2-21-11 More Details about my Hospital Stay

Feb 20, 2011

Well, it is 4:17 AM and I am up and wide awake.  I already seem to have more energy than I have had in years.  Used to be I could fall sound asleep about 8:30 at night and easily sleep in to 7 or 8 then next morning.  Of course, most of the time I had to be up at 5:00 for work, but if I had the morning free, I could easily sleep in.  Now I seem to be up at 3 or 4 each morning.  I think I need to try to stay up a little later at night.

Yesterday was interesting.  It was my first day eating at home.  I at a 1/2 cup of yogurt and felt that "too-full" uncomfortable feeling.  Imagine!  From 1/2 a cup of yogurt.  I love it!

I am already down 7 pounds from the day I went in to the hospital.  I am still a little sore, but the pain medication takes care of that right away.  I am surprised at how little pain I've had.  If the doctor hadn't told me he cut me inside, I would have never known - there is absolutely no pain inside of me - only at the the incision sites.  

Here is a little more detail about what happened while I was in the hospital...

5:15 AM - Arrive at the hospital.  Freak out that I forgot my drivers license.  Absolutely certain I won't get my surgery today because I don't have a picture ID.
5:30 AM - Don't need a picture ID.  Got to remember not to freak about nothing!
5:40 AM - Upstairs for pre-op.  Getting really scared at this point.  Am I actually going to go through with this?  Am I doing the right thing?  Is this crazy?  Seems very surreal.  Get undressed and put my things in a plastic bag.  Put on the paper gown.  Start getting poked.  Start the IV.  More blood samples.  Nose swab for something.  Get pushed while in bed to another pre-op area.  Feeling super scared now.  Feel like running.  Dr. Fedorka comes to see me.  We talk about Metallica and Rush.  He says he'll put Metallica on for me in the O.R.  Talk to the anesthesiologist.  Tell her I'm freaking out and would like something for the nerves.  She says, "Soon...".
7:00 AM - Rolled in to the O.R.  Told to slide on the the operating room table.  It is very flat and very hard.  There are blocks for where your feet go.  They start an I.V. and tell me they are giving me something to relax.  I don't feel a thing!  I have to spread my arms out and they are strapping them with velcro to special arm thingies.  I feel like I'm on a cross with my arms out and strapped.  i am feeling extremely frightened at this point.  Boom - asleep.
12:30 PM - Wake up in recovery.  Creepy room.  Lots of people moaning and in pain.  I am extremely nauseous.  They are asking me my pain level and are giving me something for nausea.  The worst part?  My back is killing me.  The pain meds don't really seem to be helping my back.  Look at the clock and realize I have been out for over 5 hours.  I thought this was supposed to only be an 1 to 1 1/2 hours for the surgery.  Why so long.
1:00 PM - Get moved to a room.  My wife Theresa is there.  Why does my back hurt so much.  Theresa tells me there was a problem with my surgery.  My intestine would not connect correctly to my new stomach.  The doctor had to remove part of the intestine to get to a healthy place to connect to my pouch.  Good grief, this is the worst mattress I've ever been on.  My back is killing me.
Time?  Who knows.  Thirsty.  So thirsty.  No water.  Do they do this to prisoners of war?  It is torture not having water.  My dear wife is taking care of me.  The hospital staff were fine, but I would NOT recommend doing this without having someone with you at all times.
The first night:  Rough.  My blood pressure is high and my heart rate is way too high.  More blood tests.  An EKG - they are worried about my heart.  Don't sleep for more than 1/2 hour without being poked or prodded.  Thank god for Theresa.  She's there watching over me.  I love her so much!
Day 2:  My back hurts so bad.  Down to radiology for the upper G.I.  Yuck!!  Have to drink way too much chalky stuff for my little pouch.  The x-ray doc tells me I'm not obese enough for this operation.  I think he should mind his own business.  I start feeling very nauseous from the dye contrast.  This lasts throughout the the day.  I am also starting to feel very bloated from gas - it needs to get out, but is not even moving!  I get water!!  Little tiny sips.  I'm ok with that.
Day 3:  My back is out of hand.  I cannot handle laying there in so much pain.  Theresa starts scoping out the floor and finds a big recliner in a room of furniture.  She pushes it in to my room.  I move in to it.  She has also snuck in a heating pad for me.  I move and immediately start to feel some relief.  
Day 4:  I am starting to feel much better.  Am ready to get out of there.  My back is much better.  Beware of hospital beds!!!  I think the back thing got started because I was on the operating room table so long.  Then it was just made worse by that horrible bed.  The doctor comes in about 7:30 to discharge me.  He pulls out the drain tube.  I've heard so many horror stories about drain tubes on this site that I was extremely nervous about this.  It felt a little weird, but I felt no pain whatsoever.  I am anxious to get out of there and go home.  Waiting, waiting, waiting...  Where is that nurse?!?  Three hours later and finally a very scattered, messy, mixed-up nurse shows up.  She can't seem to do anything right.  Wrong blood pressure cuff.  She leaves for a super long time.  Finally comes back - wrong blood pressure cuff, again!  She leaves again.  What on earth is going on.  Finally she shows up again with my discharge papers.  Takes out the I.V. needle.  Leaves again to find a wheel chair.  Finally get a wheel chair and head out.  Get to the first floor - so close.  She gets lost.  Confesses to this only being her second time in this hospital.  Good grief!!  Finally find the exit and...FREEDOM!!  Never felt so good!!

I need to thank two outstanding nurses... Lynn and Chitra.  They were excellent nurses.  The rest of the staff?  Not really that committed to my well-being.  Pretty uninvolved and seemed bothered every time I tried to contact them.  Can't really say that my hospital stay was that stellar.  I need to realize I am used to the standard of care that Kaiser provides - which is very high.  I was having my surgery at St. Bernardine's because the new hospital in Fontana has not been completed - and that will be Dr. Fedorka's new home.  Dr. Fedorka was awesome, though.  He came to see me every day - often poking in 2 or 3 times to see me.  He spend lots of time with me and was very nice to meet my large family.  Dr. Fedorka ROCKS!!

The entire experience was not so bad.  The first two days were by far the worse.  I'm feeling pretty good now.  I will continue to post on my recovery....

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