OK, so my mom is out of the intensive care unit (ICU). I saw her again this evening, and she’s starting to get back to her old chipper self. The emergency surgery she had Monday night was to repair a stomach hernia. Unfortunately, the hernia that had opened up also sucked in some of the bowel and bladder, resulting in an intestinal blockage. So the surgeon had to repair the hernia, cut out the dead parts of the bowel and bladder, and patch everything up. All in a woman who’s sporting a liver she got in a transplant some 15 years ago.
It’s no understatement to say that it was complicated, dangerous surgery, if for no other reason than when things start to die inside you it’s absolutely not a good thing.
Nonetheless, the prognosis at this juncture seems to be optimistic. Mom’s strength is returning, her personality reemerging from the morphine-induced fog, and she’s receiving fewer meds. I have no timeline for her departure from the hospital—heck, her food and water intake still consists of a small glass of ice chips every three hours—but I suspect it may be sometime next week.
All in all, we are hopeful and thankful.