Still in the hospital

Well, I’m still in the hospital.
 
They didn’t get the wound vac on until Monday afternoon, which meant it was too late for me to have a visit from home infusion. And then the doctors who did the wound vac didn’t put in the right paperwork, so it took until today to get things set up with the home care company that will be taking care of it (which, by the way, is DIFFERENT from the company who will be responsible for my IV infusions!). AND ALSO my doctor ordered a test to see if I need an IVIG infusion to boost my antibodies and help me fight off this infection, and they still haven’t gotten the results back. So right now we’re planning on discharging me tomorrow, but we also planned on discharging me yesterday and today, so I’m not holding my breath.
 
I’ve actually been pretty out of it the last couple days. Unlike what they initially told me, getting the wound vac HURT. To put it on they first took out the gauze that was packing the wound, and then packed it with a special sponge instead, which was painful by itself. Then they put the wound vac hose over that and secured it with a dressing for a tight seal. And then they turned the wound vac on, which hurt some more. The first day they put it on I ended up taking both oxycodone and Dilaudid, so I was high as a kite and knocked out for the night. I did better today, until they had to change the dressing because my skin was reacting to the adhesive. So that meant taking out the sponge, putting in a new one, and hooking the vac back up –  which was, once again, painful. Today I was able to get by with just oxycodone, but that pretty much left me in a stupor all afternoon. Apparently I’ll be getting dressing changes every other day when I get home, so I’m definitely not looking forward to that. It’s currently unclear how long the vac will be on, since they just have to see how healing progresses. Right now I’m continuously chained to an IV pole, but fortunately the home machine comes with a carry case, so that’ll be a little easier.
 
So now I’m once again dependent on the home infusion company’s schedule to determine whether I can go home tomorrow. They need to know if I’m being discharged by 11am so they can get supplies out to my home for a 2pm nursing visit. Depending on when this last test result comes back, whether or not I need an infusion, and how quickly they can do the infusion if I need it, I MIGHT make it home tomorrow. But if we don’t have an answer by 11am, discharge will be pushed off yet another day. Here’s hoping the last pieces fall into place SOON!