Why won't the insision heal!?

[Tahoegal]

My Nana is at Stanford and has been there for 3 weeks now. She was supposed to be out in 10 days. They have had to repeat the same surgery on her for the 3rd time now because she won't heal together.

She had throat cancer in her esophagus. In fact they took all the cancer out and brought her stomach up to whats left of her esophagus. BUT, the incisions won't heal! She keeps opening up and leaking stomach bile/fluids into her thoracic cavity witch does MORE damage to her organs and complicates things. Shes been in ICU sense they're 2nd attempt, and now that she has hit another wall, they went in again to check things out, and they had to make NEW incisions and do it again because she just won't heal together.

I just can't come up with any reason WHY she won't heal together. She doesn't have an infection... she been under ICU care for over a week... they even had her in a drug induced coma just so she would heal safely after the 2nd surgery.

So ANY imput is wonderful, thank you very very much for reading this.

[Tahoegal]

So how would you promote the healing??? I guess the Docters said that they are kinda baffold as to why in 17 days she just did not heal what so ever. I mean... they said they opened her back up and when they took out the staples.. she just fell apart... like it was just done.

[Jaybay]

I can't explain the physiology like a doctor could (hopefully Dr. Choi will check in on this one!) but elderly patients simply don't heal as fast as younger folks.  Everything slows down in old age including metabolism and healing.  It sounds like your Nana is just one of those very unlucky people.  Have you pulled one of the nurses or doctors aside and asked their opinion of what is happening and if they have any ideas for how to help her?  You'll get far better information from the people who are actually working on her case.  If you can't get any good answers, go to the Patient Advocate office of the hospital and ask them to set up a meeting with her caregivers.  Every hospital has an advocate service, and aiding communication between caregivers and patients is what they are there for.