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ProfessorTomoe

Changing Medications (Level of Trust Required)

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Determination made on the PICC line: it will not be removed. It is the one thing keeping the blood clot in the thrombosed brachial vein from dislodging and going lord knows where (heart, lungs, brain). The doctor wanted to remove it, but that was before he ran into the freight train of reasoning known as Mrs. Prof. She convinced him otherwise.

I have yet to see a doctor this morning. He usually comes in at god-awful-early in the morning. He's not here yet.

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Determination made on the PICC line: it will not be removed. It is the one thing keeping the blood clot in the thrombosed brachial vein from dislodging and going lord knows where (heart, lungs, brain). The doctor wanted to remove it, but that was before he ran into the freight train of reasoning known as Mrs. Prof. She convinced him otherwise.

I have yet to see a doctor this morning. He usually comes in at god-awful-early in the morning. He's not here yet.

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The doctor finally came in at around 9am. He advised me that he was increasing my blood thinner injection to the maximum dosage, which would require two shots. Strangely enough, when the nurse came to administer it, she only had one shot. She double-checked and verified - just one shot. I'm not gonna argue. Those shots hurt. At least I'm going to be put on Eliquis in a few days and will be able to say goodbye to the needles in my stomach.

One bad thing today has been a shift in gears regarding my pain medication. I've got to wait 3 smegging hours past a dose of my oxycodone pills in order to get a dose of Dilaudid now. I don't understand the change. My pain is still at the same level, and the oxycodone has always been a baseline medication for my chronic pain in my back and in my ankles, not for the new pain in my toe and my shoulder. I'd like to know who TF ordered this, or whether this nurse is yanking my chain.

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14 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

whether this nurse is yanking my chain.

While not good, at least something that should be easier to get fixed.

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That particular nurse was yanking my chain - either that, or the night nurse was lax on regs. I got my pain shots at night.

In other news, my left leg is finally free of its ACE bandage bonds. It looks a lot like a chicken leg now - withered and atrophied. The bandage did its job at getting rid of the edema. Maybe a bit too well.

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Quick update:

Got results back from an X-ray of my right shoulder. Said results were negative. Still woke up with level 8 pain this morning in it. The doctor thinks I simply slept on it wrong; my day nurse thinks I need to get an appointment with a doctor at my orthopedic specialists' place. Will discuss with Mrs. Prof later today.

I'm no longer on Lovenox blood thinner injections into my stomach (yay!). I'm instead on Eliquis pills to thin my blood. I'll be on them for several months, according to the doctor. Double checked with him about the PICC line - he said that it *will* come out when I no longer have to take antibiotics. There will be no reason to keep it in at that point. Again, will discuss with Mrs. Prof later today.

Poop news:

I don't know exactly what combination of pills they're giving me, but whatever it is, it's making me have 

enormous bowel movements. I was worried that I'd clogged the smegging toilet this morning until flush number 6 cleared everything up. I feel physically voided - a sensation I'm not used to.

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Hospital Update 2021/08/05 11:11 a.m.:

I've just had the weekly Thursday parade of doctors and administrators come through to meet with my wife and myself. Things I've learned:

  • My release date has been bumped forward to August 9th (more on that in a moment).
  • I'm officially off of all IV antibiotics.
  • They're going to look into a referral to an orthopedic specialist for my right shoulder pain.
  • Wound care on my left big toe is still an issue.
  • Pain management in general is still an issue.

My release date may be moved forward even more now that I'm off of IV antibiotics. I might even be able to go home this weekend. The only things keeping me from going home right this instant are the DVT in my left arm, the PICC line in the same arm, the wound care issue in my left big toe, and the pain management issue overall.

The DVT has not grown any since my last update. Good news for me personally: I've been taken off of twice-daily Lovenox injections and put on twice-daily Eliquis pills instead. Huzzah - much easier to stomach, pardon the pun. Now that the IV antibiotics are done, the PICC line will be removed soon, I assume, unblocking the clot. The doctors do not see a problem with this, thanks to the Eliquis.

I'm not 100% sure about the wound care issue. They've got the surgical incision for the screw insertion point covered with a silver alginate patch. It's making my toe look very strange. I've had one wound care person say it's healed, but then two others have come behind and put more silver alginate over my toe. Today's meeting didn't really clarify that point for me.

Pain management, on the other hand, reared its ugly head high this morning, thanks to me finally getting a good night's sleep for once. I woke up with level 8 pain in my right shoulder and in my left big toe, I'm guessing due to being off of Dilaudid for over 7 hours. I asked for and was given a Dilaudid shot very soon after the nurse woke me up. My toe is still giving me pins-and-needles pain, and my shoulder is still sore several hours later. My next shot isn't due for another hour at least.

All in all, it's been an eventful morning. I'll post an update if the afternoon/evening is anywhere near as eventful.

