Aren't things supposed to get easier day by day?? Today was just plain awful. It started off with another night of not much sleep and nearly no relief from the bloating and constant pain. It seems that no matter what they tried nothing was able to touch the problems she was having. She was still taking the Oxycordone every 4hrs and muscle relaxer every 8hrs but was seeing no relief. It seemed as if the bloating was sapping every bit of pain medication they put in her body leaving her to cope with the back pain and muscle spasms completely on her own.
At 4pm they gave her the pain medication just before Bella and the kids arrived. The noon dose didn't have much affect and the bloating was causing her so much discomfort that we thought about calling Bella and canceling the visit. Since the kids already thought they were coming to see mommy that wasn't an option. Alison put on the best "I feel fine" face I have ever seen for someone in excruciating pain. She was in tears just before the kids arrived when she tried to get herself out of bed. When they came in the door it was obvious they didn't quite know what to make of the situation. Neither kid ran up and tried to hug her which was what worried me the most. Especially if she was up on her feet. It wouldn't take much to knock her off balance and send her tumbling to the floor. I think Bella had them prepared as well as possible because they were both on their best behavior and being very careful around mommy. The visit didn't last long because she was in so much pain and I don't know if it did more harm than good but I know Ali misses them terribly and I think it was good for her to see them.
After they left she was still feeling no relief. The nurses continued to try everything in their power to relieve the gas bubble and pressure in her abdomen to no avail. She laid in bed shaking from the pain and clutching her belly while the tears flowed down her face for the next 3hrs. At 8pm the new nurse on duty came in and it was desperate times for sure. He gave her all the normal doses of pain medication, muscle relaxers, anti-gas, anti-nausea, stool softeners and laxatives but by 9pm, when she normally would have been groggy and ready for a nap, she was still wide awake and in constant abdominal pain. I was out in the hall in his ear for the next half-hour. I couldn't wrap my mind around why the medication had worked so well for her the prior two days and today it was as if she had a total immunity to it. His best guess was that the stomach problems were trumping the other pains and she wouldn't get any relief until they started to resolve themselves. We tried one final time with a suppository and waited. 15min later she finally felt the gas start to move and from there it was just a race back and forth between the restroom and her bed. This continued for the next 30min and I noticed a gradual slurring of her words and slowing down of her movements which told me the medication was finally starting to take effect. It is now 10:30pm and I can say with confidence she is feeling full relief from the pain and misery that was the last 24hrs. As long as she can keep the stomach issues at bay, the medication should work as planned and we should be able to go home tomorrow.
(My Prayer for Tonight)
Dear Heavenly Father:
I lay her tonight next to the strongest woman I have ever known. She is in desperate need of a good night's sleep and I will gladly give mine for hers. Please, oh please Lord, just let her rest.
Amen
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