Karen's heart rate has come down since yesterday, before the surgery. It's in the mid 90s now. Her temperature is normal again as well. The surgical team had put in a JP drain to help her abdomin drain after the surgery. A lot of blood has been coming out, but it seems a lot of air is filling the JP drain as well.
The diuretics they've been giving her seem to be working very well - she has had a lot of urine output. It seems the swelling in her body is going down, but maybe not in her abdomen. It's hard to say but swelling may still be increasing there. They did end up changing her pain medication to be more consistent. Half the dosage is administered automatically and the other half when she activates the PCA pump. This seems to be enough to let her sleep without needing to wake up to activate the PCA pump. They're also giving her the antinausea medication as she is able to take it instead of as needed, which seems to be staying ahead of any nausea. She's back on regular food again and eating quite well. Her stomach muscles maybe still be a mess, but her intestines must be working as she has defecated several times today.
She was very happy with the adjustments to the pain medication, but it seems her pain level is still slowly climbing. I can't help but wonder if it's related to the swelling in her abdomen. I'm not sure what will come of it, but she's had a good day so far, all things considered.