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Hospital Update 2021/08/05 11:11 a.m.:

I've just had the weekly Thursday parade of doctors and administrators come through to meet with my wife and myself. Things I've learned:

  • My release date has been bumped forward to August 9th (more on that in a moment).
  • I'm officially off of all IV antibiotics.
  • They're going to look into a referral to an orthopedic specialist for my right shoulder pain.
  • Wound care on my left big toe is still an issue.
  • Pain management in general is still an issue.

My release date may be moved forward even more now that I'm off of IV antibiotics. I might even be able to go home this weekend. The only things keeping me from going home right this instant are the DVT in my left arm, the PICC line in the same arm, the wound care issue in my left big toe, and the pain management issue overall.

The DVT has not grown any since my last update. Good news for me personally: I've been taken off of twice-daily Lovenox injections and put on twice-daily Eliquis pills instead. Huzzah - much easier to stomach, pardon the pun. Now that the IV antibiotics are done, the PICC line will be removed soon, I assume, unblocking the clot. The doctors do not see a problem with this, thanks to the Eliquis.

I'm not 100% sure about the wound care issue. They've got the surgical incision for the screw insertion point covered with a silver alginate patch. It's making my toe look very strange. I've had one wound care person say it's healed, but then two others have come behind and put more silver alginate over my toe. Today's meeting didn't really clarify that point for me.

Pain management, on the other hand, reared its ugly head high this morning, thanks to me finally getting a good night's sleep for once. I woke up with level 8 pain in my right shoulder and in my left big toe, I'm guessing due to being off of Dilaudid for over 7 hours. I asked for and was given a Dilaudid shot very soon after the nurse woke me up. My toe is still giving me pins-and-needles pain, and my shoulder is still sore several hours later. My next shot isn't due for another hour at least.

All in all, it's been an eventful morning. I'll post an update if the afternoon/evening is anywhere near as eventful.

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Hospital Update 2021/08/05 11:11 a.m.:

I've just had the weekly Thursday parade of doctors and administrators come through to meet with my wife and myself. Things I've learned:

  • My release date has been bumped forward to August 9th (more on that in a moment).
  • I'm officially off of all IV antibiotics.
  • They're going to look into a referral to an orthopedic specialist for my right shoulder pain.
  • Wound care on my left big toe is still an issue.
  • Pain management in general is still an issue.

My release date may be moved forward even more now that I'm off of IV antibiotics. I might even be able to go home this weekend. The only things keeping me from going home right this instant are the DVT in my left arm, the PICC line in the same arm, the wound care issue in my left big toe, and the pain management issue overall.

The DVT has not grown any since my last update. Good news for me personally: I've been taken off of twice-daily Lovenox injections and put on twice-daily Eliquis pills instead. Huzzah - much easier to stomach, pardon the pun. Now that the IV antibiotics are done, the PICC line will be removed soon, I assume, unblocking the clot. The doctors do not see a problem with this, thanks to the Eliquis.

I'm not 100% sure about the wound care issue. They've got the surgical incision for the screw insertion point covered with a silver alginate patch. It's making my toe look very strange. I've had one wound care person say it's healed, but then two others have come behind and put more silver alginate over my toe. Today's meeting didn't really clarify that point for me.

Pain management, on the other hand, reared its ugly head high this morning, thanks to me finally getting a good night's sleep for once. I woke up with level 8 pain in my right shoulder and in my left big toe, I'm guessing due to being off of Dilaudid for over 7 hours. I asked for and was given a Dilaudid shot very soon after the nurse woke me up. My toe is still giving me pins-and-needles pain, and my shoulder is still sore several hours later. My next shot isn't due for another hour at least.

All in all, it's been an eventful morning. I'll post an update if the afternoon/evening is anywhere near as eventful.

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Hospital Update 2021/08/05 11:11 a.m.:

I've just had the weekly Thursday parade of doctors and administrators come through to meet with my wife and myself. Things I've learned:

  • My release date has been bumped forward to August 9th (more on that in a moment).
  • I'm officially off of all IV antibiotics.
  • They're going to look into a referral to an orthopedic specialist for my right shoulder pain.
  • Wound care on my left big toe is still an issue.
  • Pain management in general is still an issue.

My release date may be moved forward even more now that I'm off of IV antibiotics. I might even be able to go home this weekend. The only things keeping me from going home right this instant are the DVT in my left arm, the PICC line in the same arm, the wound care issue in my left big toe, and the pain management issue overall.

The DVT has not grown any since my last update. Good news for me personally: I've been taken off of twice-daily Lovenox injections and put on twice-daily Eliquis pills instead. Huzzah - much easier to stomach, pardon the pun. Now that the IV antibiotics are done, the PICC line will be removed soon, I assume, unblocking the clot. The doctors do not see a problem with this, thanks to the Eliquis.

I'm not 100% sure about the wound care issue. They've got the surgical incision for the screw insertion point covered with a silver alginate patch. It's making my toe look very strange. I've had one wound care person say it's healed, but then two others have come behind and put more silver alginate over my toe. Today's meeting didn't really clarify that point for me.

