Bilirubin Blues: Waiting to Come Home

I got a text last night from Jordan saying that they were transferring him to IU University downtown. I knew it was the best thing for him but selfishly I wanted him close to me.

After a productive morning of running errands, I drove downtown with Jordan’s mom and sister. This was such a relief to me because I get anxiety when I drive to places I have never been before alone. Thankfully they had been to IU University when Jordan had his surgery a few days earlier so they were familiar with the area somewhat. It was one less thing for me to worry about.

When we walked into his new room I was struck by how small it was compared to the room up north and noticed he had a roommate. Once we sat down he was telling us that everything there took 10x longer. Granted they are a much bigger hospital with not a bed to spare. IU Health really is one of the best hospitals in the country for liver and GI related issues. We were just thankful that Jordan got a bed after waiting a few days, even if he had to share one in a room with another patient.

Anyway, at first I was saddened when I saw Jordan because I could just tell that he was tired of being in a hospital room. He was sick of being sick and ready to come home. Before we arrived he asked that we bring him a venti white chocolate mocha from Starbucks because they had cleared him for a full liquids diet. No more Jell-O and chicken broth, now it’s ice cream and chicken broth! But the nurse did say that he could have caffeine and that Starbucks was OK. He said it was the best damn thing he has had all week.

After he finished his drink and we settled in we were able to talk. Because he was not hooked up and trapped in wires and not on lots of drugs he was alert and talkative and relished conversation. It was so enjoyable and refreshing. We had a precious time of talking and being together.

Basically they have been monitoring him all day. He is down to 2 IV’s with 1 drip. He is able to take pills by mouth instead of through the IV. He has not had any bleeding today but that is what they are watching out for. The main reason why they wanted him at IU University was in case he started bleeding again they could do an emergency colonoscopy to find out where the bleeding was coming from and stop it.

He had a number of visitors today, which really helped encourage his spirit. He was so tired of being in a bed so we walked a few laps around the hallway. He was pretty worn out after that. He is so weak from being a bed for 7 days. He did say that today was the best he has felt all whole week.

Pray that he will get a good night’s rest tonight and continue to improve. Hopefully by being on the full liquids diet and getting rest his body will begin to heal so he can come home tomorrow. The only reservation with this is that they still don’t know what was causing the bleeding on Thursday night. 

The last thing they want is to send him home and then something happen where he starts to bleed again and wind up back in the hospital. We are longing for the day where he can come home and sleep in his bed and see his dog and be with his family.