Nothing makes your heart stop more than seeing your spouse or loved one in the emergency room hooked up to monitors and machines with the nurses hustling and bustling around trying to figure out what is wrong.
Matt hadn't been feeling well since the end of December. He had pneumonia, colitis, food poising and ended up throwing up so hard that his previous surgery operation came undone and he had to get his surgery stomach and esophagus re-adjusted.
The real pain started on Valentines day. We went to an awesome dinner at Red Robin
After dinner we went to wiseguys and Matt laughed so hard his stomach hurt. I thought that was just a saying, right, but Matt's stomach was like poking out. So after the pain persisted for another week he went to the doctor and thats when he found out he'd need the Fundoplication Surgery for gastroespohageal reflux disease again...less than 2 years after he'd just got it. It was painful but actually went quite well. The doctor's released him the next day and sent us on our way.
Matt and I were relaxing in the recliners watching TV and trying to catch up on sleep since it is hard to sleep at the hospital with nurses checking on you every hour. After about 30 minutes of being home and getting the kids to sleep, Matt mentioned that he couldnt breath. He said he felt like someone was holding his lungs at the bottom. I just told him to take deep breaths and take some medicine. By about 9 pm he couldnt breath any better and didnt feel comfortable falling asleep with the lack of oxygen.
We had an oxcimeter (from his grandpa since he'd just gotten over pneumonia) and he was only at 80%. Normal is 95% but you have to be at least 90% to be healthy. I read online and brain damage can occur if you are getting less than 84% for too long. So we called Matt's cousin, Cortney, to come babysit while we went back to the hospital.
I dont know if you have ever been tot he ER with a cut, throwing up or in pain but normally they make you wait and wait and wait and wait some more before you can see anybody and then another waiting process before they tell you anything. Well this time I dropped Matt off at the front of the emergency room and went and parked. By the time I got into the hospital they had tested his oxygen levels and were preparing a room for him. It was bad. We were in a room within like 10 minutes and they had him hooked up to heart monitors, checking his brain, lungs, fingers, x-rays, everything. It was freaking me out.
He had collapsed lungs and couldnt saturate oxygen on his own. They ran several tests and treated him for that as well as pneumonia. Sleeping in the ER room is less than ideal. We stayed at the hospital for another 2 days. I had to got to work but he was feeling better and we made our way home. Our ward and family are so nice. We had meals for a week and people calling to check in on us.
Recovery for the original surgery is 2-6 weeks. 2 weeks of not eating solids and 6 weeks of not lifting anything heavier than 10 pounds. When we have 2 kids over 10 pounds each it makes things like putting the kids to bed or picking them up to put them in the high chair a little difficult. On top of that he had to do breathing treatments to get his lungs working and take all sorts of medication.
Matt had his follow up appointment last week and is still having pain. The dr said most people continue feeling pain for about 2 months after the operation where the tools go inside. He is such a trooper and I am so glad he is feeling better and recovering well. I'm thankful for modern medicine, doctors and technology.
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