Pain management, on the other hand, reared its ugly head high this morning, thanks to me finally getting a good night's sleep for once. I woke up with level 8 pain in my right shoulder and in my left big toe, I'm guessing due to being off of Dilaudid for over 7 hours. I asked for and was given a Dilaudid shot very soon after the nurse woke me up. My toe is still giving me pins-and-needles pain, and my shoulder is still sore several hours later. My next shot isn't due for another hour at least.

All in all, it's been an eventful morning. I'll post an update if the afternoon/evening is anywhere near as eventful.

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Hospital Update 2021/08/05 11:11 a.m.:

I've just had the weekly Thursday parade of doctors and administrators come through to meet with my wife and myself. Things I've learned:

  • My release date has been bumped forward to August 9th (more on that in a moment).
  • I'm officially off of all IV antibiotics.
  • They're going to look into a referral to an orthopedic specialist for my right shoulder pain.
  • Wound care on my left big toe is still an issue.
  • Pain management in general is still an issue.

My release date may be moved forward even more now that I'm off of IV antibiotics. I might even be able to go home this weekend. The only things keeping me from going home right this instant are the DVT in my left arm, the PICC line in the same arm, the wound care issue in my left big toe, and the pain management issue overall.

The DVT has not grown any since my last update. Good news for me personally: I've been taken off of twice-daily Lovenox injections and put on twice-daily Eliquis pills instead. Huzzah - much easier to stomach, pardon the pun. Now that the IV antibiotics are done, the PICC line will be removed soon, I assume, unblocking the clot. The doctors do not see a problem with this, thanks to the Eliquis.

I'm not 100% sure about the wound care issue. They've got the surgical incision for the screw insertion point covered with a silver alginate patch. It's making my toe look very strange. I've had one wound care person say it's healed, but then two others have come behind and put more silver alginate over my toe. Today's meeting didn't really clarify that point for me.

Pain management, on the other hand, reared its ugly head high this morning, thanks to me finally getting a good night's sleep for once. I woke up with level 8 pain in my right shoulder and in my left big toe, I'm guessing due to being off of Dilaudid for over 7 hours. I asked for and was given a Dilaudid shot very soon after the nurse woke me up. My toe is still giving me pins-and-needles pain, and my shoulder is still sore several hours later. My next shot isn't due for another hour at least.

All in all, it's been an eventful morning. I'll post an update if the afternoon/evening is anywhere near as eventful.

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I've gone back onto the diuretic (Torsemide, 80mg) for the swelling and the pain believed to be connected to same. Time will tell whether or not it is doing its job in that realm. It's certainly doing its job in the diuretic realm, as to which my room's toilet can attest.

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I drink so much tea that if I was on a diuretic I don't think I would be out of the bathroom for more than 5 minutes at a time.

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I do believe the pain in my left big toe is decreasing. Huzzah! Now, if only my right shoulder would quit hurting. It isn't, of course, necessitating continued doses of Dilaudid every 4 hours.

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Hospital Update 2021/08/08 9:51 a.m.:

It's looking like Kindred is going to stick with their initial estimate of sending me home on Monday, August 9th. The doctor came by at about 5am and talked to me about it. He said he was going to start weaning me off of the Dilaudid by cutting my doses back to once every 8 hours (from once every 4 hours). Not a damned thing I can do about it, since I can't have Dilaudid at home.

At least the pain in my left big toe is subsiding - the big problem right now is my right shoulder. I'm going to have to see an orthopedic specialist for it, and I'm going to need to talk to my pain management doctor about getting some stronger medicine to deal with it, if any exists.

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42 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

At least the pain in my left big toe is subsiding

Good news!

 

42 minutes ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

the big problem right now is my right shoulder

Not so good news.  Hope you get that solved.

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5 hours ago, mlooney said:

Not so good news.  Hope you get that solved.

Thank you. I also need to solve my moustache. It's overdue for a trim, as I'm learning from drinking a can of Monster Energy Zero Ultra.

I obtained said Monster drink on a walk downstairs (plus an elevator ride) to the cafeteria vending machines. This marks the third straight day I've been able to get up and take such a trip by myself. I'm slowly re-acclimating myself to the real world in the process. Going home isn't going to be such a huge shock as a result.

Now, I await the arrival of my wife and my son in separate conveyances at 6pm. We're going to play some games. My son and I are going to play "Race For the Galaxy," a game he just taught me how to play (and which I beat him in on my third attempt at playing), but first, all three of us are supposed to play a card game called Flux. My son promises it's supposed to be tons o' fun. These games should keep us occupied until visiting hours end at 9pm.

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3 hours ago, ProfessorTomoe said:

all three of us are supposed to play a card game called Flux. My son promises it's supposed to be tons o’ fun.

Fluxx is surprisingly entertaining for a game with only three rules.

Glad to hear things are going so well.

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The "Looney Lab" that created Fluxx is not me, nor related to me.  I am facebook friends with them and I met them many years ago at a GAMA trade show. 

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