Surgery: Status Update - 3:00 PM PT / 9.12.13

This is Caroline.

Dad is still in the CICU and the pain is in full affect.

The epidural is no longer working, so around 2:00 PM they gave him a new drug to help ease the pain. They were also going to let him get out of the bed for a few minutes, as he has been lying flat since the surgery started yesterday morning.

He is talking, but his throat hurts like 'heck.'  It sounds like there is one drug that after he takes it, it helps ease the pain associated with the sore throat.

We are trying to not make him talk too much, as talking makes it worse.

He also mentioned pain in his abdomen area, due to the movement of so many body parts and the overall surgery.

He is also very sleep deprived and has not slept since before the surgery, or I suppose during the surgery. The nurse comes in to check on him approximately every 45 minutes, and there are a lot of people (nurses and doctors) and noises, in the CICU area, and also the fact that he is on his back. He never sleeps on his back, so being on his back, alone is not comforting. He is looking forward to when he can move into a more permanent, quieter room. It sounds like within the next day or two the move will take place.

On a more encouraging note, one of the doctors stopped by this morning and told him the surgery went very well.

Will post another update this evening...

Surgery: Status Update - 9:45 PM PT / 9.11.13

This is Caroline.

We heard the doctor say CCU, it is actually the CICU where my dad will be until at least through tomorrow. 

After I wrote the last post, Paul, Martha, and I were able to see Sam/Dad.

He was awake, knew who we all were, and seemed very literate. We had been informed a while back that he would be completely out of it and would not be speaking. He showed us where he was in pain – The nurse was in the midst of getting an epidural ready. He has a lot of IV's in him (as expected) including a catheter to pee and feeding tube, to feed him. There is a tube in his noise that he said was quite annoying. 

He did not look swollen (as we had previously been informed) and much different, aside from several tubes, IV's, and about a 4-inch incision on the left-hand side of his neck. His face is a bit pale in color. The other incisions are not visible when simply looking at him. The nurse could not believe at how alert he was after this specific surgery. She said patients are rarely smiling, and talking a few hours later. 

Typical Quiring male, they needed to increase the length of his bed, as it was a bit short.

We stayed in the room for about 30 minutes, and then it was a shift change, so we went to the cafeteria in the basement and came back up around 8:00 and said good night. Martha stayed a bit longer than Paul and I.

So far, he is recovering well.

Surgery: Status Update - 5:30 PM PT / 9.11.13

This is Caroline.

The surgery was complete about 45 minutes ago 4:45 PM PT.

Paul, Martha, and I just met with the surgeon.
She seemed very upbeat and said everything went well, and that his body is responding well to the surgery.

He will be transferred to CCU within the next hour. He will be in the CCU for at least one day.
*No visitors are allowed at this time. We will let everyone know when people can visit. It sounds like it will be a few days before people can visit (they do not want to risk an infection).

We cannot thank everyone enough for your thoughts and prayers the past few months, weeks, today, and the next several days...

Surgery: Status Update - 3:30 PM PT / 9.11.13

This is Caroline -

The surgery began at 9:15/9:30 AM PT.
Mom just received an update from the operating room saying that everything is progressing nicely.

I believe there is around 2 - 3 more hours left.

Paul or I will post an update later this evening.

The Night Before Surgery

Sept. 10, 2013.

According to the instruction sheet in the mail, I am scheduled for: Laparoscopic Transhiatal Esophagectomy and Feeding Jejunostomy Tube Placement.  Say that five times really fast.  I just double-checked and all those words are spelled exactly like the instruction sheet.

Before going any further, I want to thank everyone who has wished me well, sent me email, called, sent a card, and told me that Martha and I are in their prayers.  I am humbled that so many good people are thinking about us.

The anesthesiologist just called me at 9:00 pm to go over what's going to happen tomorrow.  I could have used a lot less detail.  I'm going to get an epidural high up on my back that will provide good pain relief.  It will be in place for a few days.  I'll have many other wires and tubes, including a catheter through the urethra into the bladder.  I'll have an IV in my neck.  He went on and on.  Every time he used the words "discomfort", "some discomfort", etc. I chuckled and so did he.  I don't think I'll be chuckling when I am experiencing the discomfort.

