At about 2:00 this morning, the respiratory therapist came in with IRP’s breathing treatment. She was sleeping soundly up until that time. After he left, she began to complain of intense pain. Her pain medication was not due for another hour and a half. Next thing we know, they are rolling IRP down to have a CAT scan. There was no running around drawing blood, etc., so we were not alarmed.
At about 6:30, a nurse came in and sorrowfully removed IRP’s bag of chips in mid-nibble, telling her that the attending doctor had said that she was not to have anything by mouth.. In addition, IRP was to go back on the intravenous nutrition. Fortunately, the nurse soon returned to say that the surgeon had restored liquids to IRP, so that was little better. I asked the nurse what the results were, but she could not tell me until a doctor arrived.
About thirty minutes ago, the infection specialist was in. He said that there is a 2.5 inch pocket of infection in IRP’s side. It is not serious and the surgeon will decide shortly whether to reposition the stent in IRP’s abdomen or leave it where it is to finish draining the area.
IRP and we were upset about this for a bit, as is natural, but now we are just going to get through it like everything else. I do wish, however, that we could quit doing things in the middle of the night. Seriously, even the chickens were still in bed!
In the Ensuing Panic 
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