The doctors just completed their rounds. Steinberg's chief resident told me the following:
1. He's approving me for clear liquids, such as jello and chicken broth. He'll probably change it to an unrestricted diet on Monday.
2. The fact that I drank so much water yesterday, and kept it down with no discomfort, helped to persuade him to bring me along faster than he might otherwise do.
3. My neobladder has relatively little mucus in it, which is good. It will continue to produce mucus for a long time; I just need to be aware of it and make sure I don't get plugged up.
4. My red blood cell counts have been dropping since the surgery - they now are below 7, which is his threshold for concn. He's going to order a transfusion. He suspects that I need the blood to the replace that lost during surgery, and to address the ongoing bleeding in my JP tube. I have an impressive clot it my JP tube, too.
5. He wants to remove the JP tube prior to discharge.
6 Assuming that I handle the solids well and the he is able to remove the JP tube, it is likely that I will be discharged on Tuesday.
7. I will not be cleared to travel after discharge, however, and will still have the SPT an Foley in place. I'll be staying locally - either at the Friary or the Westin - until I am cleared to travel. Before that happens, I would need to comeback in to the hospital for the removal of the catheter, then waiting to confirm that I am able to pee somewhat normally. I'll have the SPT in place, but available both as an emergency backup and as a way of flushing to neobladder. Maybe I will be able to return hom by the end of next week, like the 19th or 20th.
Only six days from surgery to discharge - that's fast! But I'm not complaining.
Ok, time to order my jello. Citris or berry?
Berry all the way! So the surgery is done and now you're hoping for the best. I wish I had something profound to say, but I don't. We're all praying for you.
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