Can use your prayers

[1freaky1]

Val is in the hospital as of last night, I got a call from her yesterday morning just before 4 am while I was at work crying that she needed to go to the ER. Since I am the acting shift lead for our crew there was no one else to cover for me to take off right away and had to start calling other shift leads or supervisors to come in early and cover for me. Well I could not get either one of the two that are not on leave to call me back I was left with no other option but to call our foreman to come in early which he did (thankfully) at 5 am. So I got home did the correct medical procedure and called the insurance after care line which everyone knows they have either a Doctor or nurse call you back which they did and directed us to go to the Rock Creek ER in Laffeyette (Kaiser's hospital), so we get there about 6:30am and go thru all the blood work, cat scan more blood work an Xray and finally at 5pm the Dr. comes in and tells us that Val has Diverticulitis. It is up to her whether or not she wants to be admitted or sent home (what the hell). So after talking it over she decides it would be best to be admitted. So we get up stairs and checked in and the surgeon comes in to go over everything (he was a great Doctor) anyhow he explains it all to us and the options. Then 30 minutes later he comes back with the head surgeon and repeats everything. Long story short this has been causing Val a great deal of pain since we went trail riding Tuesday and two visits to the Dr.s and ER (finally someone figured out what the hell is going on).
So as for now they have her on IV diet heavy duty pain killers and serious anti biotics to see if this will heal on its own over the next two days or if she will need surgery. So say some prayers or just send good thoughts her way please Thanks, Sean.

[Aaron]

Wow dude. She'll be in our prayers.

[Brad]

Definately in my families thoughts. Hope she gets better soon!

[Smash]

Wow Sean, I'm really sorry to hear this. So glad someone was able to diagnose.... Hopefully the treatment and recovery goes well. I will have to look up Diverticulitis, I have no idea what that is. Prayers sent.

[Chris]

Our thoughts are with you and Val Sean, my brother has Diverticulitis and I know how painful it can be. Hope Val recovers quickly and that surgery isn't required.

[brian pleasant]

our family pray for val..

[Rob]

Thoughts are with you.

[Fordguy77]

Out thoughts and prayers are with you.

[CR]

So sorry to hear this.
Our prayers are with Val and your family.
Lets hope for a speedy recovery.

[WINKY]

Hope she gets better quick Sean, let her know lots o peeps are rootin!

[KnuckleHead]

Sorry to hear this.... we will keep you in our thoughts. Hoping she has a fast recovery

[Funrover]

Good vibes and prayers heading you way. Get Well soon Val

[Roo]

Sorry to hear about this Sean. Prayers sent for you guys.

[Jackie]

How is Val feeling today? Thoughts and prayers are with you. Hope she is feeling better soon.

[Robert B]

after i googled Diverticulitis and know what it is i hope the antibiotics work for her and surgery is not required :)

[Pathrat]

Like everyone else, we hope she gets better soon.

Hopefully this episode will pass. She can alter her diet to reduce the severity and occurrences of diverticulosis and help the condition not progress to her painful current condition.

[1freaky1]

Thank you everyone, I passed all your thoughts on to her today when I was up there to visit her. Apparently the infection got worse over night last night (Thursday) and on a scale of 1-10 the pain was a 20 so they had her on morphine Friday morning before I got up there. After I get off work this morning and stopping by the house to take care of the little critter dog I am heading back up there hoping to catch the doctor and see where everything stands. Val and I was discussing the option of surgery and want to discuss this with the doctor since this is not the first occurance and since they said that if it is not better by Saturday they were going to do emergency surgery. Another bad part of this whole thing is today is our 11th anniversary.
Thanks again everyone and I will keep you updated as the days go by.

Here is the whole thing for those that do not know what diverticulitis is;
What are diverticulosis and diverticulitis?

Many people have small pouches in the lining of the colon, or large intestine, that bulge outward through weak spots. Each pouch is called a diverticulum. Multiple pouches are called diverticula. The condition of having diverticula is called diverticulosis. About 10 percent of Americans older than 40 have diverticulosis.1 The condition becomes more common as people age. About half of all people older than 60 have diverticulosis.2
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/diverticulosis/images/divintst.gif
Many people have small pouches in their colon that bulge outward through weak spots. Each pouch is called a diverticulum. Multiple pouches are called diverticula. The condition of having diverticula is called diverticulosis.
Diverticula are most common in the lower portion of the large intestine, called the sigmoid colon. When the pouches become inflamed, the condition is called diverticulitis. Ten to 25 percent of people with diverticulosis get diverticulitis.3 Diverticulosis and diverticulitis together are called diverticular disease.
1Bogardus ST. What do we know about diverticular disease? A brief overview. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 2006;40:S108–S111.
2Ibid.
3Ibid.
[Top (http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/diverticulosis/#top)]
What are the symptoms of diverticulosis and diverticulitis?

