More Cleaning

Today was a scheduled appointment to the GI Clinic for Gene. Dr Kukar was going to be gone so Gene was to meet with Maureen, his Physicians Assistant.

Things started out fairly well. He wasn't pleased to have to get more blood work. They wanted to see what his white blood cell count was. Monday it was 12. Today it was down to 10 so that count is going the way they want.

Both Maureen and Dr Al-Sukhni came in to check Gene out. Maureen opened the dressing on the wound from Monday and explained to Dr Sukhni what had transpired. After checking it out both Maureen and Dr Al-Sukhni thought Gene needed to get another Catscan to see if any liquid was still pooling up somewhere in the chest. They sent a text to Dr Kukar and he felt the same way. The inner part of the wound had started to heal and they didn't want it to do this until everything had been drained out.

Back into the clinic we went after the Catscan. This time the nurse brings in  an Oxycodone for him to take. He knew they were going to be probing into the wound since they sent this to him. He was right. 

I was sitting to the side of the exam room and could feel everything that happened to Gene. The worse part was when Dr Al-Sukhni pushed her "pointy finger" into the wound trying to open the small drain that had been in the wound on Monday. It took her a couple of times but she got it done.

Poor Gene, I am surprised they didn't have to scrape him off the ceiling with this. 

Next came the lidocane and numbing shots, which never work that great on Gene . . . just like the Oxycodone doesn't do much for him either.

Dr Al-Sukhni cleaned and cleaned out the wound and the "crap" that was still in the 5 cm wound. Not a lot came out, but she is sure more is in there, from the reading of the Catscan.

She put a Penrose drain into the "hole" she had made with her finger and then used one suture to hold it in. Next came the gauze to pack around the drain and a couple packs of gauze and a compress to go over it. The gauze is to catch any drainage from the Penrose tube. Hopefully it doesn't need drained until tomorrow but I will need to check it tonight, just in case.

Nest scheduled appointment is next Wednesday, March 9 at 12:30. Today we were at Roswell from 10:15 to 5:00. Hope we don't have to stay that long next week. Hopefully  next week will be in and out with, perhaps, taking out one of the drains he has had since he left the hospital AND the Penrose drain.