On Sunday, my room-mate complained of stomach pain – similar to what he’d had last December when he had to have emergency hernia surgery. On Monday morning, I took him to the emergency room. The initial diagnosis was – based on jaundice – was liver failure. So they did some tests and didn’t find a problem with the liver – but instead, they found gallstones. The new theory was that a gallstone had passed into the common bile duct and that it was blocking the flow from the gall bladder and the liver.
Yesterday, they started him on dialysis and put in a catheter. Today, dialysis again and then they transferred him to the Cleveland Clinic.
The doctors are planning on more tests to try and figure it out. His abdomen is distended with fluid, his urine is brown, and he’s weak. And he can’t breath when he lays flat.
I took Monday off of work and I’ve been going to see him as soon as I’m done with work. I’ve been trying to keep his family updated as best as I can – though I’m a little cranky that they haven’t stepped up more.
And I’m exhausted. 8 hours of work, 30 min drive to the hospital, then I’m not home until after 9:00. Tomorrow will be worse – longer drive – but I can’t not go. I’m really worried for him – he wasn’t in the best of health before this and now… well, I’m really worried.
I gotta close this and try and get some rest – tomorrow will be a long day.