The Longest Week

I'm exhausted this morning as it's been a really tough long night for Wil. Here's a quick recap of what's been going on these past couple of days:

Right after Wil was discharged from the hospital, we had to walk around to pick up his records and MRI for his second-opinion consult. He started to complain that his right foot was a little sore, but I didn't much of it as it looked fine and it was the first time he was really on his feet in a few days. That night it became a little swollen and we put ice on it thinking that he might have hit the bed rail or kicking something on the way to the bathroom when he was so completely dopey and just didn't realize it until now. The next morning I mentioned it to his PA while we were on the phone discussing Wil's medication, and eventually he became concerned enough that it might have been a blood clot and asked me to bring him in to the ER as soon as I could. I called Wil's coworker and our friend Brad to take him to the ER while I dropped the boys off at a kennel before meeting up with them at the hospital. Naturally, the half an hour journey to the kennel turned into a hour and a half after two detours. I was almost running out of gas with no cellphone reception while poor Wil was rushed through ultrasound, which thankfully showed no blood clots. By the time Chase and I got there, Wil was laid out on a bed in the ER looking completely miserable. The next thing I knew I saw a white coat flying by me and heard:

Wil (in a completely dopey voice pointing Chasey-style): Heyyyy, Dr. Freedman!
White Coat: Look, we need to have a hard talk right now, ok? You CAN NOT keep coming in here taking up a hospital bed and sucking on narcotics.
Wil (staring at me in confusion and blinking repeatedly): Er...I'm not here for my back. It's my foot (pointing, again).
White Coat (slowly turning a white shade of pink): What? Ummm...looks like I had gotten some bad information.
Me, who had been standing in the room the whole time: Hello, I'm Uma, his wife.

And that was my first introduction to his surgeon, Dr. Freedman. Even though I had heard so much about him, it was just then I got to truly appreciate what a jackass he really was. So I suppose this was the real reason why he discharged my husband early, even though the PA had wanted to try 9 doses of powerful anti-inflammatory drug that could only be given to him via IV. My husband refused his surgery options and he wanted him out of his hospital before draining any more of his precious narcotics. I was beyond delighted that Wil's approved referral for a second opinion came through yesterday. That means that his appointment with a German neurosurgeon at Homburg University Hospital will be set up very soon (hopefully be early next week). I don't want that Jackass holding anything remotely sharp around my husband, even if it's for a splinter removal.

Anyhow, we found out that the cause of his swollen, and very red by the time I got to the ER, foot was an acute onset of gout. The simplistic theory is that his liver has been working over time breaking down all the meds and narcotics and is not doing a very good job keeping up with uric acid, which ultimately caused the crystals to form around his foot. Gout is congenital but a lot of people carry the genes all their lives and will never exhibit the symptom. Right now the condition in Wil's body is just ripe for this nasty disease to rear its ugly head. He's taking more pills to take care of this and hopefully there will never be another episode with a controlled diet, which he loudly protests CONSTANTLY. His nurse is very tired and rather short-tempered right now.

The kids are doing well. I'm constantly amazed at how resilient Chase is. In spite of perpetual interruption to her schedule and routine, she's maintained her sweet nature and rarely has a meltdown that doesn't go away quickly with a big hug and kisses from Papa, from whom she refuses to be apart. I decided to board the boys because they really need to go have fun and be taken care of by the people we trust to look after them like they were their own pups while we sort out this mess. Plus I really can't take the guilt of not having anytime to spend with them right now. Night time pain management remains the biggest struggle for us as I haven't yet found the right combination of meds to keep Wil comfortable throughout the night, although we're doing much better during the day.

So here's us in a nutshell. I know these long tough days won't last forever and we are blessed with dear friends and family members, who constantly call and write to check on us and give words of encouragement that are much needed at times. Another surgery is just around the bend, and as odd as it sounds, we can't wait until it happens! I'll do my best to keep you posted via the blog, but it's most convenient for me right now to do a quick status update on Facebook. Now I'm gonna take a quick nap before the next round of pain and meds start again. Hope things are better on your end.

Update*** We got an appointment to see another neurosurgeon at Homburg University Hospital next Wednesday! This is great news!