When I called in the morning, I was told that Terumi was about to be moved to a regular room, and I let Carolyn in my office know that. She passed the word along, and I got a few happy emails.
When I arrived and walked into SICU, there was complete chaos. Terumi was trying to climb out of the bed, and had one leg almost over the railing. I yelled, "What are you doing!! Terumi Tokita, you get back in that bed!!"
The nurse said he sat up or got up, vomited, and broke his dressing. Dr. Blau's version was more plausible. Terumi had pulled out his feeding tube, then he doubled over to throw up, and when he did that, some of the stitching holding his dressing pulled out. I signed the consent for another surgery.
Just then he had to throw up again. The nurse wasn't there, so I grabbed a pan to put under his head and emptied it twice. Finally the nurse pulled him up in the bed, and brought a bigger pan. Dr. Blau was not happy with the vomiting, and said they would pump Terumi's stomach. As they wheeled him past into surgery, I yelled, "Gambatte!!"
While waiting for them to come out of surgery, I had to reply to Carolyn and others at my office, that I spoke too soon about Terumi being moved to a regular room.
Dr. Blau came in afterwards and explained to me what they did and how the wound looked. He said he would try to close the abdomen on Monday. He also said Terumi would have a hernia while he healed, but that they would have to fix it later.
When I went in to see Terumi, he was asleep, again with a breathing tube. Oh, Terumi, why did you do that?? Why didn't they tie you down? My son's friend, Peter, had warned me that you aren't in your right mind. Peter said he himself had decked a nurse (punched her out cold) while in the hospital on a painkiller, and later I found out that it is not at all uncommon for people to pull out their tubes.
Tomorrow at least Taketo is coming to see him. I know he will be tired after surgery. Who wouldn't be . . . and he had quite an active day to boot.
Showing posts with label Surgery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Surgery. Show all posts
Saturday, November 15, 2008
11/09/2008 - Third Surgery
When Michael and I arrived today, I felt his head, and he seemed a little warm. I must be mistaken, but wasn't. He had a fever of about 100 degrees. Where, why??? There are hand sanitizers all around, and people are very good about washing their hands. Did we bring it in?? We'll never know.
The nurse told me they cultured his blood (I never did find the results), and because he was hooked to so many tubes, they decided to change them all, which was a major operation, instead of taking a chance. They told us that sometimes infection sets in through the tubes.
Unbeknownst to me, Dr. Blau had scheduled a surgical dressing change. He came into the room while they were changing the tubes, and was clearly mad at the staff about something, although we couldn't tell exactly what, since we kept being thrown out of the room. He wasn't happy about the fever at all.
Bad, bad vibes for surgery. We stood by as Terumi was wheeled past us into OR about 7 pm, and yelled, "Oto-chama, GAMBATTE!!!"
I went back into SICU to talk to the nurse. She had disappeared and there was a very young resident there talking to someone on the phone. It turned out to be Dr. Blau. They had forgotten to give me a consent to sign. Dr. Blau came roaring back. I signed, although I could barely write my name. He spoke to us calmly to tell us he was going to change the dressing and check the wound. Nevertheless, bad vibes were all around. We could barely speak, and so until Dr. Blau came back to the waiting room, we mindlessly sat there, each in a different world.
Dr. Blau said he cultured various parts of Terumi's abdomen, and there was no sign of infection; the wound was clean. He also said that Terumi would have a hernia after this was all over, but they would take care of it later -- maybe in about a year.
Michael and I went in to see him asleep again. They were going to leave him asleep until the morning. Clearly, Michael didn't really want to leave, but we went home very late -- or very early, depending on how you look at it. I told him that Terumi is very strong, still, and this would not be the last time he would see him. Michael managed to get a few hours of sleep.
The nurse told me they cultured his blood (I never did find the results), and because he was hooked to so many tubes, they decided to change them all, which was a major operation, instead of taking a chance. They told us that sometimes infection sets in through the tubes.
Unbeknownst to me, Dr. Blau had scheduled a surgical dressing change. He came into the room while they were changing the tubes, and was clearly mad at the staff about something, although we couldn't tell exactly what, since we kept being thrown out of the room. He wasn't happy about the fever at all.
Bad, bad vibes for surgery. We stood by as Terumi was wheeled past us into OR about 7 pm, and yelled, "Oto-chama, GAMBATTE!!!"
I went back into SICU to talk to the nurse. She had disappeared and there was a very young resident there talking to someone on the phone. It turned out to be Dr. Blau. They had forgotten to give me a consent to sign. Dr. Blau came roaring back. I signed, although I could barely write my name. He spoke to us calmly to tell us he was going to change the dressing and check the wound. Nevertheless, bad vibes were all around. We could barely speak, and so until Dr. Blau came back to the waiting room, we mindlessly sat there, each in a different world.
Dr. Blau said he cultured various parts of Terumi's abdomen, and there was no sign of infection; the wound was clean. He also said that Terumi would have a hernia after this was all over, but they would take care of it later -- maybe in about a year.
