Can I get a Hoo Haa for no leaks?

The CAT Scan results came back with mixed results. The best news is that there is no sign of a rip, tear or leak in the new GI tract. The small intestine and pouch are intact. The problem is that it just isn't working in that it still appears paralyzed. The best explanations for that is either it hasn't recovered enough from the surgery or the pain killers are sedating it too much or some combination of both.

The decision is to leave the NG tube in place for a couple of days and see if it wakes up on it's own. As far as I can tell there is no insertable alarm clock available to shake it awake in the event it decides to continue to over sleep. Knowing Caren's complete hatred of waking up in the morning, it comes as little surprise that her intestine has been hitting the snooze button for almost a week now.

The CAT Scan did not happen without it's own hitches though. There was some issue getting the dye to move into the pouch (really concerning at first), so they decided they needed to inject some dye from the other direction - sounds pleasant right? Well, imagine if you would, having the Residents inject the dye up that route, having the scan and being told it didn't get high enough and having the distinct pleasure of having it done a second time. Yea, stick a needle in my eye instead please! And make it a big one. Fortunately, the second time was the charm and the pictures were clear. I think a third round may have resulted in some casualties downstairs. I had stayed in room and there would have been nothing to stop Caren from tearing some poor, 20-year-old Resident's arms off and beating him to death with them.

An interesting additional finding on the CAT Scan was a clot in a vein in her liver. Seriously now, can we stack anything else up here? Can the hospital be overrun by terrorists or maybe a repeat blackout down the East Coast? I guess it's a VERY small clot and is not uncommon in cases of advanced ulcerative colitis. The team of doctors is going to check with a vascular specialist for treatment advice, but it sounds like some anti-coagulant drugs are in our future. Maybe just in the hospital or possibly a regimen to go home with. We'll exchange daily prednisone for daily coumadin, sign us up! (For anyone confused, that is PURE sarcasm there. I know it's lazy writing, but I'm tired).

For that matter, I think Caren is getting tired too. It's been a long haul and there's no immediate end in sight. I can tell that her spirits are a little low. She's missing the kids and the house and a shower and her own bed. Maintaining the resolve required to keep fighting takes enormous energy and she hasn't eaten anything more solid than jello in a full 7 days now. If I go more than 7 hours without a meal, not a snack, a meal, I get cranky. She's holding it together as well as she can, but patience are thin and tolerance is a hot commodity.