Sunday, November 9, 2008

Update #16, No More Holes Please

Susan has been suffering from a distended belly which is called ascites. Ascites is where fluid builds up in the membrane sac (the peritoneum) that holds all the guts in place. They were hoping that by giving here drugs to reduce water retention her body would get rid of it on it's own. It was getting so uncomfertable they decided to do a procedure called paracentesis where they insert a tube into the peritoneum, with a puncture through the belly, to drain the built up fluid. It's hard to believe, but they drained 2.5 liters from her little belly! (10 lbs worth) As it drained she immediately felt relief followed by extreme cramping as the bowels readjusted. Since then she's been able to take deeper breaths and she started feeling hungry again. She's slowly trying to make her way up to 1500 calories a day.

5 comments:

Jen said...

It's amazing the procedures they can do.
I'm glad she is feeling a little more comfortable:)

Kristin said...

Susan I am so glad you finally got some relief! Hopefully your body will start to heal faster now. You are a trooper! I wish I could lose 10 pounds that fast, but without all the pain you ahve been through! :)

thearringtonclan said...

oh my heavens........... let's hope this is IT!!!! no more events and only healing to take place.. We feel for you Susan.. Justin .. you must have suffered along with her.. Let's all pray that this is it and all will be well from now on..

Gail said...

Susan, I think Kristin is right!
You may have hit on a quick weight loss technique. But I am not sure that people would want to "pay the price" for this method...

Ann Marie is coming on Thursday night. Marty, Annette, Dylan and Tyson will be here on Friday. We are all excited about being on
"Susan's Team" on Saturday!

Our hope and our prayers are that you will be able to go home from the hospital today!

Justin, thanks for the updates!

Gail

thearringtonclan said...

Hi there... is TODAY it ?? does Susan get to go home today? We are full of hope that she gets "thrown out" today!!!!!!!!!!