070 The Importance of Potassium

Hey, everyone! It's so nice to feel like I am finally rested after spending two night sleeping on the couch in Jimmy's hospital room last week. Now that I have recouped I want to write about what I learned while Jimmy was in the hospital.

Potassium is important!

You look at that "K" on the periodic table and you eat a banana but do you really realize just how important Potassium is in your diet? I know that I didn't until Jimmy didn't have enough of it.

Last time Jimmy got dehydrated and his potassium dropped so did his blood pressure. Once they straightened things out with his hydration I didn't think much of it because they took him off his blood pressure meds so I thought they were the main culprits causing the drops in blood pressue. It seems that potassium had more to do with it than I thought.

Evidentally, you have ALL KINDS of problems when your potassium levels drop. Some of these are cramps, decreased muscle activity, decreased function in your GI tract, blood pressure drop, and potential heart damage. YIKES! To say I underestimated the importance of potassium doesn't even come close to the mark. Read more about what Potassium does in your body.

So make sure that you are drinking lots of fluids and taking your vitamins so that you reduce your chances of experiencing low potassium levels. Read here to discover common causes of low potassium levels.

069 Home from the Hospital

For everyone who doesn't already know...

Jimmy got to come home from the hospital on Saturday. It's nice to be home and relax. Jimmy is doing better but has doctor's orders to rest and make sure that he is hydrated for a few days before he can even think about going back to his normal routine.

So for now he is kicking back, reading the books he got for Christmas, and drinking lots of water and low calorie Gatorade.

Thank you for all the prayers and concerns. They were felt and appreciated!

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! *

067 The Constipation Saga Continues

Last night was another long night. We are still dealing with Jimmy not feeling well. I guess last night it was just the last straw so we ended up in the emergency room.

Because of the pain Jimmy was having they first thought that he might have a fecal impaction so they did abdominal x-rays to check for blockage and one of the doctors stuck his finger up Jimmy's bum (T.M.I. I know!) to see if their was any hard blockage near the entrance of the rectum.

The Verdict
Jimmy does not have blockage.
Jimmy does not have a fecal impaction.
Jimmy did not have a septic bowel movement.
JIMMY IS CONSTIPATED.

Evidently constipation can cause diarrhea because the other poo is forced around the harder stuff in an effort to leave the rectum. In Jimmy's case, the frequent trips to the bathroom have aggravated his hemorrhoids and the wiping has made his bottom very raw and tender. This has resulted in all the pain and discomfort Jimmy is experiencing.

Because Jimmy went to the ER they also called Dr. Hornbostel. Dr. H says that Jimmy is supposed to call him today and he has to go back to the Liquid Diet until further notice. So I will keep you posted.

For now, I am going to try to focus on work through my haze of tiredness and this too shall pass (no pun intended). Hope your day is better than ours was yesterday.