Post Op – Day 1
Friday August 29th 2008
The day started early as usual in hospitals, at around 6:30am with the nurses coming in to take vitals etc. At 8am the breakfast trolley came round. Derek was feeling somewhat better by now and looking forward to a cup of tea and a bite to eat. It had been 36 hours since he last ate. Two cups of milky water with floating tea bags arrived, accompanied by a croissant, jam, butter and some biscuits. Quickly I added our own tea bags to the murky brew and produced a half decent cuppa. Funny, when you are desperate, how good even a half decent cuppa tastes. Two nurses arrive after breakfast and proceed to give Derek a bed bath. Quite amazing to watch how they work in unison, making him comfortable, clean and refreshed. After washing and drying him, they smoothe over Aloe Vera liquid and also sprinkle it on the fresh bedlinen, I am most impressed and Derek looks so much better for a little attention. Later that morning Doctor Gomez came to see how his patient was doing. He told us that the operation had gone as expected, that he had removed the kidney, adrenal gland, lymph nodes and urethra and that everything looked clear, but we would have to wait for the final results. He took Derek off the oxygen, but left the wound drain in and also the catheter. We were amazed to see the surgical incision held together with large metal staples, much heftier than anything you would use to hold papers together, but Doctor Gomez assured us that these were the best method and gave no trouble when the time came to remove them. Derek asked how soon the the catheter could be removed and was most disappointed and surprised when he was told not for two weeks. Rather difficult especially as he had come into hospital wearing his shorts. I said “What no sex for two weeks!!” Made them laugh a bit.