Home AGAIN--WARNING

Hello everyone!! Yes you read my title right. I am home again from the hospital. I was discharged on Sunday morning and came to be with my brother and sister in law in a suberb of Dallas. I was feeling weak and sore (typical). One of the SPECIFIC instructions given to me by the wonderful nurses at Baylor was to use the breathing maching they sent home with me! Now let me preface this with the fact that prior to surgery I have had pneumonia 2 times in my life...therefore my respiratory system isn't 100%. I am NOT telling this story to scare ANYONE I am telling it so that you do not make the SAME mistake as me if you are reading this pre op or very recent post op. I used the machine once but it was painful and hard to do so not every hour like the nurse had instructed me to do. About 7:45 pm on Sunday I took my pain medication. My sisternlaw help me adjust my pillow about fifteen minutes later and when she did she asked, "have you checked your temperature lately?" Well no. So we did and it was 102 degrees. Which is a little alarming two days after surgery. Low grade temp is typical but when it gets over 101 my surgeon wants a phone call. So I called. He had me check my heart rate and it was at about 112 beats per minute. EEK!!! He told me to get to the ER at Baylor and he would call ahead so they would get me in right away. I was in a lot pain and I was afraid something was wrong internally. We made it to Baylor about half and hour later and they had my name and got me into the ER in about 5 minutes (this with a FULL waiting room) By then the pain meds and helped my fever subside but it went up again after a bit. Long story short...I had to get a CT scan and at about 2:30 am in the morning the doctor camed and told me I had developed pneumonia. Just like that... So they go me a room and started pumping antibotics in me through IV. The resident Dr. who had been wiht me in the surgery room came in that morning and was like "you are back again! we can't get rid of you" Haha. (I had stayed a day longer after surgery) He told me he checked out my CT and that in actuallty I did not have pnemonia but a collapsed lung (like that SOUNDS any better rigth?) Needless to say after another two days in the hospital with LOTS of EXTRA PAINFUL respitory therapy and more pokes than I ever care to have again I am home..feeling MUCH better. Thank you Baylor staff!! Now...how does this affect you??? DO WHAT THEY TELL YOU!!! The reason it is important to breathe deeply and cough even though it may be very painful is because your lungs are sitting there inactive for much of your surgery. While in surgery they collect "gunk" and this gunk if not coughed up or gotten rid of can cause complications like pneumonia. ALSO..because you will have pain..it makes it hard to breath deeply...so you kind of stop...well if you don't breath deeply enough and fill thosse lungs to get them nice and healthy again they will collapse. everyone got it??? Good...I do not want anyone to go throught the unneccesary pain I have gone through the last couple of days! I have lost about 14 pounds since friday unofficially. Although I cannot physically do the happy dance yet...I am doing it on the inside. With smile, Rita

Take care of yourself! I know the breathing deeply and coughing/raspy voice part is painful. I'll be thinking well thoughts for you. Hang in there. Sarah.

Thanks for sharing the story! I had some of that junk in my lungs but didn't know it was from surgery or why it happened. I just remember them telling me to breathe deeply whenever my oxygen level seemed to go lower. I did make sure to get it up the lung junk each time and haven't had a problem so far. I have never had pnemonia and hope not to, but I am glad you are better. I hope you don't get it again. Sherry

Welcome home and I'm glad that you're doing better. It was very valuable info that you gave. Thanks. Take Care~~ Diane

Rita! Wow! I'm glad that you are home and doing better - that is a lot to go through in addition to the surgery. I hope that you get back on your feet soon! Amie

I can so relate to what you went through -- I had the same thing! I was even using the little breathing machine that they gave me, several times an hour every hour, but it didn't make a difference. Recovering from all the additional complications has thrown me for a loop. I feel like it has taken me a long time to bounce back from surgery (I'm nearly a month out). The surgery itself was a breeze, it was all the other stuff that has been difficult. Glad to hear you're doing well! Tess

Wow what a story it's sounds like myself I stop using that breathing machine the second I got home and would refuse to cough.....Now i'm terrified but i'm so happy you are feeling better and so very happy you shared this with us.....Feel better soon Tema

I'm breathing! I'm breathing! I got home late on Thursday after surgery on Tueday. I haven't been using my spirometer much because...it hurts in one specific place. My left upper rib under my armpit. But I've coughed and walked a lot. I'm breathing though. Noticing I'm not able to inhale as much as I did in the hospital though. I'll keep an eye on my temp and pulse. Thanks so much for sharing this. I'm sorry you had to go through it all but now thanks to you, some of us won't have to. Take good care, Sadie in NJ