing the hire of all your friends who wish to apply to the School District of Haverford Township.

They unkinked his pee tube earlier today, so no overflow. 

AND one piece of good news, he has belly sounds and they took out his nose tube! He looks pretty good, but there is a red spot on the tip of his schnoz where the tape was, so now her really is the the Red-Nosed Rudolph.

More to follow. Please keep those calls and visits coming, its getting hard for him to be here now, and you know, tomorrow is his 54th birthday. It'd be a great time to inundate him with phone calls, since he has no internet.