Hi Tim & Kathy,
I have been so wanting to give you an update but haven't had the chance. We STILL do not have highspeed access at home & I ordered it on January 8! Anyway, I stopped by my work today so I thought I would drop you a line. Shawn was released from the hospital on Wednesday, January 11 about 1:00 PM. We had an uneventful return to Louisville and so far he is doing great. He is managing his pain well with the meds Dr. Koch prescribed and he is up and walking around a bit. We are irrigating the cathetar about every 4 hours and just as you stated, egg drop soup...gross. Tim, everything that you told us to expect has been right on the money. They had him up & in a chair the day after surgery and by that afternoon he was walking the halls. His biggest complaint post-op was that he was thirsty. When we saw him in recovery he DID NOT have the tube in this throat as we expected, Dr. Koch removed it before he came out of recovery, so that was good. By the time we were being discharged on Wednesday, Shawn said he was ready to go home, that he was tired of looking at the same four walls.
Since we have been home, things have been fine. Much better than I ever anticipated. He takes several naps throughout the day and watches TV & movies and plays a gameboy that he got for Christmas. We have been playing lots of Yatzee & 500 rummy and reading. The other day he wanted to go with me to Home Depot, but we decided it was too early; it had only been a week. His appetite is good, he is eating everything I put in front of him. The day of surgery he weighed 161 & when we left he weighed 151. Not sure what he weighs today, but according to my Mom he looks skinny.
We go back to see Dr. Koch on January 26 for 2 tests & if everything is OK, they will removed the cathedar & teach him how to use the new bladder. We are still waiting for the pathology report to determine if he will need additioanl chemo, so keep your fingers crossed a little longer for us!
I hope your recovery is continuing to go well & I am so glad that Shawn's experience has been as good as yours. Hopefully that will continue to be true!
Thanks to you both for "listening."
Stephanie