Hole in the diaphragm (not THAT diaphragm!)

October 18, 2016 4:44 AM

My 74-year-old mother-in-law was in a car accident on Saturday. The impact tore a hole in her diaphragm and her liver is poking up into her chest cavity. Help us plan for recovery, please.

My mother-in-law was in a car accident and she tore her diaphragm. Her vitals are great and she is in very good spirits. She will have surgery to repair the tear in the next day or two. She is going to stay with us to recuperate. Any idea what I can expect regarding food, rest, pain?

posted by kamikazegopher to Health & Fitness (2 answers total)

Best answer: This is so far removed from a serious injury that I hesititate to answer, but, I am typing fairly horizontally on a sofa surrounded by Rx whatnot after much less serious surgery, and I have seen some people through serious illnesses...

If she has no limitations on what she can eat, discard any "What to Eat When Recovering, by the Registered Dieticians' Association of Greater Podunk" material. I have never seen or heard of anybody recovering from something who actually has an appetite for the cheerfully nutritious and bland recipes in those things. One friend going through cancer found McDonald's and a particular chocolate cake were about the only things he could work up an appetite for and keep down. Far more important to be fed, and with something that will work up an appetite, probably with a multivitamin, than to go with the gruel sick people are expected to enjoy. I periodically overheard sicker people in hospital being exhorted to eat and wanted to shout 'But the food here is terrible! Call out for pizza!' Another friend looked forward to days when she was well enough to eat another fast-food joint's offerings. I am living off garbage like freezer hash browns, pizza, frozen yoghurt -- unhealthy stuff that lives in the freezer, while quite nice produce goes to hell. My usual tastes have gone out the window and the healthiest I can managed is tinned soup (there is nice homemade soup in the freezer, but processed everything is more appealing somehow). Cater to her cravings

One hassle I did not count on is that one sleeps a LOT while recovering and this often means sleeping through the 'time for your meds' time. Having been woken up at all hours by hospital nurses for meds, and having been at home being woken up by pain, I'm slightly in favour of the latter. Talk to the doctor about extended-release formulations, even though it is still easy to sleep through the end of the X hours. Figure out if there needs to be an alarm clock and a clearly labelled pillbox (twice now I have woken in a painful daze, put something in my mouth, and spat it out to double-check I was taking the right thing) next to the bed, or if she would prefer to sleep when sleeping and it's okay to take the meds when awake, and check with the doctor/pharmacist about the scheduling issues.

I am on the sofa in a living room that has sliding doors, an excellent and not very common feature. The 'sofa' part means I can participate a bit more when I have visitors, and that my kid at least sees me instead of a bedroom door. If there's a way to have something set up as a bed in a central area when she's up to it, that's a nice respite from being tucked away in a room. Visitors are a plus -- as long as they leave, and bonus points if I am not the only one tasked with entertaining them.

It's really hard to clean up after yourself at all and really hard to do certain self-care things. I would enjoy having somebody launder my pyjamas and leave them neatly folded, and the nicest thing the hospital did was give people a hot wet washcloth and a hand towel in the morning. Consider a cup/basin of water set-up for toothbrushing brought to her. Getting up sucks.

Sorry about your MIL, and I hope her recovery is a quick one!
posted by kmennie at 11:35 AM on October 18, 2016

Best answer: After my mother's abdominal surgery, she found that holding a pillow to her abdomen when moving at all was very comforting. It spared her muscles from having to do any of that work. Getting in and out of the car, sitting and standing, even adjusting herself in her bed ... all helped by holding a pillow to her belly.

Also, it's fairly well established now that taking pain killers speeds recovery, and that toughing it out is a terrible idea. That said, at 74 she needs to be a bit cautious about some drugs that can depress respiration. This is something to talk to her doctor or pharmacist about in some detail.

Perhaps not a great time to take up heavy drinking, although who knows :)
posted by Capri at 9:24 PM on October 18, 2016