This is Gretchen's husband. She had the anterior approach surgery done on 11/12. After surgery she developed a heart rhythm disturbance and the next morning had her heart shocked back to a normal rhythm but couldn't maintain her blood pressure. Spent 2 days in cardiac ICU. Gained 25 lbs of fluid weight from the efforts and some fluid in her lungs and abdomen. The second stage has been delayed. After 8 days in the hospital she was discharged on 11/19. She looked good on 11/20 but things have gone downhill since. Actually has had no bm since surgery except for a very little bit from a suppository in the hospital. I should have made sure that they did something about that before they discharged her but assumed part of it was because she wasn't eating much. She has had the urge to go frequently but not much happening and of course it is painful. She has been on laxatives right along, tried an enema, went to ER this morning where they tried a water enema but that didn't help. The doctor checked and said the stool was soft and thought magnesium citrate would do it. We elected to come home to do that as she was so uncomfortable waiting in the ER. It is now almost 9 hours since taking the mag citrate and the picture hasn't changed. She did get some sleep earlier in the day but now the urge is starting more frequently like last night. I thought it was because the mag citrate might be working but it doesn't appear that is the case. The surgeon's office is not any help. She can't follow the postop positioning instructions with this going on. don't see that taking her back to the ER is going to help. We are just feeling hopeless.
Dick
Dick
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