Josiah’s Updates
Medication Madness
So I wanted to post some of the med changes that we have been dealing with because in addition to managing the catheter issues these are probably the most important aspects of Josiah’s medical care post-op. He remains needing support for his emotional challenges & prayer for healing & comfort overall.
I believe that I posted prior to surgery about the changes to his meds in the pre-op phase. One medicine, aspirin, had been pending input from the Surgeon & he ultimately wanted it stopped last Friday, but we got the message late, after Josiah had taken his dose that morning. Aspirin also ended up being the only pre-surgical med that wouldn’t resume immediately following surgery. In fact, this morning is when Josiah should resume taking aspirin.
Because there were so many meds added & because there would now be the need to give doses 4X/day instead of the 2X/day we’d been doing for years I decided to set up his pill box as it’s actually labeled: Morning, Noon, Evening, & Bedtime. We usually only have the 2X/day doses, as stated, so I’ve been using the 4 chambers for two weeks of meds with the first week on the outside/perimeter of the box & the second week on the inside two channels. Also, we’ve been using the stove timer to keep the daytime meds on an every four hours schedule. This means that the time between morning & bedtime doses is now near 12 hours (as it’s supposed to be) so hopefully keeping his Tacro/Prograf (anti-rejection med) levels consistent will also help to stave off infection…
Here is what was added to the mix since surgery:
Tylenol, for pain, 4X/day
Keflex, antibiotic (due to his antirejection meds, to reduce infection risk), daily
“Magic Mouthwash”, to promote mouth healing, PRN “anytime” as needed
Ditropan, for bladder spasms (discomfort from the catheter), 3X/day
Oxycodone, for pain, 1-2 tablets up to 4X/day
Miralax, laxative, once a day
Bacitracin Ointment, 4X/day
We got some conflicting info the other day when I had to call the Pediatric Urology Resident On-Call with a question, regarding ointment. He said that they usually only recommend the ointment for a week because it can cause “maceration” (a term he didn’t clarify buy I Think means irritation)…I said that we’d been told that Josiah needed the ointment as long as he was on the catheter, to reduce the risk of infection, and to lubricate the insertion site to prevent his skin from sticking to the catheter tube. This may require a call to the regular doctor this week as he’s not seen again until a week from Thursday to remove the catheter…
Josiah continues to do pretty well, improving slowly (emotionally) each day & gaining more confidence & skills to manage his needs approaching independence.
Thanks for continuing to keep Josiah & his recovery in your prayers. By the way, he posted briefly about his surgery at his other blog here:
https://josiahsfreakshow.wordpress.com/2017/07/30/josiahs-quick-surgery-update/
Please consider stopping by & giving him an encouraging word. Since his activities are quite limited right now he appreciates the online interaction, perhaps even more than usual.
May the Lord speak to each of your hearts & strengthen & sustain you for whatever challenges & triumphs you may be currently facing.
In Christ’s Love,
Valerie
Send a message
1 Message(s)
I have been praying for Josiah and you all, but just read the many updates as we have been away and somehow I couldn’t access them on my phone. So happy for successful surgery. Continuing to pray.
Jazzman Journal 