Home from the hospital
Hi honey.....I'm home!
I had my surgery Wednesday morning and was released this afternoon (Friday.) My experience was pretty uneventful. My parents drove me to the hospital and sat with me until I was taken back to the OR. The entire time I was very calm....no nerves at all. It was until I was about to go back that I started crying....I think I was just so relieved that this was finally happening. I remember laying down on the gurney in the OR and having a cold mask put over my nose and mouth and the next thing I knew I was in recovery.
Recovery was very strange for me. My mind seemed so clear....I was aware of everything going on around me, but my body wasn't catching up. It was the strangest sensation....
My surgery was at 7:30am and I was in recovery around 11:15. I was finally sent to my room around 1pm. My mouth was so dry! Chapstick and the little green water sponge were my best friend. (I was allowed to wet the inside of my mouth.) I was very excited to say I was feeling much pain. I had the pain pump and wasn't pressing it nearly as much as I could have. The main pain I had was from the larger incision above my belly button (about 2") and the area around my drain.
I took my first walk around the unit around 6:30pm....completed one lap. Around 7:30 I managed to get in 2 more laps. By the evening I was allowed to start having ice-chips....that was heavenly!
That night I wasn't able to get much sleep. Not sure why....it wasn't the pain and it wasn't the fact that people were constantly coming in my room. Perhaps it was having so many tubes coming out of me? (IV, Catherater, draining tube.)
The next morning they took me down for my swallow test to make sure there were no leaks....and there weren't! I know that once I passed that, they were going to take my pain medicine pump away....so I started dispensing the meds as often as I was allowed. I had no idea just how loopy it made me feel until hours later when it was out of my system. Once they took the Pain pump and catherater out....I was allowed to start "eating". I ordered jello, popcicles, and all kinds of other stuff. I had the nurses keep things in the freezer for later that evening. (Highly recommend doing so!) Later they increased my fluid s through the IV because my output wasn't so good.
Dr. Mo had come in and said there was a chance I could be released that evening (which scared me....I would have rather been under direct care for a second night in the hospital.) aROUND 6PM THE pHYSICIAN'S Assistant came and told me that they wanted to watch me another night. Apparantly I still had a lot of gas in my abdomen....they were concerned that i wasn't passing gas or having any urine output. I found this to be discouraging....it was one thing when I got to stay another night because I WANTED TO...but it's another when they were making me. :( It was hard because I was walking constantly, yet no gas was being released :(
Finally around 9pm, I had my first grumblings from my bowels. And then it began....3 times througout the night I had to get up to use the bathroom....oh how the fluids were now flowing! It was strange for me that night,...I felt so much more independent. I was getting out of bed on my own, unplugging the power cord for the IV and making my way into the bathroon without any help. Such a difference from the night before!
I was finally released today around 1pm. Had no issues with my discharge....expect when it came time to fill my pain medicine prescription....the doctor had dated it for tomorrow! With that being said....look over your discharge info VERY carefully before you leave!
I will right more later....but i wanted to share my experiences while they were still fresh in my head....
I had my surgery Wednesday morning and was released this afternoon (Friday.) My experience was pretty uneventful. My parents drove me to the hospital and sat with me until I was taken back to the OR. The entire time I was very calm....no nerves at all. It was until I was about to go back that I started crying....I think I was just so relieved that this was finally happening. I remember laying down on the gurney in the OR and having a cold mask put over my nose and mouth and the next thing I knew I was in recovery.
Recovery was very strange for me. My mind seemed so clear....I was aware of everything going on around me, but my body wasn't catching up. It was the strangest sensation....
My surgery was at 7:30am and I was in recovery around 11:15. I was finally sent to my room around 1pm. My mouth was so dry! Chapstick and the little green water sponge were my best friend. (I was allowed to wet the inside of my mouth.) I was very excited to say I was feeling much pain. I had the pain pump and wasn't pressing it nearly as much as I could have. The main pain I had was from the larger incision above my belly button (about 2") and the area around my drain.
I took my first walk around the unit around 6:30pm....completed one lap. Around 7:30 I managed to get in 2 more laps. By the evening I was allowed to start having ice-chips....that was heavenly!
That night I wasn't able to get much sleep. Not sure why....it wasn't the pain and it wasn't the fact that people were constantly coming in my room. Perhaps it was having so many tubes coming out of me? (IV, Catherater, draining tube.)
The next morning they took me down for my swallow test to make sure there were no leaks....and there weren't! I know that once I passed that, they were going to take my pain medicine pump away....so I started dispensing the meds as often as I was allowed. I had no idea just how loopy it made me feel until hours later when it was out of my system. Once they took the Pain pump and catherater out....I was allowed to start "eating". I ordered jello, popcicles, and all kinds of other stuff. I had the nurses keep things in the freezer for later that evening. (Highly recommend doing so!) Later they increased my fluid s through the IV because my output wasn't so good.
Dr. Mo had come in and said there was a chance I could be released that evening (which scared me....I would have rather been under direct care for a second night in the hospital.) aROUND 6PM THE pHYSICIAN'S Assistant came and told me that they wanted to watch me another night. Apparantly I still had a lot of gas in my abdomen....they were concerned that i wasn't passing gas or having any urine output. I found this to be discouraging....it was one thing when I got to stay another night because I WANTED TO...but it's another when they were making me. :( It was hard because I was walking constantly, yet no gas was being released :(
Finally around 9pm, I had my first grumblings from my bowels. And then it began....3 times througout the night I had to get up to use the bathroom....oh how the fluids were now flowing! It was strange for me that night,...I felt so much more independent. I was getting out of bed on my own, unplugging the power cord for the IV and making my way into the bathroon without any help. Such a difference from the night before!
I was finally released today around 1pm. Had no issues with my discharge....expect when it came time to fill my pain medicine prescription....the doctor had dated it for tomorrow! With that being said....look over your discharge info VERY carefully before you leave!
I will right more later....but i wanted to share my experiences while they were still fresh in my head....
Everything went really good for you. I am so glad that all is well and now you are at home. Dr. Mo is a wonderful doctor. He was my Doctor's partner when I had my surgery and he took care of me wonderfully when Dr. Von Reuden was not around.
Wishing you all the best and a speedy recovery.
Sincerely,
Cira
I am who I am and accept my feelings wholeheartedly.
Those that mind don't matter, and those that matter don't mind.
Cira 249/144.0 current/goal 154/ 5'3" 10 lbs below my Dr's goal
Congats Michele!! I'm glad your surgery went well and you are on your way to a speedy recovery. I had my surgery Monday morning and was finally able to come home this afternoon (Wednesday). How much pain are you experiencing?? I am fine as long as I am sitting or laying down. But as soon as I stand up, my abdomen is in a lot of pain. The pain does go away once I start walking, but it is still frustrating. I am also feeling nauseaus whenever I drink my liquids which makes it hard to keep them down. I started anti-nausea medicine when I got home, which seems to be helping a lot too.
How are you feeling now that you are over a week out? I am hoping the pain at my incision sites subsides quickly and i'm just concentrating on making sure I take in all of my liquids. And tips you have for me since you have just been though this?
Thank You,
Heather
How are you feeling now that you are over a week out? I am hoping the pain at my incision sites subsides quickly and i'm just concentrating on making sure I take in all of my liquids. And tips you have for me since you have just been though this?
Thank You,
Heather
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