Michael and I went in to see him asleep again. They were going to leave him asleep until the morning. Clearly, Michael didn't really want to leave, but we went home very late -- or very early, depending on how you look at it. I told him that Terumi is very strong, still, and this would not be the last time he would see him. Michael managed to get a few hours of sleep.
11/04/2008 - Michael arrives; Second surgery
I wanted to explain to Terumi that he is sedated asleep for a good reason; he is NOT in a coma. He has always feared being in a coma or becoming a vegetable, and made me promise to disconnect life support.
Early Tuesday morning I voted, and then Michael arrived, with a rental car to drive us back and forth to the hospital in Manhasset. I had originally discouraged him from coming, but I'm really glad he did.
We went to the hospital. Terumi's color was good and his vital signs were stabilized with medication. I told the nurse Terumi's feet seemed slightly swollen, and she said, "EVERYTHING is swollen, even his eyes." She explained this is because they are keeping a lot of fluids going through him. We thought our visit disturbed him a little, and we also thought he blew us a kiss, even with the breathing tube in his mouth. The technician told me he was overbreathing the ventilator, meaning he's breathing well on his own, and his blood pressure is good. His heart monitor was very regular and strong when we went in to see him. He's still sleeping. I think they are not going to let him wake up until after the "tummy tuck" is completed.
Dr. Blau explained that -- just like a bowl of apples -- when a lot of fluids were added the organs floated upward. The reason Dr. Blau was explaining this was because they decided to do a second surgery. A small portion of bowel was poking out and the mesh covering Terumi's open abdomen was slightly dislodged. Also,they could try to get rid of some more fluid and clean the wound.
As they wheeled him past Michael and me into surgery, we both noticed that his hands and feet seemed less swollen, and looked almost normal. We yelled "gambatte!" as they wheeled him past. Terumi came out of surgery at the same time Obama was officially elected President, so you can gauge the time. I don't remember the time other than that. Dr. Blau was the surgeon, and he was very pleased with the result. They also replaced the net over his abdomen. After the operation, they kept Terumi paralyzed until about 9 am Wednesday morning.
Thank you all for your prayers. Friends, and people we don't even know all over the world are saying prayers in almost every faith for him. I'm encouraged that they are working! He has no idea how much and how many people love him!!!
My brother Mikie wrote this about 3 am: "It is now 3:00 A.M. and in case you are still up, I just want to assure you that I am deeply engaged in my smudging ritual, again holding tightly to our beloved Mr. T's hands. He is ever so strong and I have faith that he will survive this horrible ordeal."
Early Tuesday morning I voted, and then Michael arrived, with a rental car to drive us back and forth to the hospital in Manhasset. I had originally discouraged him from coming, but I'm really glad he did.
We went to the hospital. Terumi's color was good and his vital signs were stabilized with medication. I told the nurse Terumi's feet seemed slightly swollen, and she said, "EVERYTHING is swollen, even his eyes." She explained this is because they are keeping a lot of fluids going through him. We thought our visit disturbed him a little, and we also thought he blew us a kiss, even with the breathing tube in his mouth. The technician told me he was overbreathing the ventilator, meaning he's breathing well on his own, and his blood pressure is good. His heart monitor was very regular and strong when we went in to see him. He's still sleeping. I think they are not going to let him wake up until after the "tummy tuck" is completed.
Dr. Blau explained that -- just like a bowl of apples -- when a lot of fluids were added the organs floated upward. The reason Dr. Blau was explaining this was because they decided to do a second surgery. A small portion of bowel was poking out and the mesh covering Terumi's open abdomen was slightly dislodged. Also,they could try to get rid of some more fluid and clean the wound.
As they wheeled him past Michael and me into surgery, we both noticed that his hands and feet seemed less swollen, and looked almost normal. We yelled "gambatte!" as they wheeled him past. Terumi came out of surgery at the same time Obama was officially elected President, so you can gauge the time. I don't remember the time other than that. Dr. Blau was the surgeon, and he was very pleased with the result. They also replaced the net over his abdomen. After the operation, they kept Terumi paralyzed until about 9 am Wednesday morning.
Thank you all for your prayers. Friends, and people we don't even know all over the world are saying prayers in almost every faith for him. I'm encouraged that they are working! He has no idea how much and how many people love him!!!
My brother Mikie wrote this about 3 am: "It is now 3:00 A.M. and in case you are still up, I just want to assure you that I am deeply engaged in my smudging ritual, again holding tightly to our beloved Mr. T's hands. He is ever so strong and I have faith that he will survive this horrible ordeal."
11/03/2008 - First surgery
When Terumi came into the hospital at North Shore, the aorta was already dissecting (starting to open up) and had an opening of 8 cm, however something continued to hold it closed, and it was leaking, but not ruptured.
The surgeon who was going to operate on him, Dr. Krishnasastry wanted to do the less invasive laparoscopic surgery mentioned in the article at the end of this post, but in order to do that, he required a device called a stent to insert in the blood vessel. Terumi's aorta has a curvature, requiring a non-standard stent, and the surgeon tried, but he could not get the right stent. He told me they would have to do it using the standard method (clamp both ends and sew in a new piece of vein) because of the time element. It is a good thing they made that decision. As Terumi was being taken into surgery (and I don't know exactly at what point), the aneurysm completely ruptured (broke), which means he got an abdomen full of blood.
