Grandma Update 2

This is the latest we have as of about 9:30 am Wednesday morning, concerning Marie's medical status. She had great abdominal pain yesterday (Tuesday), and so we took her to Rex Emergency, where they examined and treated her. We were all very distressed, because Marie had a complete left hip replacement surgery Tuesday (8 days ago), and she was recovering from that splendidly. (So, at first, we assumed that the abdominal pain might be related to that hip replacement surgery, but that proved NOT to be the case.)

They took x-Rays of Marie's abdomen and were not able to see any problem. So then they took a CAT Scan, which showed that there was air in the abdomen, typically a sign that there has been a bowel perforation, which causes release of air (and feces and other bad stuff) into the abdominal cavity.

A Doctor Ng performed abdominal surgery on Marie about midnight, early this morning. They found that she had, indeed, perforated a bowel. They told me the name of the specific colon, but I forget which one it is, but it's the big intestine, perhaps 2 feet from the anus. (Incidentally, this perforation was apparently caused by a terrible case of constipation, brought on by side effects from a pain-killer medication that was prescribed for Marie following her total hip replacement surgery Tuesday of last week.)

Because of the bowel perforation, "toxic waste" from the intestine got out into the abdomen, which is always an extremely dangerous situation. The surgeon says they found the perforated area, and have repaired it. Also, he feels that they have removed this bad stuff during the surgery, but of course, sepsis is always possible, so Marie is not out of the woods yet.

The surgeon said he hated to give probabilities, but when we pressed him, he said that for surgery of this type when everything seems to go okay, the fatality rate is about 10%. If things go wrong, that number goes up as high as 80%, he said. So far, things seem to have gone right, so we hope for Marie's eventual complete recovery. But that is not a "given" -- she is not out of the woods yet, the surgeon stressed. He said he is "cautiously optimistic". But there can be no guarantees.

This morning about 6am we saw Marie in ICU, where she was taken after surgery, and where she will remain for a few days. She is awake, although heavily sedated. But she talked with my son (Steve) and me, and even made a little joke. She has a colostomy because of the problems with the bowel. Supposedly, if she recovers, in another 6 months or so, they will reverse the colostomy, and "re-plug" her intestines back the way they were.

Following major surgery on the intestines, they shut down and basically quit working. This condition can last for a week or more, so they are feeding her intravenously, because anything that went to her stomach just isn't going anywhere right now.

Marie's spirits have always been high, and they remain that way now, in spite of her tenuous condition. We hope for the best, but understand that unexpected problems for this type of surgery can and do occur, and we just don't know the eventual result, although we can certainly hope and pray for the best.

Son Steve was already here when Marie's problem came up yesterday. Our other children Mike and Karen arrive at various times today (Wednesday). Glen and Kathy come in tomorrow, I believe. Linda is planning to arrive after her daughter's baby is born via C-Section tomorrow (Thursday morning). We will be in a state of modified chaos by then, I think!

We have already received numerous phone-calls and emails, inquiring as to what you can do for us, and the answer right now is basically nothing. Except we would really appreciate your prayers for Marie's recovery.

We are grateful to everyone who phones us or sends us emails, to inquire about Marie's condition, to offer services such as meals, and so on. I apologize, but I simply do not have enough time right now to personally answer emails or phone-calls.

We have asked Tracy Whitt to act as a sort-of local contact for news of Marie's condition, because your phone-calls to the house or to our cell-phones may not be answered in any sort of a prompt way (our apologies for that.) Tracy's number is 919-801-3766. We will keep Tracy updated as changes in Marie's status may occur, and she has promised to keep you informed as things may change. (Thank you so much, Tracy).

We ask that no food items be given to us. There is no room in the fridge for anything, and in fact it is likely that some stuff already there will spoil. Also, our schedule is erratic, and is apt to remain so for some time. We will be grabbing snacks on the run for the most part, I imagine.

And now it is time to go to the airport to pick up daughter Karen, who arrives this morning at 11:15am. So I must close this email now, so I can get it on its way, even though I did have some other stuff I wanted to say.

Thank you again for your prayers,
Bill Houghtaling