Alright it probably isn't that graphic... I don't think I can accurately describe everything here... So it is only a tiny bit graphic and hard to read for me and a few others who actually saw him. As it will bring back the memories.
Okay, so here is where things are a little fuzzy for me. I am not sure in what order things actually happened. I am pretty sure I was the first to see Stu after the operation. But not 100% sure. I may have been second or something. And I don't really remember what happened between talking to the doctor and waiting to see Stu. I seem to remember that it took longer than I would have liked. And we couldn't take any kids in to see him. So Ellie had to stay out with someone in that little "dirty" waiting room. And of course Audrey couldn't go in either.
I say dirty because it wasn't very inviting. But they don't want people to hang out much, I suppose. There were lots of people there. With many, many stories and reasons for being there.
We couldn't have more than 2 people in the room with Stu at a time. And there were many other rules too.
The doctors had done their best to try and tell me what may or may not be seen when Stu came out of the surgery. There was a chance that he would have a breathing tube in. Lucky for me it was not in. He was breathing fine on his own. But there were many, many other things attached to him. And he was very out of things when I first saw him. I don't even know if he opened his eyes when I first saw him. He had to have his arms strapped down to keep him from pulling on any of the wires, or tubes and such.
He had a lot of wires coming out of him. They had to monitor his heart and all sorts of other things like that. It was quite scary to see him like that.
He had an itchy nose and was wanting to scratch it. So I scratched it for him. I just wanted to hold him but you really weren't supposed to do much of anything like that. So mostly I held his hand, and prayed.
He talked a little bit. But it didn't seem like him. He said things about a train, and other odd things. I felt like it wasn't him talking. But I don't know what it actually was. He sounded scared. So I tried to soothe him. But mostly I just sat and listened and prayed.
We spent time going in and out and giving each other breaks. At one point my Mom and Dad came and brought Audrey to see me. We chatted a little. My Bro in law who was watching Ellie out in the waiting room had to come in and get me at one point to go out and nurse Ellie. He left Ellie with a lady who was there waiting for her brother or sister who was in the STICU. And that lady actually got Ellie to take a binky. Which was something we had been trying to get her to take for 2 months. Apparently she just needed someone else to do it. And I like to hope that Ellie helped that lady get just a little peace during her time of trials. But I will be forever grateful that she did that for us.
At some point during the day I went home and took a bath and a nap. It was the first rest I had gotten in about 2 days.
My Mom in law and I and whoever was with Stu at the time were in constant communication practically. There were a few times though that I was the only person in the room with Stu. I seem to recall that those were awful lonely times.
At some point a nurse came in to take an x-ray of Stu's abdomen. I don't recall why. But she had a portable x-ray machine. And just sort of jammed the board under his back, it made me kind of angry to see how she did that. I mean for heaven's sake he has an incision across his whole stomach. But she finally got it and then left and I could be back at my husband's side.
I think Stu was only in the STICU until Monday afternoon. But the time that he was in there feels like it lasted forever. We talked a lot to other people there. And heard many, many stories. And ours was the happiest of all of them, it seemed. Even though things were scary for us. He was doing well, and progressing fast. So we felt as though we didn't really seem to fit there. As I suppose now thinking about it, I don't think anyone really feels like they fit there, except maybe the nurses. :)
No one could stay the night with Stu so I went home. I don't recall if my Mom in law stayed. I think she probably did. By Sunday evening I believe Stu had started to try and stand up, and by Monday morning Stu had walked a lap around the STICU. That is when the doctors and nurses decided it was time to move Stu up to his regular room on the transplant floor. Floor 10.
By that night he was in his own room and he had been unattached to one of the IVs and he had received his PICC line in his arm. Which is a really neat IV that they don't have to change every day or every other day. And they could draw his blood from it so he had fewer pokes every few hours. The PICC line was pretty neat to watch them put in. They did that down in the STICU, but they have to guide it in with an ultrasound machine and it has to be kept as clean as possible because it went I believe close to the heart.
And that began the count down of taking out his attachments.
But this is where I will end today.
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