About 3:00 pm, the surgeon beckoned me out of the waiting room. He told me they were able to save him and repair the vein. Terumi was taken into the SICU (Surgical Intensive Care Unit) where he still is. I waited in the SICU waiting room until he came out of recovery. That was Monday evening. I was finally able to see his face. Dr. Krishnasastry warned me that there were many tubes, but said I shouldn't be afraid of them. He also told me that his abdomen was still open, and they would keep it that way until the enormous amount of blood and fluid from the rupture was drained out. If they closed it up, and he continued to collect fluid in his abdomen, the pressure on the new graft (which is a real vein and not a stent) might be too much.
I saw Dr. Feldman in the hall. He said, "Do you know what the odds are??" We both started crying. Terumi was wrapped up except for his face. At least I saw his face. He looked pale, and sleeping, completely wrapped up, and yes, there were a LOT of tubes.
I found my way home, turned on Terumi's Skype, and tried to let his family know through Chie-san's brother what had happened. I saw Skype light up like a Christmas tree.
I had forgotten to let anyone know Terumi is Catholic before he went into surgery, so I tried to get in touch with the priest at the hospital, and failing that, let the people in SICU know that he is Catholic just in case he should need last rites. The person who answered the phone said, "Oh, I know what you mean, but he's not going to need anything like that." It made me feel a little better.
It's those wee hours of the morning that I dread for him. I called my brother, Mikie, and asked him if he could smudge through the night in case Terumi's spirit didn't know where it was and wandered away. This is what he wrote the first night:
"Yes, I smudged all night long. In my meditative state I felt strongly that I had a grasp on Mr. T's hands. I could see them and feel them. It was an odd feeling that I have never before experienced. It actually felt like his hands were in mine. Anyway, I kept telling him "this is Mikie" and "to hold tightly to my hands." I called upon every entity I could and begged for them to surround him with protection and strength. I know it may all sound like crap to anyone else, but I've been doing this for years and have a firm belief in it. I am happy to hear he made it through the night. Whatever I can do will not stop and if in any way it helps, then it's worth trying." Mikie has smudged all through the night, every night since then.
The surgeon who was going to operate on him, Dr. Krishnasastry wanted to do the less invasive laparoscopic surgery mentioned in the article at the end of this post, but in order to do that, he required a device called a stent to insert in the blood vessel. Terumi's aorta has a curvature, requiring a non-standard stent, and the surgeon tried, but he could not get the right stent. He told me they would have to do it using the standard method (clamp both ends and sew in a new piece of vein) because of the time element. It is a good thing they made that decision. As Terumi was being taken into surgery (and I don't know exactly at what point), the aneurysm completely ruptured (broke), which means he got an abdomen full of blood.
About 3:00 pm, the surgeon beckoned me out of the waiting room. He told me they were able to save him and repair the vein. Terumi was taken into the SICU (Surgical Intensive Care Unit) where he still is. I waited in the SICU waiting room until he came out of recovery. That was Monday evening. I was finally able to see his face. Dr. Krishnasastry warned me that there were many tubes, but said I shouldn't be afraid of them. He also told me that his abdomen was still open, and they would keep it that way until the enormous amount of blood and fluid from the rupture was drained out. If they closed it up, and he continued to collect fluid in his abdomen, the pressure on the new graft (which is a real vein and not a stent) might be too much.
I saw Dr. Feldman in the hall. He said, "Do you know what the odds are??" We both started crying. Terumi was wrapped up except for his face. At least I saw his face. He looked pale, and sleeping, completely wrapped up, and yes, there were a LOT of tubes.
I found my way home, turned on Terumi's Skype, and tried to let his family know through Chie-san's brother what had happened. I saw Skype light up like a Christmas tree.
I had forgotten to let anyone know Terumi is Catholic before he went into surgery, so I tried to get in touch with the priest at the hospital, and failing that, let the people in SICU know that he is Catholic just in case he should need last rites. The person who answered the phone said, "Oh, I know what you mean, but he's not going to need anything like that." It made me feel a little better.
It's those wee hours of the morning that I dread for him. I called my brother, Mikie, and asked him if he could smudge through the night in case Terumi's spirit didn't know where it was and wandered away. This is what he wrote the first night:
"Yes, I smudged all night long. In my meditative state I felt strongly that I had a grasp on Mr. T's hands. I could see them and feel them. It was an odd feeling that I have never before experienced. It actually felt like his hands were in mine. Anyway, I kept telling him "this is Mikie" and "to hold tightly to my hands." I called upon every entity I could and begged for them to surround him with protection and strength. I know it may all sound like crap to anyone else, but I've been doing this for years and have a firm belief in it. I am happy to hear he made it through the night. Whatever I can do will not stop and if in any way it helps, then it's worth trying." Mikie has smudged all through the night, every night since then.
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