Diverticulosis

Most people with diverticulosis do not have any discomfort or symptoms. However, some people may experience crampy pain or discomfort in the lower abdomen, bloating, and constipation. Other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome and stomach ulcers cause similar problems, so the symptoms do not always mean a person has diverticulosis. People with chronic symptoms should visit their doctor or health care provider.
Diverticulitis

The most common symptom of diverticulitis is abdominal pain. The most common sign on examination is tenderness in the lower left side of the abdomen. Usually, the pain is severe and comes on suddenly, but it can also be mild and become worse over several days. The intensity of the pain can fluctuate. A person may experience cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills, or a change in bowel habits.
[Top (http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/diverticulosis/#top)]
What are the complications of diverticulitis?

Diverticulitis can lead to bleeding; infections; small tears, called perforations; or blockages in the colon. These complications always require treatment to prevent them from progressing and causing serious illness.
Bleeding

Rectal bleeding from diverticula is a rare complication. Doctors believe the bleeding is caused by a small blood vessel in a diverticulum that weakens and then bursts. When diverticula bleed, blood may appear in the toilet or in the stool. Bleeding can be severe, but it may stop by itself and not require treatment. A person who has bleeding from the rectum—even a small amount—should see a doctor right away. Often, colonoscopy is used to identify the site of bleeding and stop the bleeding. Sometimes the doctor injects dye into an artery—a procedure called angiography—to identify and treat diverticular bleeding. If the bleeding does not stop, surgery may be necessary to remove the involved portion of the colon.
Abscess, Perforation, and Peritonitis

Diverticulitis may lead to infection, which often clears up after a few days of treatment with antibiotics. If the infection gets worse, an abscess may form in the wall of the colon.
An abscess is a localized collection of pus that may cause swelling and destroy tissue. If the abscess is small and remains in the wall of the colon, it may clear up after treatment with antibiotics. If the abscess does not clear up with antibiotics, the doctor may need to drain it using a catheter—a small tube—placed into the abscess through the skin. After giving the patient numbing medicine, the doctor inserts the needle through the skin until reaching the abscess and then drains the fluid through the catheter. This process may be guided by sonography or x ray.
Infected diverticula may develop perforations. Sometimes the perforations leak pus out of the colon and form a large abscess in the abdominal cavity, a condition called peritonitis. A person with peritonitis may be extremely ill with nausea, vomiting, fever, and severe abdominal tenderness. The condition requires immediate surgery to clean the abdominal cavity and remove the damaged part of the colon. Without prompt treatment, peritonitis can be fatal.

[Brody]

My Dad had a bout with that many years ago and had to have minor surgery. He had no problems afterwards.

I hope everything is OK with Val. I just saw this post, so if there is anything we can do to help, let us know.

[Hypoid]

Thanks for the update Sean. I hope she's feeling better soon.

[southpaws3]

best wishes

[1freaky1]

Thanks again everyone, when I told Val today that you all are sending your best wishes and prayers and that brought a smile and tear to her face. I spoke with the nurse today about her status and she brought in the laptop that they keep track of everything on and the surgeon thinks Val is doing somewhat better and should be able to take oral meds on sunday instead of by IV and then have surgery on monday, (which has scarred Val to thinking she will end up with a bag for the rest of her life). But the regular hospital doctor is thinking that she is doing a lot better and can be released Sunday with out patient surgery aftwards now I am no doctor but hell I had most of this figured out while sitting in the ER thursday and I am in agreement with the surgeon on the way things should go, do the surgery before she is discharged that way they can obsevere whether or not there will be anymore complications. I know the hospital doctor is all about shoot them out the door as quick as possible to free up the room for the next patient but come on this can be life threatening if not taken care of correctly. Sorry for the rant but I am overloaded right now.

[Jackie]

Rant as much as you want. Sometimes it helps. And be sure to let us know if there is anything we can do.

[1freaky1]

Well I have not had a chance to update this with the site being down and spending all my time between work and the hospital but here is the latest as of yesterday. Val is still in the hospital and the pain is still intense when using the bathroom due to the infection and they did try out the Keflex (only known killer of the bacteria) followed by a shot of Benadril since she is allergic to the keflex, this lasted 24hrs until the benadril was not working and she was having a bad reaction, things were starting to look up until that happened and they put her back on the other 2 anit-biotics. She had a call from LaDawn which helped lift her spirits until the hospital switchboard disconnected her call. Anyhoots they did another cat scan yesterday afternoon to see if the diverticulitis leaking into her system is what is causing the infection in her bladder after I spoke with the doctor about that being a possibility. So today we should hear back on that scan and see where things are at, this will determine whether or not she comes home today. If she comes home then she will have to get an outpatient surgery scheduled as soon as everything is under control. To me I would think the surgery should be done while in the hospital to make sure there is not other complications afterwards. Well we will see what happens and I'll post up what happens from here, and Val said to make sure I thank you all so, THANK YOU everyone!
I need a vacation after this is all over with;)

[Brad]

I have seen my mother through 13 knee surgeries, ovarian cancer, breast cancer and multiple other issues and it has
always been better protocol to keep her in the hospital while awaiting surgery. Through all of modern medicine I played
golf with her last Sunday. Hang in there, I really believe Val will be fine. I barely know you but cannot help but care. ;)

[Pathrat]

Sean- I believe everything will be fine. Tell Val I deal with the more severe cases every month and based on what you have said and what I have seen (and I am no doctor either) she will NOT be on a bag the rest of her life. Good luck with everything. Let us know if you need something. Post it and it will get done.

