Dragon'sWife
Results of operation

The Day of Hell

Warning
This is very unpleasant reading

 

 

if you knew Anne, I suggest you might not want to read this.

 

 

scroll down to read

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Died: Sunday 17, Sept 2006, 12.00 mid-day


The Final leg of the Marathon

Friday: Operation
Recovery:
By 2pm she still wasnt back, but something didn't feel right to me, so i decided to see if i could see her in the recovery room.
They wouldnt let me see her, saying that she was still being attended to in recovery.
I waited... but was feeling more and more uncomfortable.
It seemed a very long time before they came out to see me.

Two came out, and they looked worried...
I was expecting to hear very bad news...
and I wasnt far wrong.

Something had gone wrong...
She had apparently reacted badly to the anesthetic, and had recieved very little oxygen during the operation. After a quick warning they rushed me to her side.

To say she was distraught would be an understatement.
At first i didnt think it was still her...

Her eyes were rolled back, and she couldnt see or speak, she was terrified and was screaming out, trying to comunicate without success. She was scared of everything and everyone around her, including the oxygen mask over her nose. I could tell she wanted me to help her, but i couldnt do much more than be there for her. The only words I could make out were, "I am mad!". I attempted to reasure her that she wasn't.

At the time I didnt realise it, but believe now that her stress was made even greater by her claustrophobia and phobia of things touching the bridge of her nose.
I could see that she needed to be with her family so I insisted that she be taken back to the ward immediately.
When she was back in the ward I removed the oxygen mask and held the oxygen hose to her nose until the normal prongs could be attached.

Gradually she calmed down and could be almost understood.

The Last Rites:
The preist was again requested to read the last rites, and this time he arrived within minutes.
As he read to her, she appeared to make a sound in all the correct places.

Pain:
When the priest left I realised that she was in a lot of pain...
The new pain pump was not working!
The tube from the pump into her spine was still full of saline... the drugs were not reaching her yet. Two bolus had been given, but it hadnt cleared the saline yet.
Because of the 15 minute limit before more bolus could be given, (and the only person able to over-ride the limit had left work for the day) Anne was in trouble, and a lot of pain.
I asked her how the pain was, and she replied, "A hundred million bolus!"
The person was eventually brought back in to work and gave two more bolus, then again returned later and gave about 5-7 more before the pain was covered.

Surgeon:
Then the surgeon returned all happy and smiling to report that the operation had gone very well, and even better news, that the tube was found to be not faulty after all.
I could just hear Anne say, as he walked out the door, "bastard". That was very much out of character.

Paranoid:
From that point on, she was paranoid about everything. The room was bugged, she was being spied on, video surveillance, did I trust that person?, were they left handed? were they right handed?etc... She was sure they were out to kill her. or at least cause her lots of pain and harm.... she was of course wrong, but i cant blame her.

Night:
She struggled to breath all night, and I discussed possible options with the nurses and with Anne

Pain:
emotional pain

physioterrorists

priest dies

The web address here is:
http://www.dragon-tongue.com
and/or
http://www.dragon-tongue.addr.com
useful Cancer related links:

Dealing with symptoms of secondary liver cancer

Cancer Society - Canterbury NZ

Secondary cancer in lymph nodes

Stomach Cancer

Abdominal Pain

Hepatoblastoma

Pain relief in cancer

Pain Relief: Chronic Cancer Pain

Cancer pain: Relief

Stomach Cancer

Google Groups : alt.support.cancer

Google Groups : alt.support.cancer

take cancer treatment?

Sentinel Node Mapping

cancergiggles.blog-city.com

Cancer : Stomach cancer

iBodyWise.com

Bone scan: Using nuclear medicine to find bone abnormalities

Hospice

Managing Care at Home

Esophageal cancer in 48 year old male

Cancer Pain Management

Caring For the Person, Not Just the Patient

The Rights of the Dying

Dying: Life Support: Partner

Life Support Issues Question List

Life Support Issues Previous Question List

Preparing For Approaching Death

Home Care Guide - Final Weeks of Life

Home Care Guide - Download the Guide

Types of painkillers

What Are The Risk Factors for Metastatic Cancer?

Drugs & Driving

Palliative Care & Symptom Management - Treating Pain

Treating Pressure Sores

Stages of a Pressure Sore

Pressure Sores

Guidelines for Patient Care of Epidural Analgesia

Long-Term Spinal Opioid Therapy in Terminally Ill Cancer Pain Patients

The National Pain Foundation: My Treatment

longterm placement of epidural morphine

Annals of Long-Term Care

Journal of Women's Health & Medicine

Limb Swelling

Hospice Patients Alliance - Signs of Approaching Death

care of intrathecal morphine