pneumonia after hiatal hernia surgery Posted: 09-01-04 11:29am
My grandfather just had a surgery on some
esophogeal hiatal hernia and is now in the
icu because his heartbeat got too high and
he also has a 5 cm aneurysm on his aorta
that has to be repaired also (had to do
the hernia operation first before the
other, and not at the same time..). He
now has pneumonia, is on a ventilator on a
paralyzing drug and hasn't ate in 3
days.... Last night they gave insulin for
a bs of 153...What ?'s do I need to ask
and should I get up there???
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PattyV
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 May 2004 Posts: 1103 Location: Chicago area
Posted: 09-03-04 11:49am
Hi,mandy.Your grandfather is very sick
right now.Is he diabetic or has his
bloodsugar risen since the surgery?He is
on a ventilator to help him breathe and
the paralyzing agent is to prevent him
from hurting himself by moving too much(he
may not realize that he is doing it).He
has been through a lot and will hopefully
recover soon.I'm sure that he is on a lot
of medications and that there are lots of
tubes and wires and hoses around and in
him.Be prepared for this if you go see
him.He can still hear you and will
probably not be able to respond.Tell him
that you love him and are praying for him
and will be there for him when he is
better.Keep things light and positive.I
hope he recovers soon.Good luck to you and
your family.Patty
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mandyleelulu
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 Sep 2004 Posts: 12 Location: USA
Grandpa Posted: 09-07-04 07:26am
I just got back from seeing him. He is
not a diabetic btw.... Anyway... They
got his bp stabilized at one point, but
yesterday it started fluctuating again at
about 260/94 .... He has 12
iv's, a ventilator, a tube feeding down
his nose and a whole slew of others tubes
and gadgets.... Anyway... I know he's
bad off.... I just wanted to see if
anyone had any ideas on any ?'s we might
ask that we can't logically think of right
now...Besides the ? I keep asking, which
is how long are we a)can he last like
this, and b) how long would we keep him
like this...He's still in critical
condition and all the doctor's keep saying
is "he's not out of the woods yet",,,well
no duh!,, if he was he wouldn't be in
there still! Anyways, thanks for your
reply
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PattyV
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 01 May 2004 Posts: 1103 Location: Chicago area
Posted: 09-10-04 16:45pm
Unfortunately,there's no way for the docs
to give you and your family any concrete
answers right now.He may recover quite
quickly or he may not .He could survive
for quite some time as he is.It's never
easy to see your loved ones so sick and
you are powerless to help him.There's not
much to say except wait and see.I hated
hearing those words with my
grandmother,but having been in healthcare
for 23 years,that's the best that the docs
can do.Pray for him and keep in touch with
the hospital and ask the staff to let him
know you called.They'll do that for you.I
pray for his recovery.Patty
.... He has 12
iv's, a ventilator, a tube feeding down
his nose and a whole slew of others tubes
and gadgets.... Anyway... I know he's
bad off.... I just wanted to see if
anyone had any ideas on any ?'s we might
ask that we can't logically think of right
now...Besides the ? I keep asking, which
is how long are we a)can he last like
this, and b) how long would we keep him
like this...He's still in critical
condition and all the doctor's keep saying
is "he's not out of the woods yet",,,well
no duh!,, if he was he wouldn't be in
there still! Anyways, thanks for your
reply 
