“It’s possible a vessel wasn’t showing obvious bleeding during the procedure,” he says. “Or it was sealed enough in the moment and then later started to ooze. Sometimes that happens. The body moves. Blood pressure changes. Tissue swells. Things can shift.”
My throat closes.
“So he’s been bleeding,” I say, and it comes out as a flat statement because I can’t handle anything else. “Since the surgery? For weeks?”
“Possibly,” he says. “We’re confirming.”
“Confirming how?” I ask. “With what?”
“They’re doing bloodwork to check his levels,” he says. “They’re also imaging to look for fluid where it shouldn’t be.”
My stomach turns.
“And the fever?” I ask. “He had a fever earlier. The nurse said—”
Dr. Shah’s gaze holds mine.
“They’re also running tests to see if he’s developing sepsis,” he says.
The word hits like a punch.
My ears ring.
“Sepsis,” I repeat, barely hearing myself.
I’ve heard of it, and even if I don’t know exactly what it is, I know it’s bad.
He nods once.
“Infection in the bloodstream,” he says. “It can happen if there’s bleeding or a collection that becomes infected, or if the body is under too much strain.”
“What happens if he has that?” I ask, and my voice is shaking now. “What happens if he’s in sepsis?”
His face stays calm.
“If he’s septic,” he says carefully, “his risk goes up. His chances of surviving drop.”
My vision blurs.
I blink hard, but it doesn’t clear the pressure in my eyes.
“No,” I whisper, because that’s all I have.
Dr. Shah keeps talking.
“But we’re not assuming that yet,” he says. “We’re checking. And if we see it, they’ll treat it aggressively. Antibiotics. Fluids. The ICU team will do what they need to do.”
My hands are trembling. I press my fingers together until my nails hurt, trying to anchor myself.
“But—” I swallow. “But how did this happen? Aren’t there tests? Aren’t there things you do to make sure this isn’t happening? The bleed. After the surgery.”
He nods.
“Yes,” he says. “It’s rare that this happens, but when we do a radical nephrectomy to treat renal cell carcinoma, a follow-up CT scan is often done about a week or two afterward. It can show if there’s a collection or bleeding. It’s a common safety check.”
My heart starts pounding again, confused now.
“He had one of those. A radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma,” I say. “He had his whole kidney removed because you found cancer cells, so why wasn’t there—"
