I have searched all day for the words that I would use in the blog tonight. I can't say that I've found the right ones...So, I'll just share with you what I know.

We have had a rough 24 hours.

Yesterday afternoon Roger started having shortness of breath, coupled with paralyzing pain. I had left the hospital for a couple hours while his sister Denise visited with Roger. She called me at 4:00 to tell me that he been experiencing these issues for the prior hour and now the nurses/doctor were getting ready to take Roger off the floor for xrays to determine what was causing the problems. I arrived at his room to see a flurry of nurses, techs, etc all circling Roger. He was lying in bed, nearly frozen with pain. Almost as if in sync with each heart beat or each breath, Roger would seize in a spasm of pain. No amount of pain killers seemed to be able to lessen the pain or increase his ability to breathe. Shortly after the pain started, the nurses noticed that Roger's chest drainage tube was now draining a dark green-ish substance....it usually drains either a bloody colored fluid or a clear fluid from the chest cavity post surgery. Immediately the tentative prognosis was that Roger had developed a leak somewhere in the gastro intestinal track causing stomach bile to leak into the chest cavity.

Apparently stomach bile....stomach acid....is pretty nasty stuff and has a corrosive, burning effect on tissues...especially the lungs. Roger's pain was due to the inflammation and infection from the bile.

Roger was put through a series of tests/xrays to see if they could identify where the leakage was located. Unfortunately NONE of the tests revealed where the leak was. So, the doctors decided they wanted to stabilize Roger for the night. He was moved to ICU. Mega anti-biotics and painkillers were given to Roger. The hope was that his body might fix the leak on its own (which is normal for the body) and then Roger could be treated for the infection. Unfortunately, come morning Roger's system was still draining bile out of his chest cavity. So the doctors decided to take him into surgery for an endoscopy to determine where the leak was from the inside out. They found it. Apparently Roger's esophageal tissue and stomach were weakened from the radiation (not atypical for the treatment)...as a result, when the surgeon sutured the radiated tissue it could not hold the stitch....so a leak was formed. Dr. Freeman told us that 50% of the patients going through this surgery will experience a leak. So this isn't a complete surprise.

Dr. Freeman was able to suction out the bile and then inserted a stent (spelling??) into Roger's esophagus in the area where the leak was. The stent will "seal" the leak until the body has a chance to do it itself.

Fast forward, Roger is now back in ICU. He is heavily sedated and is on a respirator...the machine does the breathing, does the work for Roger. Dr. Freeman wanted to give Roger's body a chance to rest and recover with as little pain as possible. He still has a slight fever from the infection but they are attacking the infection with mega antibiotics. He still experiences pain but at an unconscious level.

So for the first time in a week, I am going to sleep at home. There isn't anything I can do tonight. He is so sedated that he is basically unconscious. No amount of massages will get through to him tonight. He just needs to rest and recover. It kills me to not be with him.

that's all I have. I'll update you tomorrow. Send all your positive thoughts and prayers to Roger.

~angie