Mid-morning Wednesday (after pleading for prayer) I was taken down for my test. The one good thing about the NG tube was that I didn't have to drink the contrast! They just 'shot it up my nose' through the tube. I was put on an X-ray table that could lean in all directions. They stood me up at about a 60 degree angle. As one lady pushed fluid through the tube, another watched the screen and watched for leaks. They rotated me around several ways. In my mind it was like putting a colored fluid in a clear jar and shifting it around until all the surfaces were covered. After that procedure, they took several still X-rays that required me to twist and lean in various positions.
Upon my return to my room, I told the nurses that they could've warned me that I was going to have to dance 1/2 naked on a table. Remember at this point I still had 8 tubes and a heart monitor. The only thing I had graduated from was the oxygen. I was only able to loosely wear a gown.
As with all medical procedures, I had to wait on the doctor for the official results. Several hours later, Dr. Young came in to share the greatest news--The Perforation was Repaired! That meant the NG tube was coming out, and I would soon be able to start eating and drinking. And the the bad news--Dr. Braza the infectious disease doctor was still thinking 2-4 additional weeks of IV medication in the hospital.
As soon as Dr. Young left, Chasity the nurse and her student nurse came in to remove the NG tube. I was super nervous, but wanted the student to have the opportunity to learn how to remove the tube. She and I made a deal that she could do it as long as she didn't panic and stop in the middle of the process. She was amazing. She untapped my nose, told me to inhale and pulled. It took a total of about 5 seconds and it was out. I don't really know what I expected, but it was immediate relief! And then, the catheter was gone. In a matter of minutes I was no longer tethered to the walls of the hospital! 3/9 tubes gone! Oh and the morphine went too!
I spent the afternoon basking in the glory of being 'fixed'. I spent a couple of hours coding answer documents for the STAAR test. I was a happy camper and refused to be depressed about the long term possibility.
At this point, I had been in the hospital for 7 days without a real shower and absolutely no hair care. Hot mess doesn't even begin to describe my looks. I had enlisted the help of Amanda to deal with my hair. (JRhudy was kind enough to bring me some dry shampoo earlier in the week). After looking at my head, Amanda said, 'Girl, that is way past dry shampoo stage.' Fortunately one of the nurses brought me a 'waterless shampoo cap'. I was desperate. So Sadie read the directions and we went for it.
Initially it appeared to be an improvement. The smell was pleasant. Several hours of visitors later, I realized that my hair looked wet, but was completely dry. Essentially, I spread the oil evenly on my head. There was certainly NO improvement in my situation.
In the middle of the visitors, Dr. Braza came in to talk with me. She said that she was willing to consider converting my meds to oral meds IF I could eat enough to get off the TPN and tolerate the medication without too many complications. The plan was to get off the TPN by Friday, eat all weekend, transition to oral meds and go home the next week. That night I had a milkshake. It was fabulous! That's a total lie! Nothing sounded good, but I was on a mission. I had to regulate my sugars, pain, and digestive tract. All of that depended on eating! And I wanted to GO HOME!
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