[Ansteorra-archery] FWD: [Elfsea] Fearghus's surgery - very long

[Harry Bilings]

May you and Fearghus have a full recovery and a full life.
plachoya
insignificant archer
Ravensfort, Ansteorra



>From: "Wilim Penbras" <wilim.penbras at pandora.org>
>Reply-To: ansteorra-archery at ansteorra.org
>To: "Kingdom Archery"  <ansteorra-archery at ansteorra.org>
>Subject: [Ansteorra-archery] FWD: [Elfsea] Fearghus's surgery - very long
>Date: Sat,  1 Dec 2001 02:49:41 -0500
>
>---------- Original Message ----------------------------------
>From: "Ladyarabella" <ladyarabella at home.com>
>Reply-To: elfsea at ansteorra.org
>Date: Sat, 1 Dec 2001 01:40:51 -0600
>
>Greetings to all of you,
>I thank you for your well wishes for Fearghus and our family.  This has
>been
>a very stressful year for us... God must have a very definite plan for us
>because we're all still here.
>
>Thursday I had to make one of the most difficult decisions of my life...
>one
>that concerned another's life.
>
>The surgeon called me about 11/2 hour into Fearghus's surgery telling me
>there was having a problem.  It seemed that his stomach tissue was
>collapsing and falling apart as he progressed into the procedure and
>bleeding profusely and more than was expected.  (Score one for Post Polio
>Syndrome) "Everything I touch is bleeding," he said.  This was beginning to
>cause complication of it's own, the possibility of blood transfusions and
>possibility of bleeding to death.  Major arteries do not feed the site of
>the incision; it is fed by small veins, which cannot be repaired like
>arteries can.
>
>Also the tissue and organs in the area are fused together.  (Score 2 for
>Post Polio Syndrome)  The way it was described to me... tissue and
>different
>organs will separate very easily with a small tug much like "de-boning a
>chicken."  Fearghus's tissue and organs being fused made it extremely
>difficult to separate the prostate from the surrounding tissue and the
>surgeon would have to more or less saw the organs apart.  We suspect that
>the fact that he is paralyzed and has no muscle movement in the area has
>much to do with it.
>
>Because of the above conditions if he had continued it would have made the
>surgery up to 4-5 more hours.  (Not good for a decreased lung capacity)
>Also he would have not been able to spare the 2 nerves, which go around the
>prostate leaving him impotent.  (Awful for him and me) And the surgeon
>would
>have an incredible time repairing the bladder and urethra meaning he would
>leak for the rest of his life and have to wear pads and diapers even if he
>did replace the sphincter muscle.  (More than embarrassing for him)
>
>We came to the conclusion that in that condition was not the quality of
>life
>Fearghus would want and would still have the possibility of the cancer
>returning at a later date.  Not a good combination.
>
>The current plan is specific targeting beams of radiation for 8 weeks and
>possibility of what they call hormone therapy.  The hormone therapy is
>specifically medication, which stops all hormone production.  He will be
>injected with Lupron or another like drug.  (Then we can kid him when he
>experiences hot flashes...hehehe)  His doctor did mention he would
>experience menopausal symptoms.
>
>But all of this is better than the alternative.  I'm much too young to be a
>widow.  I can handle being a grandmother (which I am) but not a widow.
>
>When I left this evening he was feeling much better.  We figured out that
>his Morphine pump wasn't working and he didn't have any pain medication
>last
>night.  He didn't complain to the nurses (He's been fussed at already by
>both me and the nurses, several of them) and I noticed the morphine syringe
>hadn't moved from its position the day before.  We found the problem (a
>faulty plastic tubing) and he was finally getting some relief.  I can only
>imagine the amount of pain he was in.  (Stomach surgery the first day with
>no pain meds sends shivers up my spine.)
>
>Fearghus told me tonight he would be interested in visitors.  He's at
>Medical Center in Arlington on Matlock in room 317.  His phone is attached
>to the bed and phone calls are welcomed also.  His release date will
>probably be Sunday or Monday.  We thank Gilli for the wonderful balloons.
>And we thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers.  Hope to see many of
>you soon.  Fearghus will definitely be at Yule Revel on the 15th.  Many
>people have stepped up to make that happen, and I thank you in advance.  If
>someone will forward this to the archery list I would appreciate it.
>
>Arabella
>
>
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