Day 11, TUBE FREE!!

This morning, Josh's doctor approved the removal of all of his IV tubes. He's actually able to wear regular clothes now, and after a hot shower is sitting comfortably in his bed.
We still have to keep an eye on the clock and stay on top of his pain pills though. During the night, our wonderful nursing staff were able to wake him up to give him his meds (since the pills only last about 4 hours), so he didn't wake up in severe pain. Although the constant checking and re-checking made for a difficult night sleep. We were able to sleep in this morning after the first doctor visit and feel much more rested. The more rested and recovered he gets, the less he will have to use the pain meds.

So now we have to do the research and trial and error of figuring out how to manage his diabetes. Another drawback from losing his pancreas is the fact that he now has to regulate both the ups AND the downs of his blood sugar. The pancreas not only helps lower high blood sugar, but it helps raise low blood sugar levels. So he will not only have to have insulin to help lower his levels, but he will need to carry something called Glucagon which helps raise his levels.

We've been bombarded (in a good way) with lots of information, videos, doctors, diabetes counselors, and devices to help him manage his numbers. Josh's numbers will, from now on, always be a little bit higher than the normal range, but that's good for him. His appetite is still pretty small, but at least he's eating regular foods. He's doing great at keeping his numbers stable.

Looks like the Doc will release him from the hospital tomorrow but he may ask us to stay in the area for another day for a follow up. Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, the Clinic where the surgeon sees us will only be open on Tuesday. That's great for us, because it means we should be able to come home before Thanksgiving!

Josh's favorite holiday of the year is Thanksgiving. I feel sad that he will miss out on all the turkey and fixings this year, because they are probably sending him home on a soft diet only. But we are grateful that we will be home on Thanksgiving.

Several people have asked if we would like to join them for Thanksgiving, but we are going to stay at home and just rest together as a family. But thank you to everyone that has offered. Josh doesn't need to be traveling very far and our menu will be a non-traditional one this year. Just excited to get him home and back to normal. He's just excited to watch the Longhorns play on Thanksgiving Day. Sounds like he's almost back to normal! :)