It’s been an eventful few days.
Des hasn’t been feeling well and on Saturday he felt warm. We checked his temp (with a thermometer that seems to take two weeks to get a reading) and it was at the level that we needed to call the doctors.
And the doctor ordered and ER visit.
After a big prayer for courage I loaded the car an brought him in. They checked all his signs and we all agreed there was some level of intestinal blockage causing the discomfort. We were admitted and settled in on the hematology/oncology floor.
Sunday was super lax. No, not relaxed… We used a super laxative.
It worked but he was still uncomfortable and getting bloated. And since he was really reluctant to take meds by mouth the nurses put in a tube through his nose. He handled the installation like a champ.
They X-rayed to make sure the tube was in place and we started to settle into bed. Then the doctor came in.
She noticed on the X-ray that air was in his abdomen where it should not be. What came over the next hours was a whirlwind.
More X-rays, CT scans, and consulting with doctors who work the overnight hours. There was a perforation somewhere in his gut, we just weren’t sure where.
Appendix? Intestine? Something else? The surgeon wasn’t sure what to expect but we signed the consent for “exploratory surgery” and prayed.
Then right before they took him back the surgeon told us she wants to check his stomach. A hole there would make more sense than the intestine.
By then it was about 6am. We went to a chapel room on the oncology floor (that was so warm it almost doubled as a sauna). We prayed, cried, and read the beginning of the sermon on the mount.
Twenty minutes later we got a call from the surgery nurse. It was a hole in his stomach.
We were relieved. They found the problem quickly and fixed it. For all possibilities of gut perforation this was not the worst.
As he recovered the surgeon came to our room to give us the run down. She closed up the hole, installed a g-tube, removed the excess fluid from his abdomen, and cleaned his insides with a 2-liter flush of saline.
So why was there a hole in his stomach? They’re trying to figure it out. Medication. Bacteria. Stress. We don’t know yet. The gastroenterologist came by this morning (checking another box on our Norton’s Children’s Hospital bingo card) to take a look and get the whole story.
He’s recovering well. Allowed to munch on ice chips today (a long way away from the pizza he really wants). No serious pain. Not feeling great but definitely moving in the right direction.
His blood counts are good. This first phase of treatment is almost done (just a couple of days left). This was a major situation but it’s not a setback. We can continue leukemia treatment. Pizza treatment is a little delayed.
—
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matthew 5:14
Categories: Uncategorized
Not only do we pray for our Desmond but for mom and dad. It’s so hard to stay in the hospital with your child ( as I experienced this w/Todd) but you don’t get the rest you need nor food. I pray for Desmond as well as mom and dad and hey, don’t leave out the other family members going through this with you and a big shout out to grandparents!! When I pray for you I thank God for what the outcome will be, and we will see this and celebrate this all one day when all treatments are finished, and then it’s pizza and don’t leave out chicken sandwiches that he loves. I’m so thankful for your faith in God during this trying time.
We’ve been praying for all of you every day. Let us know as soon as Des is out of the hospital. You all must be exhausted!