I'm home (sorry it took so long to post)
I had my surgery on Monday Nov 6th at Vanderbilt. I came home on Thursday Nov 9th with 21 staples holding my belly together. I go back on Friday Nov 17th to have the staples removed. THANK GOD! I have a pretty good pain tolerance so I was able to deal with things. The hospital beds was not made for a fat chick with staples in her tummy! lol I know that Vanderbilt is an excellent trauma hospital but I wasnt very impressed with the care that I recieved. I never had the same nurse twice and i was there from monday to thursday. I had a NG tube down my nose until wednesday morning and I think that had to be the worst thing about the whole thing. lol I dont think I was expecting the pain to be as intense as it was but I was still able to deal with it. I had gained about 7lbs from fluid on the day that I left but I was expecting it. Its still kinda hard for me to sit up in a straight chair for very long periods of time. Thats why I havent posted until now. I want to say Thank you to Sara, she gave me her number and volunteered to let everyone know how I was doing. I put her number in my bag and somehow lost it. I am so greatful for you to volunteer, Sara. I am sorry that I wasnt able to contact you. Thank you all for your prayers and support. The liquid phase is starting to bore me and its been hard for me to get in everything that I need. I am praying that he will let me go to puree after Friday so I can have more of a variety of things to eat. I only take a pain pill when I get ready to go to bed and thats because its still pretty sore when I try to lay down. I havent had a good nights rest yet but its getting better daily. I havent stepped on a scale and dont plan on doing that until I go to my appt on Friday. I decided not to even have a set of scales in my house because I know that I would stay on them constantly. I think i'm ready go rest for a while so I will post more later. Thanks to you all!
I am so happy that you are home and well!!! I had my surgery at Vanderbilt and I felt the same way about care... I won't go there now though! Its annoying to hear but the thing that made me feel better right home from the hospial was walking, even if it was in around the house! Also find a cozy chair, it will feel better than the bed, i slept in a lawn chair the first night home. LOL
Hugs,
Jacqueline
Welcome Home! I'm so glad you are doing okay and kudos to you for the good attitude about the scale! Be sure to post your thoughts on the care you received on the hospital review boards...people do read them! I read the doctor and hospital reviews before deciding on Centennial. Also, when you go back for your first appt. be sure to tell them your thoughts as well. When a center is supposed to be a Center of Excellence, they want to know how to improve and so do the surgeons. On a happier note, YOU ARE A LOSER!!!!! I'm so happy for you!
Susan 
Hi MS Me, welcome home. First off most that have open surgery sleep better in a recliner for the first few days, also easier to get out of then a flat bed. Second, I am a veteran and occasionally I have to go to the VA in Nashville which is hooked onto Vandy. We use Vandy Dr.'s on a 3 month rotataion. But as for Vandy, I wouldn't give you 2 cents for it. Several over the last 3 years that I've been on this board have mentioned the same thing. That the nurses were rude, acted like they didn't care, took forever to get one to respond, and generally acted like they were doing us the favor.
I had mine done just south of Knoxville in Maryville by Dr. Colquitt. His office staff were always friendly, the staffing in the bariatric wing at Blount Memorial went out of their way to help me. Plus the beds were made for obese people. Which felt weird for me as I've been in a twin hospital bed for 3 years now. Have no choice, because of breaking my hip and pelvic three years ago, I still can't roll over unless I use that triangle thing over the bed to hold on to to help make the right hip move.
So I would suggest if you don't have a recliner, maybe rent one for a couple of weeks, just until you can sleep without the chair. I fall asleep in one everytime I get in one at the cancer center every Thursday. I put a light blanket on me and fall asleep everytime while I'm getting my potassium. A friend of mine had her surgery thru Dr. Wright in July 05, and even in the hospital she had to sleep in a recliner. Plus when she got home, her husband went and got her a power lift recliner so that it would be easier for her to stand up or sit down without hurting herself. You can rent them at medical supply places.
I will keep you on my prayer list that things will start getting better for you. I have a low pain tolerance after having so many kidney stones. So I usually end up tolerating the pain in my neck and back from the bulging disks and where the leukemia is at until I go to bed, then I will take 2 pain pills. Otherwise no sleep for me, and if I take them during the day I'm a zoombie. They have me on Hydromorphone 2mg and I am to take 2-4 every four hours for the pain. I need to get them refilled. The Oxicodone.5mg for my leukemia is not even phasing it one bit.
Let us know if you need anything, rest, walk, and get in your fluids. Remember sf jello and sf popsickes are also part of you water supply. I am glad I was able to go on soft foods instead of pureed. I tried the pured, it looked like something out of a Gerber jar or worse my grandson's diaper. That thought kept me from eatting pured foods, even when I had to be readmitted for a week just two weeks after surgery because my potassium levels were too low, I was given soft foods, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs and I can't stand the smell of scrambled eggs to this day that and tuna sends me to the first trash can I come to as I'm not going to make it to the bathroom. Variety, try pinto bean soup with out the beans. High in protein, mashed cottage cheese, I was on both with in two weeks of surgery.
I need to go, glad you are home and recovering. Just remember YOU ARE A LOSER NOW. Love Kathy
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