Impacted Bowl 84 Year Old

[passmethebiscuit]

DM been taken into hospital with an impacted bowel, waiting to see if surgery needed. What can i expect for recovery etc? (supposed to be going away on Friday for a week with work, which wont be easy to change) Am one of 3 so other siblings are around.
Anyone experienced this before?

recovery is going to depend very much on what it takes to fix it, how long it takes to fix it, what caused it in the first place and what their general health is like. It can be straightforward, but it can also be quite an ordeal.

Thank you! still waiting on a doctor at a&e so no idea what we are looking at yet!

Wonder how you're getting on @passmethebiscuit.

I should think that going away on Friday might be better than postponing it. I'd guess that there would be quite a period of recovery for an elderly person after surgery, and there will be more support offered in the early days/weeks than later. But make sure you're very clear that you're not available at that time.

she was kept in, but still waiting on someone to come and tell us more today. Worried i may need to be the support network when they get home!

Morning @passmethebiscuit,
sorry your Mum and you are going through this - we’ve similar circumstances here so appreciate the practical and emotional challenges this brings.

I agree with the PP, you need to fulfill your work commitment, especially as it is clearly a pretty major one. Your siblings have no choice but to step up here.
It they complain, tough!!
Depending on the cause, surgery etc they may want to keep her in for a while, even send her to respite care for a while, or home with a care package - nobody will expect you to be there to nurse her.
I hope everything is resolved for your DM quickly & easily, and that you’re able to have a successful & possibly even enjoyable trip away.

I so feel for you. I had this time and time again over the last few years until parents passed. Other siblings were out of the UK but one in particular always had SOME reason why they couldnt come over even though they were retired and were a 3 hour flight away. Every single sodding time with loads of notice.

The other thing I noticed over the years were as soon as the hospitals realised there was a daughter around the corner they bombarded you. Calls to you at all times and woe betide you missed the call as you couldnt call them back as the number was either witheld or went to Reception. How dare you miss their call.

I once fell down the stairs trying to get to the phone and that was a bit of a wake up call for me.

As a PP said - make sure the other sibling gives their number durinv your work trip. I found that if THEY were contacted it was far more difficult to find an excuse not to do anything at all.

thank you all! some hand holding and acknowledging that my work is important is gratefully recieved!

Emergency surgery is happening for bowel resectioning/possible removal. Anyone know what happens next?

OP you/the named NOK are really going to have to talk to the team looking after her. 'What happens next' depends entirely on what the pathology is/how unwell she is/what her baseline level of health/function is, and what her wishes are etc. An emergency bowel resection in your 80s is a huge deal, but if they're planning to do it they must believe there's a good chance it'll improve quality/quantity of life. No one on here's going to be able to give any much more useful advice. Hope it goes smoothly for her. (fwiw am an anaesthetist)

It depends if they can rejoin the bowel or she needs a stoma.

Thank you. Feel a little poleaxed as was galavanting round a garden centre with her at the bank holiday weekend. Didn't see this coming!

Similar happened to my Grandad in his mid 80s. They operated and he ended up with a stoma which he amazed us with. He was in ITU/HDU for a couple of days then on a normal ward for about a week. He went home with carers three times a day to support with personal care, meals and medication. He lived by himself. He coped brilliantly with it. He had deliveries of supplies every couple of months. He died in his mid 90s from something completely unconnected.

@passmethebiscuit definitely prioritise your work trip. I’m sure your siblings can give the necessary support in the meantime.

I’m an elderly nurse and often with comorbidities, the operation isn’t always done as some people won’t make it through surgery. I would say if they’re going ahead with it, in someone elderly they often need an intensive care bed for recovery so I’d cancel any commitments if you can. In someone elderly it’s a pretty major operation with toll on the body. I don’t want to scare you, just thought I’d tell you realistically