Surprise, Surprise

About 10:00 P.M. last night Renee got the call. It came from the nether-reaches, the dark area hidden from sunlight that has been silent since last December. She rejoiced with the same enthusiasm as a parent who has been attempting to potty train a reluctant toddler observing the child handle things on her own for the first time. Somewhere on the near horizon lies the diaper free zone, the colostomy bag free zone, the gut-wrenching pain free zone, the operating room free zone, the gastroenterologist free zone.

We are not quite there yet. We are hoping this is not one of those false positives that faked us out following previous surgeries. The nurses and doctors are very upbeat about the progress. Renee got placed on solid food this morning and had no problem with an omelet. Someone mentioned the big D word, discharge. One meal at a time is where we’re at.

Renee said the pain is worse today and there seems to be more swelling from the stoma site than yesterday. She’s sleeping more today also. Was yesterday just an adrenalin rush day? Was this patient so overwhelmed that she wasn’t knocked completely out of it by this surgery that she overdid it? I will tell you that I prefer the Renee from yesterday. Both of us were completely surprised at how quickly she popped out of the anesthesia fog. Both of us were completely surprised that she didn’t get and didn’t need the morphine pump. They said she would. Both of us were completely surprised that she was able to get out of bed and walk upright as if no-one had been poking around inside her abdomen the day before. Don’t you just love surprises? Let’s not let anything go and spoil it.