My Recovery.

The next thing I knew I was in recovery and a nurse was putting some very tight stockings on my legs. I was in some kind of room that had curtains separating all the patients into little cubicles. My family was there and they all seem very relieved to see me. Although I was still real groggy I was trying to signal my wife, Diane, to take a picture. There were tubes down my throat and I could not speak but I kept motioning like taking a picture. No one understood what I was trying to communicate. I got flustered and went back to sleep.

Diane did get the message and did take some pictures.

The rest of my recovery went just wonderful. things developed just as Dr. Cowan had described to me prior to the operation.

Dr. Cowan gave orders that I was not to be placed on CPAP until he ordered it. He was cautious because the pressure of the CPAP could possibly blow out the sutures he had just put inside me.

I have had many people ask me about the post surgical Pain. Dr. Cowan was very clear when he told me that I would "...feel no pain. If you do feel pain -- there is something wrong. Have the nurse contact me immediately." These words were very comforting. And as time progressed I found them to be Very True. As I set here now looking over my medical records from the hospital I can see that the only thing Dr. Cowan gave me for pain was Toradol. A non-narcotic pain medication. And I was doing fine the post-operative pain was minimal.

After I was taken off the ventilator I was placed on CPAP at a pressure of 5.00cmH2O as discussed prior to the operation. I normally used a pressure of 11 titrated up to 13cmH2O before surgery. But post-operative that would have been too much pressure. I read in the doctor's notes that at the pressure setting of 5.00cmH2O I was doing fine with no apnea episodes.

On 11/15/98, third day post-op, I was allowed to start taking clear liquids by mouth. But only small sips from a 1 ounce medication cup and no more than 1 ounce every 10 minutes.

On 11/16/98, Low Lactose Purees were added to my diet of clear liquids. This was a real sign of progress. Dr. Cowan told me that if I was tolerating my diet by mouth okay, he would start the discharge process the following day!

During the night of the 16th a problem developed as a result of a Nurse incorrectly setting up the CPAP machine. The pressure was set too high. This was not ordered by my doctor and was completely in error. A problem here was that Diane and I had complete faith in the hospital staff caring for me. We had no thought of questioning any of their actions. Now through the night while under CPAP at a high pressure setting things were going wrong and I was unaware until it was to late.

Morning came on 11/17/98 to find me thinking about what Dr. Cowan had told me about pain. "...there will be no pain, and if you do have pain there is something wrong and you need to have the nurse contact me immediately." This morning I was feeling pain, a lot of pain. But I did not want to be a weakling or anything, so I held back telling the nurse. After all I have just had major surgery and I am not getting any narcotics so I should feel some pain, right?

Time moves on, my breakfast comes: scrambled eggs and ground beef. Yummy, Yummy. I ate slowly like I had been instructed. Oh no, it hurts. I stop the food and concentrate on the liquids -- that is better. The pain continues to increase and I tell Diane something might be wrong. Then the nurse comes in and I decide to lay back and sleep so the CPAP is put back on me. I tell the nurse she has it set wrong because I can hardly get enough air. I feel like I am having to suck air out of the tube. She tells me it is set correctly. I still complain and tell her that during the night while I was on the CPAP I got plenty of air no problem. Then she said the pressure dials were set at a much higher pressure when she had first started to set it up for me and turned the pressure back up. I said, "Yes, that is much better -- I can breathe like last night." She frowned and told me that pressure was very high and way above the doctor's orders for me.

That was it now I knew there was a problem, "there will be no pain..." I told her to contact my doctor right away because I was in pain and there was a problem. The nurses did not believe me at first but then things started going wrong my heart rate got erratic and my temperature went up suddenly, etc. By now I was in a lot of pain and they did call Dr. Cowan.

The end of all this was that I was leaking inside. The high pressure from the CPAP had ruptured the sutures in my guts. I was in trouble. I remember telling Diane as they took me to the operating room that it looked like we were not going to get to go home today after all!