Day 73, Wednesday Nov. 4
We are grateful to say that today was better than yesterday. That's actually saying a lot since Jeff had surgery this afternoon. He started his day by being NPO, medical jargon for nothing by mouth. He felt okay with most of his pain being concentrated in his hands.
He went to therapy for a while in the morning and they took it easy on him. He played with several gadgets they had available for him to look at that are used to aid in transferring.
He went back to his room and was taken for the procedure just before 1pm. In a nutshell they made it possible for him to empty his bladder through his abdomen instead of his urethra (called a suprapubic catheter). We are very hopeful this will reduce the risk of bladder infections in the future and even possibly give him more independence in this area of personal hygiene.
While the procedure only lasted a grand total of 15 minutes, it took a couple of hours for him to recover afterwards. It's common for people with spinal cord injuries to take longer to recover from general anesthesia than others. He returned back to his room and an anxious Annette at about 3:30pm. He is doing well!
We want to thank everyone who offered a prayer on Jeff's behalf today. While the procedure was pretty straight forward and quick, there is always a risk when going under the knife so to speak. We are so grateful everything went smoothly and continue to pray that things heal as expected and without complications.
Jeff's new discharge date is set for November 24th. We are grateful for the extra time to prepare and for him to heal and get stronger. It truly seems like it's just around the corner already.
We want to thank everyone who has lent a hand in getting things ready for him to come home. It's quite stressful when thinking of everything that needs to be done before that day. So many of you have helped in so many ways and we want you to know how very grateful we are for your love, service, sacrifice, hard work, and friendship!
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