Home from the Hospital - 4 days post-op

Hello everyone- Again, I want to thank those of you who offered encouragement to this past weekend when I was pre-op. I had been on the insurance yo-yo, but finally got approved after submitting more info from my pcp via fax. So, Wed Aug 16 I got the go ahead from BC/BS. I went for my pre-op testing on Thurs Aug 17, and got a call after work on Aug 18 that my EKG showed some abnormalities, so my surgery was pushed back 3 hours to give me time for a Stress Echo-Cardiagram the morning of my bypass. All weekend all I knew was that there was a "good chance" that I'd still get to have surgery. I was SOOOO stressed out- I know I bit the heads off of my family numerous times over the weekend, but that helped ( and of course I apologized!) Just so hard not knowing what's going to be happening from one moment to the next. So- Monday morning- we got to the hospital at 5:50 and I was zoomed into the cardiology testing area of the hospital. They injected me with chemicals that made my heart pound so rapidly I thought I'd come up off that table. Happily, I withstood the test, and was eventually taken to pre-op to get ready for my bypass. I am sure I was nervous, but I didn't feel like it. I was just so happy to be at that point. My surgery went smoothly- the only problem was the development of a hematoma on the incision just above my belly button. When I came to in recovery, that was the only thing I remember saying was hurting- didn't know why at the time, of course, but it was a definite pain. Still, not anything unbearable- and they hook you up to a morphine drip. I got up and did the "Dr. Scott March" 4 hours after surgery, and by the next day, I was feeling pretty good. I got up and walked the halls all day- usually 3 trips at a time. I had to have a large bag of fluids put into my IV to get me to pass enough urine, but once that was done ( and it didn't hurt at all) that functioned normally. I also had problems coming off the oxygen, because my blood saturation levels were low. (I have chronic asthma) but by the afternoon of the third day, that was resolved as well. Now I'm at home- I've been on pulverized foods since wednesday morning- no nausea, and feeling decent. Of course I'm not back to my old self 100% yet- but it's coming. I'm SO glad I had this surgery. I feel like a rosebud, waiting to blossum. I know that I've been through the valley and the mountain tops are ahead. I'm still sore, but it's managable- I only use the pain meds 1 or 2 times a day. Walking is a big help- make sure you do it a lot. I hope this helps you to know what to expect- at least from one persons perspective.

Glad to hear you are doing so well Alicia. You are on your way now...lol.