More details on my surgery 11/14/06

Well, I just woke up and feel like sitting here for a few minutes. Seems like I don't feel like doing much tho. Anyway, I went in for my surgery at 6:00am on Tuesday. My surgery was scheduled for 9:00am. Ran a little behind because they couldn't get an IV in. Left me with a few nice bruises...actually most of my left arm is black. Finally got it in the inside of my right elbow - and I'm right handed - so you can imagine what a pain that was. Got me into the OR and my IV started to leak. Finally got that taken care of and they got me into recovery. I was supposed to be out of the recovery room by noon. I guess I have trouble waking up from the anesthesia - it was 2:00pm before I left there. Then something was wrong with my sheets on my bed...so they had to roll me - thought I might die at this point. Was pretty much out of it for the afternoon and woke up a little more that evening. Begged them to take the catheder out - that's the worst feeling in the world. They got me up Tuesday night to walk. Then at 4am I finally convinced them to remove it and I was able to walk a lot better. On Wednesday I was up and moving around before my nurse even came in! Had a REALLY nice morning nurse named Kim - she was wonderful. Then Wednesday night the drama started! lol All of my company left around 9:00pm. The man next door had been fairly quiet up until now. He started screaming F--- the Iv, F--- the blankets...pretty much everything. He pulled 5 IVs out in 3 hours. He at some point got out of bed and ran into the hall with his urine bag on the floor behind him and his gown around his wrists - covering NOTHING. There's just some things in life I don't want to see. Anyway, they finally ended up straping him down with restraints. And I believe chemically restraining him. The man's doctor came in and decided to move him down to E7 which is the ICU area - they have more nurses/staff that can help him. I don't know what happened, but he definetly took away my sleep for that night! Then Thursday I slept for a couple hours in the morning around 6/7:00am. Got up and walked a little. Cleaned up and my mom came to get me. My doctor came in and said I could go home - YAY!!! So it was a long drive home, but now I'm here! Now that I'm home, I'm having trouble getting all my liquids in. I love the popsicles. Actual bottled beverages aren't going over so well. Jello's ok. But I just feel like I don't want to drink anymore. I think a lot of it is the pressure still. Once that's gone, I might feel like more...maybe? I'm also having quite a bit of pain with my lower incisions - the one in the belly button and the one beside it. The pain medication tastes worse than anything I've EVER had - gag. Anyone dealing with the same issues?

I was sure having the pressure issues in my belly and that definately makes it hard to drink anything (even water) I just felt like an already over-stuffed Thanksgiving turkey! Today feels a little better, the majority of the pressure is gone and now my stomach just feels... well weird. I can't tell if I'm feeling hungry or not just because there's a "different' feeling in there and it isn't familiar. I want to know what's with all the gurgling? Water doesn't do it to me, but when I drink something like broth then all of a sudden I turn into gurgle-burp-girl, what's that all about?! While there was no drama, I did have an "interesting" experience as I was cruising the nurses station. Most of the other patient's doors are either closed or mostly closed, but this one room I passed (mind you, I am going slower than the slowest turtle out there) and it's not that I was trying to look but you kind of can't help it... there was a really old guy sitting on his bed (facing the door of course) and he had a pillow case pulled over his head (minus the pillow) and... well.. that's all he was wearing. Not a picture I needed to have in my head so I understand exactly what you mean!

Hi Renee, I had my surgery on the 14th also. I'm afraid mine wasn't quite as eventful as yours though! I did have trouble waking up from my anesthesia, but finally around 3 pm (my surgery was at 9:30 am), I felt like a million bucks! Although today I feel around $250,000!!! I am having trouble with my liquids also. I seem to handle crushed ice better than anything and my mom is getting my popsicles right now so I am looking forward to that. I have extreme tenderness on my left side (this is VERY normal I was told) and have to hold that side when I walk. I guess there is still a lot of gas trapped inside. I didn't think I would be able to get the pain meds down (the liquid tastes horrible, I agree!) but I finally got enough down to let me sleep. All I can tell you is keep walking, sipping, walking, sipping! It seems to help me quite a lot! Keep on smiling! We're getting there! Deidrah

Hey Renee!! I had my surgery a day before you on the 13th and while I don't have any strange roommate stories to share because my doctors agreement with the hospital is that we have private rooms....the whole surgery thing was something I'd not like to go back over any time soon....lol....that was painful. The hospital was great, the nurses were absolute sweethearts and my room was fabulous (I had two full walls made of glass and had views of the whole city) but it's nothing like being home. I went in on Monday, at 5am and got in to surgery at 730am. After they rolled me in to the surgery room and got me on the bed thing and had my anesthesiologist come in, I don't remember a thing until Tuesday mid-morning...lol. I slept completely through Monday and when I woke up on Tuesday thinking it was Monday after surgery. On Tuesday everytime I would use the pain pump I would knock out for an hour so I asked that they stop all morphine because it was making me so out of it, they put me on fentadil (who knows about that spelling...lol...but it is another pain med that they put in your IV). And it was so much better...I actually felt human after that. So I had my catherter taken out on Tuesday morning after I made a round showing them I could get up and walk, had my morphine drip stopped and had a shower. By Tuesday night I was feeling great. On Wednesday I had my barium swallow and the doctor gave me the OK to go on my liquid diet...everything was great from there...I ended up going home at 5 pm on Wednesday on Tylenol II with Codine for pain (which I haven't taken yet) and just sore in my incision sites and the muscle area around it (it's hard to roll over...lol). The liquids are a problem for me too...but my handout says that I SHOULD be getting in 64 ounces a day (but 32 in the minimum to prevent dehydration). I'm not even going to count Wednesday night when I first got home, because I didn't even try that night. But yesterday I got 45 ounces in. I really like the Isopure RTD...it's 20 ounces of liquid and 40 grams of protein so that gives me a good portion of my protein for the day. I make myself drink a whole bottle (it takes me from about 7am till noon) and then I allow myself to eat or drink anything within my diet (no lumps/no chunks/mushies). I do have gas pressure and I find myself burping a lot when I'm eating and drinking, even on my first bite/sips. But I was surprised to see that I can swallow a whole ounce of water in one sip without feeling "tight". It made drinking a whole lot easier knowning that I can get down about an ounce every 15-30 minutes. But it's strange to eat...I don't get the full feeling...but I try to limit myself to about 1 ounce of food because I'm afraid of pushing myself right now. It seems to be perfect because I feel no hunger. But then again I have to force myself to eat. I do have pain with my incision, the one that had the drain and the one right below it, but nothing unmanageable. I haven't taken any pain meds...but my vitamins taste nasty (GNC chewable multi-vitamins) and to get those down are really hard. Yuck! Yeah to great surgeries! Dana

Hi, I too feel like I am having a problem with getting my protein and water in. I have a can of Atkin Advantage at 20 grams of protein as can and I add a scope full of 100% whey to the can which is another 20 grams of protein and they I shake it up and pour in to a glass and drink it 3 oz at a time and I try to drink this 3oz every hour and sip water in between. I usually have two can's of the protein drink with the whey added a day, maybe some broth, jello, yogart and the best popcilcles in the world in between. Some times I think that I am eating to much. I have not weigh myself, (scared too) because I feel like I am eating to much and have streath my pouch. Otherwise I feel great and very little pain from the time that they took out my drain, just sore at my incisions. I have centrum flavored chewables and they are not bad at all. Chrisy