At home from surgery!

Hi everyone! Well, my surgery was on Wed and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I was surprised to find out that I had a severe Hiatel Hernia which was found during surgery. Dr. Hungness said he was surprised and just repaired it. Wed after surgery was pretty quiet. Just was sleeping alot, I slept through the night in fact. Thursday morning I had some soreness on my left side, but nothing I couldn't manage. It felt like I had done a bunch of sit ups lol. I did however get hit with a really sharp pain in my stomach and shoulder. It was the dreaded gas pain I was not looking forward too. Walking helped alot.

I didn't have any pain or weird feeling when I had my first sip of water or the jello. Just got full really quick. What I really hated was those Heparin shots which I elected to get in my thigh. I have a huge bruise from them !!! But its better than a blood clot. I didn't have any nausea or vomitting at all. I must say, Northwestern Memorial has the best Nurses and Doctors in the world!! They never let me go without the pain meds or anything I needed. I have worked at many hospitals and been in many and the rank #1 on my list. The only thing that was painful for me was the drain removal. It burned really bad.

I am at home now. Still feeling sore, but overall I am doing great. I am getting all of my protein and water in. I just like that I am not hungry. I am eating the Stage 1 baby foods and I actually like them lol. I took a shower and changed my band aids and dressing, and all I have is some bruising. Dr. Hungness did a great job along with his staff!!! I have my follow up appt with him on Tuesday. So to anyone who is worried about the pain, it is not as bad as I thought. I think if you go into the surgery expecting the worst, you will be surprised that it is not bad at all.

Thanks to all of my friends here for being there for me!!

Lisa, it sounds like you are progressing as you should be. Follow your doc's directions, as I know that you are and will do. Check back in with the board when you feel up to it.

Chris

Lisa,

Continued success on your journey!!!  You will do great.  Just follow your doctor's instructions and remember to sip and walk as much as possible.    If you have any questions, do not hesitate to post them on the IL Board.  The amount of support and knowledge assisted me in my journey.  It will be 2 years out for me on 01/12/2011 and I still look to this board for answers and information.

You are right...the heparin shots are NOT fun......but much better than blood clots...trust me on that one!

Please continue to keep us posted on your success!!!

Lisa, I am so happy that your expective pain didn't materialize as much as you thought it would. Now that you are officially a Loser, come back and keep us updated on your life.

LISA

Hi there: 
Welcome home from the hospital!  I was at NW 2 weeks ago omg I can't believe you too??? I had Dr. Nagle (Mr. Cutey) hahah, but all went well.  I am so happy to loose 15 lbs. already.  I hope you are doing all they tell you to.  At the followup visit you'll probably go to solid foods.  My right side is a little uncomforable but I'm sure it's just sore.  I live in Chicago too.  They will give you a list of the support groups at NW and I think the next one is Nov. 18th.  Hope all is going well and I hope to see you at the Support Group.
Take care,
Linda

I'm a fellow alumna of the Nagle/Hungness group, too. :) Congrats on your outcomes! I'd suggest asking for details about your new vitamin and supplement schedule for when you switch off Flintstones or your first post-op vitamin. Also, ask about any daily calorie limit/range you should hit, and what percentage of fat, carbs, and protein your daily food intake should hit (30%, 30% & 30%?). oh, and ask about what exercise, exactly, is recommended and when. These elements seemed to be glossed over when I had my follow up. --- Hope you feel better each and every day. I now feel "normal" and that kicked in about the fourth week post-op. I'm going to try to attend the support groups when I can. I'm pretty sure I'll be at the next one. :) 

Dear Lisa!

So glad to hear that everything went well and you are doing good!

Welcome to the losing side!

Thanks everyone. Unfortunately, I haven't been feeling good the last 2 days. A lot of feeling dizzy and nausea. I did vomit once. For some reason the protein shakes are making me sick. And so do bananas and squash. I wonder if I was dumping? I felt so sick. Shaking, dizzy, sweating. I am doing my best to get my protein in with beans and double protein milk. I am not in pain. Just feeling so tired. I have a doctor's appt tomorrow so I will see what he says.

Hello Everyone: I am slowly getting strength. I went to the store today and by the time I got to the second store I almost colapsed. Tomorrow I am staying put except to do laundry. My girlfriend is coming to help so it won't be so bad. Lisa, I had the same problem of the shakes and sweats but it was the lack of water; so drink a sip every couple minutes. The protein shakes also made me a little nauseas so I put coffee in the vanilla one and it tasted alot better. I hope your appointment went well.
Take care,
Linda