What day is this?

 Anybody keeping track because I don't know what day this is for me. highlights of the day (warning, I'm gonna be graphic)  the nurse stuck a suppository up my butt and then gave me a bath.  A little while later the nurse's aid wiped my butt. You'd think all this would traumatize me, but no. At this stage in my recovery i could care less. Modesty abandones you. It's like being three again. 

My friend the catheter is gone so now I have to get up to pee. It sucks. I can feel my stomach now. That sucks too. I was blissfully sucking down the fluids thinking how easy that part of it was (these wusses that complain about having to drink slowly. Ha) and of course now I am one of them.  I so want to suck down a full glass of anything because I'm thirsty but I can"t. I am finally slowly deflating. I could burp (man that hurts) but farting was a mere dream until I got that suppository up my butt. About 45 minutes later came that long wished for fart. It was like being uncorked. I"m not passing gas like a pro or anything but my very gassy and swollen belly seems to be shrinking. I can take slightly deeper breaths now too. I still have that odd left shoulder pain that radiates to my armpit but it isn't as bad now. I wasn't really using the morphine so they took me off and now I am on Dilaudin or Demerol or something that starts with a d.

Anyway, for you newbies lurking, you can"t prepare for this experience. Make sure you really want this surgery and realize that strangers will be handling your naked, bloated body. You will need someone to wipe your butt. Trust me on that. The good news is you won't care. I don"t know different recovery is with an open procedure but I'd imagine it would be similar.Learn everything you can about the surgery; the nurses appreciated this about me. 

Hey there, good to see you posting already! By the look of a well written post, seems you're doing well. Welcome to the Loser's Bench! Yep, when you have surgery you have no modesty left. You bare it all!

When I had my DS I had a complication. While I was in the hospital for that I had trouble pooing. My first poo, STINKY, the nurse just walks in and starts yapping, LOL.  The next poo the PCP walks in the bathroom and yaps. The third and lab tech started to walk in and I said, hold it buster, wait a darned minute. I need some privacy. Then my DH wiped my ass! NO modesty!

Let me tell you, it has been worth every second!!

Ruby

 I was waiting for the paint peeling smell but nada. I didn't have a real BM, just kinda like some liquid squirts. I think the nurse said it was mucus. I haven't eaten anything that would allow me to have a real BM. I wish I could just drink something already. I"m doing the sips but I want to drink a nice glass of something but of course I can't. 

I still seem to be deflating so that helps. It is amazing how much air they pump into you for a lap procedure but I just didn't want to worry about hernias in the future. I am hoping I continue to improve. The pain never became awful; it's all the air they pump into you. 

Sounds like you're on the road to recovery. At this point, 11 months out, I have little memory of that week of surgery.....thank goodness!!!!

Hang in there.

 Good morning Sandy,

Glad to see that you are able to post, and thank you for them, because I at least know more about the after affects.  Wishing you a rapid recovery.

When I was in the hospital, I pushed for a fart and accidentally **** the bed.  lol  It was my first fart post op and I was plugged.  OPS!  It was all good though.  The nurse was awesome.  She just congradulated me on getting things moving and changed the bed while I took a shower!!!  And, kudos to you for posting so soon!!!!  

 And, I'm a pretty modest person when it comes to baring all but, like you said, after surgery I didn't care.  When getting into bed, I would take my dressing gown off, climb into bed, and then put my dressing gown back on.  That way I didn't have to fight with it pulling, etc.  If you were there when I had to get into bed, so be it.  I didn't care....  Modesty out the window.  

 Funny how that works. I really don't care who looks at me right now. I'm still really gassy and it looks like there is another suppository in my future and normally this would stress me big time. I just don't care though. Fluids are going down nicely and that horrible thirst is finally gone so it really isn't too bad. The worst is the gas. Now that my friend the catheter is gone and I'm off iv fluids, they let me sleep for 4 hours at a time.  Otherwise they were in here constantly. Walking helps a lot although that first walk post op is tough. For the pre-ops - just do it. Recovery is fairly quick after the first day. After that first walk you will be looking forward to them.