Morphine

Derek just phoned from the hospital. He has asked me to post the following information: There seems to be a consensus developing among his medical support team that his current symptoms (described somewhat in my previous post) are a manifestation of morphine withdrawal. Derek had this idea earlier and it seems as though the team is leaning toward the same explanation. Before his operation, he was prescribed morphine tablets to control severe abdominal pain caused by the undetected perforation of his bowel by the colon cancer. There now appears to have been some leakage into into his bowel causing the pain. He was given morphine intravenously by the doctors to control post-operative pain and subsequently was able to use a control setup to self administer it when the pain got to be too overwhelming. The hospital team discontinued its use a couple of days ago, and instead prescribed an oral painkiller medication. According to medical literature (I did a quick "google"), the kind of symptoms he's experiencing are consistent with withdrawal symptoms (chills, twitching muscles, perspiration, abdominal and muscle cramps, etc...). Morphine withdrawal symptoms are at a peak 36 to 72 hours after stopping its use. Untreated, withdrawal symptoms take 5-7 days to disappear. Derek says that the hospital is consulting with the appropriate in-house doctors to establish a course of action. More on this when we know.

Too much to hope for

Derek has had a setback. Most of you'll know from his blog that he also has Type 1 diabetes. Right now, his blood sugar levels are out of balance, and he'll probably have to stay at the hospital for a few more days. He didn't get much sleep last night, because he also had "incisional" pains; the cuts in his abdominal muscles and skin are probably "knitting". His sense of humour hasn't left him, though. "The honeymoon is over" he said, "my body has finally realized what's happened". The hospital team seems to be getting his sugar levels back to where they should be, and there appears to be no post-operation infection (no fever). We hope for a quick return to normal recovery

Progress

Hello, all

We've just come back from our visit with Derek at the hospital, and we're happy to report more improvement on Derek's part. He is eating a variety of (semi-solid) food, i.e. Cream-of-wheat, boiled egg, a little toast, some chicken and rice and banana. He also has a good appetite. We walked some more today. Derek is off all the external tubes. The ileostomy is doing its job, but Derek says that he has no control of it; the bag just fills up. With the way he's progressing, it is a good possibility that he'll come home tomorrow (Wednesday), or Thursday. He'll have a special diet, of course; the ladies in our house look forward to cooking for him and keeping him comfortable. There will also be a home nurse to change bandages, and possibly administer medications.

There is still a long way to go, but all of us (including Derek) are certainly relieved that things have gone well so far. I think Derek will be back on his blog in a few days.

All the Best to Jean-Hugues

Hello, all

Those of you are also reading the comments on Derek's and my blog will have seen postings from Jean-Hugues in Paris. He's just gone through the same kind of surgery Derek has had, and for the same reasons. My wife and I send you, Jean-Hugues, your wife Laurence, and your family all the best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery.

I'm sure the people who are reading Derek's and my blog are wishing Jean-Hugues a return to a healthy, normal life as well, and are sending you all their support.

Karl

More better

Hi all

We just came back from a visit with Derek at the hospital. He's recovered more since yesterday. His urinary catheter has been removed and he can pass urine in the normal way now. Also, he's had some Jello and chicken broth. His bowels are starting to work and the ileostomy bag is starting to fill up. All this is quite amazing, considering that the major operation he went through took place only three days ago. Together, we also took another one of his walks around the ward. While he is walking slowly, he keeps increasing the distance, challenging his body. It tires him out, but he knows that he's doing the right thing. He'll likely be off the intravenous tube in a day or two, now that he can take medication orally. Considering the circumstances, he's doing amazingly well.

Recovering

We visited Derek (Lauren, Marina [Derek's daughters], my wife, and I) for a short period this afternoon. Derek and Airdrie had walked around the ward a couple of times earlier today (probably about 200 meters - 660 ft) and he was fairly tired when we arrived. We didn't stay long. Derek is taking a lot less of the morphine drip today, but his gut hasn't started working yet (quite normal for this kind of operation). Airdrie has posted a couple of pictures on Derek's blog (http://www.penmachine.com/). We are all pleased about Derek's progress, none more than Derek himself.

Crater Lake

If you've read Derek's post of July 2, you'll remember his reference to Crater Lake and the dark night sky with a multitude of stars. Click on the picture for a larger view of what it looked like.

If you look at this picture in bright surroundings, you will see quite a bit less than what is actually in that picture. This is very similar to the "light pollution" which, in cities, is caused by street and house lights throwing unnecessary and otherwise unused light into the night sky, rather than onto the ground where it would do some good. If people were to use sufficiently shielded, correctly pointed, and motion sensor triggered lights, a fair percentage of this pollution could be avoided. You would also save money, since properly directed light would mean that fewer lights are needed in the first place. Light pollution is a big problem for earth-based deep space astronomy. Many people living in cities have never seen the Milky Way, nor any of the other phenomena in the sky which can only be perceived when the night sky is really dark. Look at the picture in a room with subdued light, and you'll be amazed how much more you can find.

Here are some more pictures which may interest you:

http://qp.pcis.com/QuickPlace/rascvan/PageLibrary88256C7F002AE846.nsf/h_Toc/aee20ecd15a9db4c88256c7f002aeff1/?OpenDocument