I'm Home...

Hi Everybody...I got home on Tuesday2/10(operated on thursday 2/5)...Had some complications ...Now I want everyone to know that I do not believe that the 3 nurses who were idiots and attempted to take care of me had no reflection on the wonderful care I recieved at Maine General Hospital(Augusta)....My nurse the first night I was in there never got me up out of bed at all....Now I believed there was a reason and I didn't say anything, plus I was on so much morphine I didn't know up from down(stupid me)....Anyway, The nurse I had the next day was my angel for the rest of my stay...She was livid when she found out I was never gotten out of bed...Needless to say she said something to her supervisor....I got up and of course felt like sitting right back down........But I got up and walked and headed immediately to the shower...I felt soooooo gross....I felt so much better afterwards.....Anyway, As the day went on I kept trying to figure out why I was having so much trouble breathing...I couldn't catch my breath and they had me on 3litres of oxygen....It didn't feel like it was enough....My O2 level was 87 without O2 and 90 with O2...So I wanted to walk to see if that would help but that was so much of a challenge I could only go so far.... Dr Aslam came in and was evaluating me and said keep up with the incentive spirometer which I could barely get to 500 but I tried....Then I started getting breathing treatments and it didn't even feel like it was doing a darn thing for me....Then they ordered a chest x-ray...They did it in my room .....They saw something just didn't know what....So I continued doing everything I was told and man it was so hard breathing....Alot of the nurses came in to gimme my meds and to cheer me up....I would sit in my room and see other people walking who had the surgery same day and they looked like it was a walk in the park.....I was like what the hell is wrong with me that I can't do that too.....My daughter stayed for two days with at the hospital with me also and she tried to do everything she could to cheer me up and to put some fire under the butts of those idiot nurses.... Finally they ordered another x-ray and I had to go to the x-ray machine itself this time.....Low and behold after the results came back they found I had Pnenumonia and alot of fluid in my lungs.....I was not happy....Dr.Aslam ended up tapping 850 cc out of my lungs and boy what a relief...I could breath again....It was a little uncomfortable for a while but I made me feel better....I do not regret anything I have done!!!But WOW what a big thing to go through....One great thing that did happen, my dr was able to do my surgery laproscopic, something even he said at the last visit he would try but couldn't guarantee....I was very happy about that....So I am 9 days out and I am not allowed to drink ANYTHING, everything goes through a feeding tube.....Hopefully Tuesday I will get my JP drains out and I will be allowed to start the process of fluids...I have to have a swallowing test first....I think the hardest part of all this is not being able to drink anything....I can swish and spit but that's it....I can have gatorade,CIB or water plus my meds through my best friend the G-tube(g-tube for 1 month)......I am slowly working on laying on my side again....I have no recliner so I sleep sitting up....I think that's it for now....I will post again soon....Thanks for all the prayers love and support...I'm sending it right back atcha guysHelen

Hi Helen. Sounds like you've been through a lot! I'm glad to hear things are going better now that they found the problem. First of all, the first nurse on your shift should be fired! I hope the second nurse did say something to the supervisor. You as a patient shouldn't have to ask the question "why didn't they get me up to walk?" You're right in thinking that maybe there is a reason, but the nurse should know how important that walking after just about ANY surgery is. Good luck to you and stay strong. You've been through a lot, so it's only going to get better from here. Take care! ~Marcia~

HELEN, WAY TO GO. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, IT WILL GET EASIER. 1 MONTH WITH THE G-TUBE- MY PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU GIRL............ MICHELLE