Dennis is back in the hospital, I'm sorry to say. To back up, his first PEG's balloon failed. When the nurse tried to use it the first time, the saline flush went into the abdomen and I've never seen my husband in so much pain. After a CT scan, it was determined that he needed abdominal reinsertion after washing out any bacteria that may have spilled into the abdominal cavity. This is the wound that he has been using a wound vac for because it reopened the day following surgery. This G/J tube also failed in the hospital (balloon deflation again) and a larger tube was inserted to help with leakage. This tube failed on us Saturday night, soaking him during his continuous feeding. He spent Sunday in the ER, with a CT showing that the J port had migrated into the stomach. He was readmitted to Hopkins on Monday, and they have once again replaced the tube and monitoring it regularly through CT. I'm not able to be with him b/c I'm running a fever and developing brohncitis. My family had to go back to NC (my brother-in-law had to have a bone marrow biopsy at Chapel Hill on Monday) so, it is just the boys and me. I've talked with the doctors at Hopkins, and they now want him to go to a nursing facility instead of being released home. I know this is killing him.....but he knows I'm not able to care for him like I'd hoped. Because of all the complications, I'm not able to give him his meds. Most are to be crushed, and they refuse to clear the G tube. For him to be there, with nobody, not able to speak, unable to write...has to be so depressing. My heart breaks for him. I was able to do what was needed (wound packing, suctioning.....etc.) but with all the problems, I've been left useless.

Love,
Mandi