Three Good Signs

Entry 26
Tuesday, December 14

Harry felt "sh**ty" yesterday. When Graham, our friend and family doctor called in the evening, we told him about the elevated blood pressure that was measured by the nurse prior to Harry's leaving the hospital (189/110). He expressed anxious concern and stressed that we should keep track of the blood pressure. We remembered we had a blood pressure device that was given to us this past year so we took it out of storage and put it to use right then (187/97), at bedtime (176/95) and again several times today (143/83). It's encouraging that the BP is trending down and getting very close to acceptable levels. 


Harry's blood pressure probably rose slightly when I dropped the collection cup that held the contents of his pelvic drain. I'm a klutz. No cure for that. Luckily, we were in the bathroom so cleanup was easy.


Good sign number two...He felt like eating this morning, for a change. He had part of a grapefruit, a little yogurt, a few almonds and prunes.  He is not excited about drinking prune juice but until the bowels are functioning normally he has to consume stool softeners and natural laxatives and keep well hydrated. We have Milk of Magnesia on hand if necessary. Abdominal rumbling and passing gas is what we like to hear. Can't believe I said that.


The third good sign is not a physical improvement. It's that he's reading the newspaper, an activity he really enjoys.  Right now he has two new newspapers and a copy of the latest Skeptic magazine in front of him. This is proof of healing because for the previous few days he was unable to concentrate enough to read much. 


Maybe there is a fourth good sign. His sense of humor has returned. He says he's skeptical about the Skeptic magazine  :) 


Second night back in his own bed, Harry had his best sleep since the surgery. 


Here is one of the handouts given to us at the hospital on what to do when we get the patient home. Instructions For Care Following Conventional Prostatectomy