Part 4 of 6

"We are not exactly sure Mr. Palmieri",  was the answer I got from the Dr's. as to what caused this trauma.  "We think that you tore your colon at some point and it healed by itself.  Unfortunately, because of anything that may have come out into your system, you had a large amount of infected fluid inside, that we had to remove."  It was explained that they did an exploratory laparotomy, with an intestinal wash.

Thus  the 9 inch opening that was now on my stomach.  I had a 103 fever when admitted, so the infection explained that.   I was hooked up to no less that 6 IV's, with separate sites because the meds could not mix.    The worst thing for me was an NG tube going from my nostril into my throat down into my stomach. It hurt, was choking me, and of course prevented me from eating or drinking anything for 12 days.  So because of that I had a feeding tube inserted in the artery under my arm going into my chest.

 I told them to not tell me anything anymore, and just let me try to psyche myself up to get better.

 I had no clue I had sepsis, until literally 2 weeks AFTER I came home when my home nurse told me.  She said, "I really admire how you have come along because of your positive attitude", and that she thought she was going to  be pulling a sheet over my face when she first met me.  I asked her why, and she explained that she had never treated such a large open wound and have someone who had sepsis actually survive all of this.  I am glad I didn't know, as I would have been freaking out and not gotten any better.  My friend later told me that he knew that I looked septic but didn't say anything, and just let them treat it with the antibiotic drips.

Just when I thought this nightmare couldn't get any worse,  at some point, a surgeon came into my room (6 of them, everyday sometimes 2 or 3 times daily) and said "We will hook you up to a wound vac, that you will have for about 5 or 6 weeks after you leave."  It took 3 of them to hold me down and 2 shots of morphine to accomplish this task.   They put sterile sponges inside of my incision,  attached a suction hose to them, and then taped them all down with an enormous square of "surgical skin" which was a medical term for clear shelf liner.  This hose was then attached to a suction machine which I can only describe as some kind of compressor, with a container clipped on to it for blood.  It  killed me every day when they had to take it off and  change the sponges and  put on a new hose.

Once this hose was attached, and I don't mean tube I mean hose, they told me that walking, and breathing exercises  would help heal me.  Please understand that I REALLY REALLY can tolerate pain.  Walking with this kind of pain seemed barbaric.  Be clear though, that I wore the nurses out, because I walked so much.  I needed to get well, get home and get back to  my life.

Getting home became the goal.  I missed my apartment and Luna like mad.