As of 9:30 tonight, Ben's still at the hospital. They originally said he would be released today but, he can't leave without a home wound vac (check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum_assisted_closure_wound_therapy for all kinds of interesting info about the process) so it looks like it won't be until tomorrow morning that they can get a unit there and we can get our "do and don't" instructions.
After sitting around and waiting all morning, there was a lot of progress made this afternoon. They removed most of his staples to allow the wound to close from the inside out and I'm now able to boast that I have seen the insides of my husband and have the pictures (of course) to prove it. I'll spare you the rest of the details and again, no photos, but I'll just say Ben probably weighs 5 pounds less with all the gunk that poured out of him today. And, he even got some fat trimmed out of him because the wound nurse said it was in her way. How do you like that? A new liver and a tummy tuck all in one. And even though he's basically vacuum sealed for freshness, he's still feeling well enough to get up and do his hallway laps. My husband ROCKS :)
So, we're keeping this in perspective. One tiny set back in the grand scheme of things. And most importantly, it was all caught early and with the wound vac, his incision should heal about 50% faster. Why they don't just put one on to begin with is beyond me.
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Yeah, why don't they put a wound vac on in the first place? Great question. That is exactly what Aunt Cathy said when they finally started hers after 8 weeks of IV antibiotics and having to live with me so I could drug her and dress her leg every night. It is an amazing little device and a major medical improvement in wound management. We have faith that Ben's wound will be "sucked free of gunk" and heal much better. Just a minor setback. Of course, Ben may not fully appreciate the vac's miraculous qualities right now since he has a few other things to concentrate on. Oh, such as, .... pain management and hallway hiking. Keep up the hard work - we are all thinking of you ..... and of your sponge sucked belly!!!! xoxoxoxox
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