Of course I missed my chance to meet with the doctor.
(Darn.)
But the nurse told me she thought this doctor was going to be checking in on Lou again mid-morning. So Lou gave me his version of an update. The doctor was (of course) shocked by the amount of blood Lou was losing, and when he was able to assess things during the surgery, he said the entire prostate was bleeding.
In the doctor’s exact words to Lou, he said, “I cauterized the $%^* out of your prostate.”
This is the reason the saline circulation was so critical. It would help the prostate heal more completely, and, the salty fluid would ensure that the swelling would be minimized. This surgery was very traumatizing, and so the doctor wanted to do everything he could to facilitate the healing process.
Lou had a complicated network of tubes to keep the flow of fluids optimized, and Lou’s catheter was also ensuring his bladder and kidneys were relaxed and functioning. Lou said that he didn’t sleep well at all that night because every hour, a different nurse was turning off alarms and changing bags, draining other bags, and monitoring Lou’s vitals.
One of the many measurements the nurses were monitoring was Lou’s hemoglobin level. He was dangerously close to needing a blood transfusion. But Lou told me that the doctor explained that there can be some complications with a transfusion for men his age, and so if Lou could rally on his own, it would be better for Lou’s long-term prognosis.
I made one more dash out that morning to get Lou a beet juice, and to make a few phone calls to update our sisters. Would it surprise you to know that while I was out, Lou’s doctor stopped by again?
