This morning they scheduled an x-ray to look at Karen's intestines. It looked good enough for the doctors to suggest clamping her NG tube. They clamp the tube for 3 hours and then reconnect it and turn the suction back on to see how much gastric acid - stomach acid - has built up. If things are moving through very little comes out. However, if there is more, then that means things aren't moving through well. When stomach acid isn't moving through, it can quickly build up to the point where it makes you nauseous, so they will stop early if she gets nauseous.
Two and half hours into the clamping test she became very nauseous. They gave her something for the nausea and reconnected the NG tube to the suction. Almost no stomach acid came out, which means at least that much was going through. The nausea in this case was simply from the chemo. She normally gets bouts of nausea from the chemo, so that's all it was.
Less than an hour later the doctor's order came through allowing her water and ice chips. This was a little after 3pm. After a couple hours more, they ordered her a liquid dinner. It was vegetable broth, a liquid protein supplement, something jello like, and tea. She felt pretty bloated afterwards and they gave her an antacid. We were a little worried at this point because blockages often start with a bloated feeling, but everything seemed to go through. Karen thinks it was just her stomach adjusting to being used again.
She's still sore from all the cramping and bloating earlier, but it's improving. Her throat still hurts from the NG tube and her voice sounds very scratch. But all in all, she's in very good spirits. They told us that it's looking like she'll be out of here by Thursday.
