Recovery...

 So sorry for taking so long between updates.  I got home from the hospital Wednesday evening although I felt like staying a couple extra days for pain relief.  It’s been a very difficult road since surgery.  It was a much more major surgery than I ever expected and has been very painful and extremely discouraging.  Things have taken longer to heal and it’s just really frustrating that I’m a week out from surgery and still not back to my independence and “life”.  I keep having to remind myself that he made an extra “stomach” with my intestines, I have 13 staples in my abdomen, a new hole with a tube in it, and stitches.  This has been the worst surgery I have ever gone through!  I woke up from anesthesia into a nightmare and wanted anesthesia again! :)  I have never had THAT bad of pain ever before in my life and hope I never ever have it again!  I still can’t stand up completely straight.  I’m thankful the pain has improved greatly since surgery even though I’m not back to where I thought I would be or achieved what I would like.  My goal had been to go skating again, but right now my heart would be overjoyed just to be able to get dressed on my own or get something I want in the other end of the house without having someone bring it to me!  Just please pray the Lord would lend me some extra strength!  I did finally achieve getting a shower yesterday! - and trust me, that was a true victory! :)

I’m also having some complications with my new G tube.  The GI is concerned I may be developing buried bumper syndrome (where the balloon that holds the tube in gets buried in the abdominal wall).  I’m struggling to keep it in where it’s supposed to be, it hurts, and it keeps getting stuck which isn’t a good sign.  I keep having to push it in to get it to start draining my stomach again.  So I’d appreciate your prayers about that situation.  I currently have an appointment on June 3rd to get it exchanged in hopes that’ll remedy the situation.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Taking Life One Long Day of Recovery at a Time...

Allison

My incision

Please Pray!

Hi friends!

   

Trying to smile through the pain

  Just letting you know surgery was a success.  It ended up being an open surgery.  He made a pocket out of my intestines, stapled it up, and placed the J tube.  It is right above my waistline on my right side now.  I am in excruciating pain even with IV narcotics every 3 hours.  It’s hard to breathe because it hurts really bad to use any of my core muscles.  I will have to have my NJ in for another 2 weeks while this new tube heals.  Please, please pray for relief and rest.  It’s gonna be a long recovery..... :(

Taking Life One Ounce of God’s Grace at a Time....

Allison

Surgery Details

 Hi friends!

        I apologize for my absence.  I got home Thursday evening (5/6) and it was a rough few days.  I ended up using all my IV acetaminophen that I had planned to last me for both tube placements.  They got the T fasteners way too tight (the instruments they use to tack the stomach to the abdominal wall) and they were causing rather bad pressure ulcers.  By 4:30am Monday morning I had reached my absolute max I could handle, I had taken everything I could (medicine wise) and it wasn’t touching the agony, I hadn’t slept, and I was in tears — I was at the desperate point where I was ready to go to the ER.  So I took a small risk and released the fasteners only to find the lower one had a really bad pressure sore and the upper was in the beginning stages of infection.  Miraculously, by the time I got out of bed Monday morning I could stand up straight, move around, and actually function!  Thankfully my GI understood my predicament and I wasn’t in trouble!  I really turned the corner at that point and have been on the uphill side of things since!  Very grateful!!

I got final details for my surgery this afternoon and they go as follows....

I’m to arrive at 9:00am Monday for an 11:30am surgery to place a J tube.  Please pray I will stay well the next few days and will have a smooth, successful surgery, good recovery, and this tube would be a winning, successful, PERMANENT J tube!  I found out that it is registered as a laparoscopic surgery so hopefully that means unless there is something unexpected that I won’t end up having an open surgery!

Thank you ever so much for your continued prayers!

Taking Life One Surgery at a Time...

Allison

Home, Sweet Home...{Soon}

 

Hello Friends!

    Well, Lord willing I will be heading home this afternoon.  I’m in quite a bit of pain so I would greatly appreciate your prayers for comfort!  It was a bit of a rough placement with the abundance of scar tissue they had to go through, they had to re-tack the stomach to the abdominal wall, and cut through the muscle.  So yeah, it’s quite painful to say the least.  The worst part is the muscles contracting because there is a foreign object in them.  Looking forward to saying goodbye to the hospital, but not so much to saying goodbye to the pain relief that goes with it!