We have to be at the hospital at 6:00 am.  I'll be put under a general anesthetic around 8:30.  Martha will have to endure the waiting room without the help of medication.  She will be joined by Caroline, Paul, and Kevin as the day progresses.  I hope they can keep each other in good spirits.  I am guessing surgery will take until 5:00 pm then an hour in the recovery room, then they wheel me into the ICU for the night.  Emphasis on "guess".

The anesthesiologist said that I will have a breathing tube (ventilator) during surgery.  They hope to remove it at the end of surgery, but there can be many factors that would make it better to leave it in until the next morning.  He emphasized that my family should not be alarmed if this happens.  As long as the ventilator is in, I'll be under full anesthesia.

For the last three to four weeks I have felt great.  I have gained enough weight that I've had to start watching what I eat.  Everything tastes great.  Well almost. I've started eating my usual breakfast of Fiber One cereal.  It doesn't taste that great.  Barbecue Rigs?  Great. Pizza?  Great.  Chips and salsa?  Great.  And finally beer has started tasting normal again, which is great.

I maxed out with worry and stress over the surgery about three weeks ago.  I think that numbed my brain so I'm not very anxious any more.  The human brain is amazing.  Talking to the Anesthesiologist made me a little anxious (I felt some discomfort) but even that faded quickly.  I hope I adapt as well to the actual circumstances.

Feeling Good, but Dreading Surgery

It has been 4 weeks and 3 days since my last radiation treatment.  I've really started to feel better.  I can eat almost anything, but some stuff (beer, pop) still do not taste right.  I split a beer with Caroline last night before the Timber's game that tasted good.  I was very optimistic, so I grabbed another at half time -- it did not taste so good.  Oh well.  There were six of us a dinner at Thai Orchid on Burnside (Zeiglers and Steinfelds).  We ordered a variety of dishes and they all tasted very good to me.

Last week Steve Z and I did our normal 2.5 mile walk at lunch every day.  It is getting easier, but I'm still pretty tired and sweaty when we get done.  I do get much hotter than I used to and way hotter than Steve.  I have not started swimming yet, hopefully next week -- I put the towels and swim gear into my car yesterday.

My brother Sherwood visited last weekend.  It was a great weekend, I was really glad he came.  Sherwood, Powel (my other brother), and I toured the Columbia River Gorge on Friday 8/9 and as part of that we drove up to Larch Mountain and hiked to Sherrard point, about 3/8 mile uphill from the parking lot.  I had to rest twice on the way and felt a little light-headed at the sun-drenched lookout area.  I think if I did the same walk today I would do much better.  Here we are at Sherrard Point (left to right: Powell, Sherwood, Sam).

Every day  surgery draws closer and I get more nervous about life after surgery.  I try not to think about it too much.

July 29 - Aug 2: Improvements, finally

I'm starting to improve.  It is incremental improvement, not dramatic improvement, but I can eat more foods without serious pain.  I rarely experience nausea.

There are still a lot of foods which hurt after I swallow until I swallow some water, room-temperature water. I'm still pretty sensitive to temperature.  Cold foods like ice-cream, ice water, etc., hurt to eat or drink.  One of the most bothersome problems is taste.  Beer just doesn't taste good.  I think the more complicated something tastes, the less likely I am to like it.  Fritos taste great.

Strength is slow coming back.  I walked at lunch with Steve Z every day at work last week (Steve S. joined us a few times).  The walk was about a mile.  It was hard and did not seem to get easier by the end of the week.  When I wake up I still feel really weak when I'm brushing my teeth, almost like I might keel over.

I've started to get more regular.  I think the constipation and abdominal cramp issues are over, thankfully.

Every week surgery looms a little closer (Sept. 11) and becomes more real.  Martha shares with me some of the stuff that's going to happen after surgery, different "stages" of eating from "nothing through the mouth", i.e., feeding tube, for the first 4 weeks, then pure liquids only (Ensure, Boost), then pureed "a little bit of texture", etc.  At each stage I have to gain some weight to get to the next sage.  I'm dreading it.