Corey is not happy (Surgery Day)

The good news is that Corey is stable and recovering well. He was extubated around 5:00pm and that's a major milestone so we're very happy about that. The bad news is that Corey is miserable and screaming and arching his back in pain. All this movement causes his blood pressure and heart rate to go through the roof. One time we were at his bedside and his BP reached 180/90 (normal for Corey is about 90/50) and his heart rate reached 202 beats per minute (normal for Corey is about 130-140). It was pretty scary watching that episode as Jenn, the nurses and I all tried calming him down to get his vitals under control.

Dr. Vricella is very happy with the surgery and Corey's new physiology. Corey's oxygen saturation levels are around 83-85 post-surgery (they were 71-73 last week). After he was extubated he was put on oxygen using a face mask to help him breathe a little easier. They had him on 60% oxygen when we left. Hopefully they can bring that down overnight.

The five biggest concerns that will be watched closely overnight are:
1. blood pressure and heart rate
2. breathing function and the need for extra oxygen
3. kidney function as Corey hasn't urinated much at all since surgery (said to be common after heart-lung bypass surgery)
4. pain mitigation
5. a fever that Corey picked up after surgery (said to be common after heart-lung bypass surgery)

It has been an extremely long day but we are happy with how things are progessing. We are so glad the surgery went as well as it did. We just wish we didn't have to see Corey in so much pain. It seems like he's much more aware of the pain this time around since the last surgery.

Timeline: Related Entries

Your comment: Name: Website: E-mail:

Hopefully this will be a temporary measure but we're getting a lot of comment spam so I had to activate this check for now.
Enter the string of characters appearing in the picture: Remember Me