Mets day 21 - Ken's incoherent post-surgical ramblings

Ken here.  Jennifer and Chelsea are eating dinner with the monks.  I can take nothing orally until the bowel wakes up - typically 4 or 5 days.  I don't have much of an appetite, so it's no bid deal   .  I am getting a continuous saline drip, and also have an on-demand morphine push.  The side effects of that morphine is that my blinking of the eyes can talk about 10-15 minutes.  I'll be talking with Jennifer or Chelsea, and will just zone out.  Or I'll be on the phone with my mom or another relative, and will have no recollection of what we were just speaking about.  Typing this blog is interesting - every third word is misspelled.  And just now I closed my eye, and then jolted them open about ten minutes later. 

Dr. Steinberg came by today and said he did an extensive lymphanadectomy, taking out as many as he could access.  He said that some were enlarged, but did not have the characteristics of metastasizing.  So much tissue was taken out that preparing the report will take several days.  That pathology report will be helpful in determining my future prognosis and treatment.

I have 4 tubes coming out of my body. First is an abdominal drain, which the nurses call a grenade, due to its shape.  Second is a pair of stents connecting the ureters from the kidneys directly into a large drain bag.  Third is the foley catheter through the penis and into the neobladder, collecting into its own bag.  Fourth is the SPT, or suprapubic tube, also going into its own bag.  It makes taking a walk is bit of a challenged.  I hang all the bags onto the wheeled IV pump tower, which also has the on-demand morphine drip.  I went on two walks today - the first was a leisurely stroll of about 30 feet outside of my room, closely followed by my nurse who was worried I might capsize.  I returned a took a well-earned hour long nap, after I stopped shaking from exhaustion.  About an hour ago, I managed a 20-25 minute walk with Chelsea and Jennifer. I'm told that I need to go on as many walks as possible.  Walks help avoid deep vein thrombosis, stimulate bowel functions, and speed the recovery.

Wow, it's a real pain trying to type this when my eyes keep unexpectedly keep slamming shut.  

The doctors are still saying that I can expect to be released in about 7 days.  I'll likely stay in the area for another week to 10 days, until I'm cleared to travel.  We may have Spencer come out after I'm discharged.  We're remaining flexible - one day at a time.