Also, great information links you posted.

[1freaky1]

Well Val got to come home yesterday :D RIGHT ON!!! Now I can relax some and focus on getting back to some ordinary stuff. She has her follow up appointment already scheduled with our regular Dr. which the hospital took care of that for her, just need to get the surgery scheduled next. Yeah from what the surgeon was telling me it should go pretty good they are planning on removing about 8 inches of colon. As for the bag he said it would be hooked up for a day or two just to get the healing underway but that should be the longest time she would have it, that was the 1st story the 2nd was she most likely would not have one except during the procedure since it would be done as an out patient surgery. Either way I can't wait to see her all good and well again. Before I forget the Dr. also said that the bacteria she had in her bladder is very commonly contract from not so clean toilet seats out in public, even those seat protectors don't do much good with this one, & I know Val is a very cautious women when it comes to public restrooms just a cautious warning to everyone especially you ladies;). Thanks again everyone for the support!

[Chris]

Great news Sean! :thunb:

[KnuckleHead]

Thats good to hear man.... keep us updated...

[Aaron]

Great news!

[Rob]

:thunb:

[1freaky1]

So here is the latest on the whole thing, Val finally got scheduled to have her surgery on this coming Tuesday. Well while Pete was here the surgeons office called and want to know if they could move it up to Thursday(yesterday) I said go for it but Val was pretty nervous and I explained to her it is best to get it done earlier than later.
So she had the surgery yesterday and it went well and no bag woohoo! He removed close to a foot of colon, now to wait on the pathologist's report. She will be in the hospital til Monday as long as everything goes good between now and then. I am just hoping for her sake that she heals up good and can get back to some sense of normality.

[Brad]

Great news! :thumb:
Wish her well!!

[Brody]

She has ours and you both have our best thoughts and wishes. Anything we can do, please call.

My dad had the same surgery and about the same amount removed and had absolutely no problems later. The only thing he was never able to eat again was nuts, which, incidentally, he loved.....

[Southparkjk]

Thoughts and prayers are with you

[Funrover]

Sending vibes and quick healing your way. Glad to her that the surgery went well.

[Chris]

Sounds like it went well Sean, hoping for a speedy recovery and a return to normalcy.

[Smash]

No bag!!! That's great!! (my dad has 2) Keep an eye for infection and obstructed bowl. In time you should be able to return to an almost normal life. I'm so glad the surgery went so well.

[WINKY]

Good to hear buddy, giver her best wishes!

[edog]

Best wishes from me, thanks for all your help on my door I appreciate it.

[Pathrat]

The pathologists report should show what your surgeon expected. I would not worry. I have yet to see a segment of colon removed for diverticular disease that was not just that. Please give Val our best. :) *and if you have questions about the report, let me know*

[Patrolman]

Good to hear. Here is to a speedy recovery!

[Hypoid]

I'm glad Val is doing well! It's about time something goes right for her. :)

[Jackie]

So glad thigs are going well. You still have our thoughts going your way!

[1freaky1]

Thanks all, today or should I say yesterday went fairly well, got Val to do a super short walk out of the room and back to try and get her tummy working again and she started her clear liquid diet. If everything goes right today the Epidural will come out as will the catheder. The surgeon will be back in Monday to check her over and decide if she gets to come home. Yeah she has had a really rough summer and its time she gets going on the good side of things.

[Brody]

Well, we are both thinking of her and wishing her well!

[AccordRanger]

Best wishes to both of you Sean!

[1freaky1]

Val got to come home yesterday YAAAAA!! after waiting all day for them to get their stuff together. I am so glad she is home and doing really good. I am not getting much sleep due to her body waking up from the anesthesia but that is a small price to pay for her being home rather than at the hospital. Thank you all again for the thoughts, prayers, and kindness it does help to get through things like this knowing others care.

[Brad]

Excellent news! :thumb:

[Rob]

Good to hear, Sean. Home is always better than hospital. :thunb:

[Brody]

We are both really happy to hear that she is back home and doing well!

[WINKY]

always good to hear positive things sean!

[Aaron]

Great to hear!!!

[Hypoid]

I'm glad things are going well Sean! I wanted to call on one of those "off work" mornings, but resisted the urge.

[1freaky1]

No problem Mike you know you can call just about anytime as long as you're not waking me up:D