Ezra with his prize toy
right after he got it.

Right after they took me back to the procedure room, they were sending Mom, my sister, and Ezra back to wait for me in my hospital room.  Well, they were passing the gift shop when someone squeaked a dog toy in the gift shop.  They said Ezra flipped around and was glued to the window.  They got him to come back to my room, but then decided to treat him to something special.  So my sister took him back to the gift shop to get the toy and he got it, put it up on the counter for the cashier, and then carried it all the way back to my hospital room.  He was one VERY happy pup-a-roo! 💙  Yes, he is rotten, but he sure does earn it!

I was crying in severe pain
& Ezra brought me his new
favorite toy obviously trying
to make thing better 💙

Pain relief, puppy snuggles,
& music = sweet dreams!

My sister had quite the scare today!  She was outside the hospital taking Ezra for a walk and suddenly heard 8 gunshots, a pause, and 4 more.  Then someone in a car hollered at her to go inside because there was a shooting and they were coming through the parking lot and then she saw a car drive by with it’s windows busted out.  She made a beeline back inside and thank God she was safe!  We later learned on the news that it was a violent case of road rage.  How crazy can people be?!

Thank you for your prayers over these next few days of healing and as I prepare for J tube surgery (only 11 more days)!

Allison

Success!

 Hi friends,

Finally got something
to drink!

    

My sweet Ezra snuggling
with me after I got back
to my room...he was very
happy to have his
mommy back!

Just a quick update to let you know that IR was able to successfully place my new G tube.  My pain is pretty controlled with meds.  Hopefully things will be settled enough for me to be ready to go without IV pain meds and go home tomorrow.  I appreciate your continued prayers as I recover and then prepare for my J tube surgery in 12 days.
Allison

The Plan...

 

Somehow this precious face can
make a rough day much better!

Can’t stay sad long with
my Ezra around!

My GI talked with the interventional radiology team and they have agreed to try placing the G tube with their method.  Please pray it is successful this time!  I am scheduled at 1:00 tomorrow so I’ll just be chillin here for the night and then, depending on pain after the procedure, I can go home whenever I’m ready.  I’ve never gone home straight after tube placement, but who knows....maybe G tube #5 will be different!?

Thankful they got a specific time so I can have my formula until midnight!  My body was ready for some nourishment after going all day yesterday and all night last night without!  Really, really hopeful this time will work so I don’t have to have it surgically placed!

I really appreciate your prayers!

Allison

Unsuccessful....

 Sooooo..... my GI tried a lot, but couldn’t safely pass the tube through my abdomen due to scar tissue.  They have admitted me and are going to talk to interventional radiology (IR) about trying it with their method tomorrow.  Hopefully they can get me in their schedule tomorrow and be successful placing the G tube.  If they are unsuccessful also then they will pass the task to the surgeon to do while he does my J tube in two weeks.  Disappointed, but I know Who holds today and tomorrow and He has a good reason for this even though it doesn’t seem so in my eyes.

Please pray that IR will agree to do it and will be successful so I don’t have to go the more invasive way with harder recovery through surgery and I don’t have to wait 2 more weeks!

One big praise is that they’re letting one family member stay with me and Ezra overnight without a fight and two during the day!

For now....we wait, hope, and pray for a better result tomorrow!

Allison

Surgery Preparations....

 Hi Friends!

     I’ve been preparing everything for my upcoming surgeries.  My goal is to have things ready to where there is very minimal preparation for my J tube surgery since it is scheduled only 2 weeks after my G tube placement!

Got my covid test done and it’s negative so we’re all set for my G tube placement on Monday.  I’m supposed to arrive at the hospital at 11:30 for my 12:30 procedure and I will be admitted to the hospital overnight to make sure there are no complications.

Specific prayer requests:

•The procedure to go smoothly.

•The doctor will be able to find a good place and have success at placing the tube.

•Good recovery so I’ll be ready for J tube surgery in 2 weeks.

Thank you so very much for your many prayers on my behalf!

Update on my daddy...

He had his appointment with the doctor and there is no presence of cancer so he will be closely monitored and no further treatment is needed unless they discover cancer again!  Praising the Lord for a good report!

Taking Life One Surgery at a Time...

Allison