068 Another Hospital Stay

On Friday afternoon we went to a follow up appointment with Dr. Hornbostel because of Jimmy's trip to the ER the night before. Jimmy was still feeling very miserable from everything that he was going through. When Dr. H came into the room he told Jimmy he was admitting him to the hospital.

We were shocked. We knew Jimmy was sick but we didn't expect a hospital stay. Dr. H says it is because Jimmy is very dehydrated from the diarrhea and you can't really catch up because it is so soon after surgery and he can't drink large amounts. Number two it's because they need to keep a close eye on him and get his bowel, vitamins, and eating situations back on track.

So we went straight over to admitting.

They got him to a room quickly but had lots of trouble with his IV (he ended up having a pick line after two different IVs infiltrated) and labs. Finally after using the sonogram (not sonar like Jimmy thought) they got him all situated and started on his fluids and vitamins. Not surprisingly, his blood work said he was dangerously low on potassium so they have been working to bring that up the last two days.

They have also done some other tests, xrays, and listened to his bowels. After Jimmy pucked up the Barium they were attempting to use for one test, his bowels finally startedmoving. So I guess 20 minutes of pucking and dry heaving helped move things along in the bathroom department. One positive to come out of a failed test attempt.

After all the results were in, Dr. H came back yesterday afternoon to tell us the verdict. As the xrays from the ER and the fact Jimmy's bowels finally started moving proved there wasn't blockage or obstruction. Hornbostel believes Jimmy caught a very aggressive flu bug which caused the diarrhea and was complicated by the fact he was already constipated.

These things combined curbed his appetite (dropping his vitamins), caused diarrhea (lowering his potassium levels, and caused dehydration (which he couldn't combat because of the limited amounts he can drink in one sitting). That's why he ended up in the hospital. Just one big whammy. The good news was if he could keep stuff down and get his potassium up then he could go home on Saturday.

So here we are, waiting to see what his fate will be. Will we go home or harbor another night at Heartland? Only Dr. H knows.

* Thanks to everyone who came by to visit or bring us stuff. You are very appreciated and you made our stay that much easier! *