Thursday, August 4, 2016

Mark's having a great day! So far today his blood work looks good. He's sitting up, they've taken him off the oxygen. He's eating clear liquids with no pain. There's one more hurdle, he has to pass the liver enzymes test today and hopefully they will release him tomorrow.

Fingers crossed!

In other fun news.... we've been without electricity for two days now, the electrician showed up this morning. They've been here for over 4 hours ($75 per hour!) trying to locate a 'dead short' - whatever that is.....

 We're rolling along from one catastrophe to the next up here!

Wednesday - August 3, 2016

Surgery Update

Mark had his surgery at 11am - it went pretty well. The gallbladder is out, they were able to do this by laprascope - which is good, easier heal. They weren't able to clear the duct which may mean that there is a stone lodged in his bile duct. They'll check his liver enzymes later tonight. If they're elevated he may have to have another procedure. If not - he could leave as early as tomorrow.

I'll send another update when he's awake and feeling a little more chatty-

Cheers!

Surgery Day!

I told you guys I was a doctor!

Mark goes around 11am should take a little more then an hour. He'll be in recovery for at least another hour. As soon as He's out of Surgery I'll post an update.

He's doing great. He's hungry for the first time in a long time.

August 2, 2016

Afternoon Update

Lab work is positive!! Surgeon has decided to do the gallbladder surgery tomorrow morning at 11am.

They still have to deal with the other issues but they think he'll be home by the end of the week.

August 2, 2016

Spent the morning with Mark - brought him some fresh clothes, dopp kit, book etc... He's feeling better. The pain is pretty much gone - medicine is wonderful.

They ran a battery of tests last night - one of which brought bad news. He's developed an infection in his intestines that is highly contagious. Everyone who comes to visit him has to wear fun yellow suits, and he got a private room! When he was seen in the urgent care, they misdiagnosed his symptoms as diverticulitis, gave him an antibiotic and he ended up with an infection.

Everything else this morning showed improvement. His liver enzymes were near normal, there were some markers in his blood work that were not where they need to be but it was all better than yesterday.

His appetite is returning, which is making him a little grumpy because he's literally gone 5 days with no solid food. He dreams of steak...

Anyway - he's working from his hospital room today and watching baseball. The Dr. will be back this evening - hopefully they will make  decision about surgery tomorrow.

Upset Tummy

The Problem With Big Mark...

Hello Tiny Family and Friends. A little background before I get into Mark's current situation. I've started this blog to keep all of the people that are important to us informed. There are a lot of you and we appreciate that you worry and we know that information helps to alleviate that worry. I will post on the blog as often as we have updates and I'll keep it current. Please feel free to contact us, or leave comments - we'll respond as quickly as possible.

On to Mark...

August 1, 2016

We admitted Mark to the hospital this morning. He's been having bouts of severe nausea and stomach pain on and off for several months. It usually cleared up on it's own and Mark thought it was because he loves spicy food. He was wrong.

He has a combination of problems. Gallstones - he will need surgery to have his gallbladder out as soon as they can get the other things stable. Pancreatitis - this is pretty severe and until it's under control they cannot do the needed surgery. The plan is for him to spend at least the next two days in the hospital under observation, they're monitoring his blood, sugar etc... as soon as his pancreas cooperates they will schedule him for gallbladder surgery.


Here's is his current information:

 Berkeley Medical Center
2500 Hospital Dr
Martinsburg WV 25401

Room 522