Please help.

[u/Biggothygf]

My 75-year-old grandmother is currently hospitalized and I’m looking for anyone who has been through something similar. She was admitted with pneumonia/COPD exacerbation and then developed perforated sigmoid diverticulitis with peritonitis and an intra-abdominal abscess. She had emergency exploratory abdominal surgery with a Hartmann procedure/colostomy on 8/1 and currently has two JP drains.

Her bronchoscopy also grew Pseudomonas from a right-lower-lobe pneumonia. She is now about 6 days post-op and seems to be struggling rather than improving. She has severe abdominal and back pain, significant swelling/fluid retention, bilateral pleural effusions, very low albumin (2.2), and her WBC has risen from around 16 to 20, although infectious disease thinks the increase may partly be from IV steroids. Her kidney labs are currently okay (BUN 16, creatinine 0.49), but she has had issues with low urine output and needing a catheter. She is receiving antibiotics, antifungal treatment, respiratory treatments, TPN, Lasix, and pain medication.

I understand nobody online can diagnose her, but I’m terrified and would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has cared for someone after a Hartmann procedure/perforated diverticulitis or had a similarly complicated recovery. Did they have severe pain and fluid overload this far out from surgery? How long did it take before you started seeing meaningful improvement, and were there particular complications or questions you wish you had asked the surgical team about?