At home *update*

Feb 06, 2009

2/4/09

The day after surgery was rough. That night I didn't get any sleep (don't think anyone does) because they come in and check your vitals constantly, but everyone was SO nice. I kept tangling up all of the cords hooked to me and the oxygen in my nose was hurting and drying out my nostrils lol. If I wasn't hot, I was cold. I was either sweating up a storm or shivering. When I woke up I had to have the UGI done, and that was the worst tasting thing I've ever had to swallow. It's not the regular barium some of you had to drink BEFORE the surgery, it's something different, and so much much worse.

After they looked at the results and said it all looked good (no leaks) they released me to start drinking water. That's when they took me off of the PCA (self administering drugs via the push button) to start taking oral medications and that's when everything went down hill, not because they took me off the drugs, just because drinking ANYTHING was hurting. I hadn't really been using the PCA before anyways but drinking water was making me hurt so bad. I took the oral meds and it just sat on my stomach and about an hour later I puked them back up. Then I started running a 100 degree temperature and they said I was having a fever and I might not get to go home until Friday again. I was so miserable, I couldn't sleep, I couldn't get up and walk very well like I could the day of surgery and I got into that "OMG what did I just do to my body" type of feeling. I had some really vivid dreams too, sometimes when I woke up I couldn't tell if they were real or a dream and I'd start crying thinking I messed something up because in my dream I had eaten something I wasn't supposed to for example and it took me a while to realize that it was only a dream. I got to eat some sugar free Jello and that was about all I could handle. When it was time for me to sleep, I tried sleeping on my side but that was a HUGE no-no (still is) because it just hurts so bad. One of the nurse techs came in a talked to me a while about tattoos and piercings haha he was pretty neat, then shortly after he left, the anesthesiologist came in and said he heard through the grapevine I wasn't feel so good so he wanted to some see me (this was late at night) and I thought that was just so cool he came and said hi. It was hard for me to fall asleep that night but I was finally able to get some sleep.

2/5/09

When I woke up this day, it was like someone flipped a switch and was like "ok you're aloud to feel better again". I felt good, I got up and walked, I asked (and begged) to take a shower and they finally let me when they seen I was able to walk with no problem. That felt so incredibly good, taking a shower haha, I'd never wanted one so bad in my life! They kept asking if I wanted any pain medications and I refused them all (because I really felt better). I ate breakfast (more jello) and lunch (jello and chicken broth) and sipped water which was still kind of hard. They kept me attached to the IV because I wasn't drinking much. They also don't let you leave until you pass gas so they kept asking me the whole time (which I hadn't done) so I thought I was still going to end up staying another night. My surgeon came in to check on me and said I was doing really good and asked me if I wanted to go home that day and I said yes! I felt ready. It took a couple more hours to get all the paperwork and everything ready for me to go home, he gave me some instructions before he left that the nurse wrote up. She also brought in pain meds and said I probably WILL want to take them now because they have to remove the drain tubes (I had one in each side of my stomach) and that hurts sometimes....
 
Yea that was the most PAINFUL experience out of everything. I thought they were little tubes but no, they're wrapped all over inside your stomach and it was at least 2 feet worth of tubing on each of them that they pulled out. It was crazy, it made me feel like my entire stomach was having heartburn, it was burning so bad. It was so weird too, weird feeling. They looked like tapeworms at the end (flat with holes). Anyways, we left the hospital at 2:30 pm and I still was feeling pretty good even after those tubes being pulled out. The drive home was horrible though, 1 1/2 hour drive and I normally get car sick anyways, but with that added on top of the surgery I felt like I wasn't going to make it home. I was SO miserable on the way home. I was crying and regretting leaving, and wishing I was still in the hospital.... but obviously I made it home in one piece. After a little while of being home I ate my first pureed meal which was split pea soup with flavorless protein powder mixed in to up the protein. It was good actually, I felt full before my 1/4cup was gone and stopped eating. I slept ok but it was kind of hard to go back to my flat bed after having a neato hospital bed that moves up and down at the touch of a button. It was still kind of hard sleeping on my back.

2/6/09

I had the WEIRDEST DREAMS last night. I had so many. One was all about trying to find dried spinach (?) at a grocery store because something I wanted to eat had that as an ingredient. I found dried seaweed, I found plastic spinach decorations (no idea on that one) and I finally found the dried spinach isle in the grocery store but there was too many to chose from. Some were purple and sparkly, others were neon green and sequence. It was a weird weird dream.

Then I dreamed I ate McDonald's and I felt so guilty I ruined my surgery. I woke up honestly thinking I ate McDonald's. I was so upset, I started crying and thinking why did I get this surgery, I'm so stupid, I don't want it anymore.

After I fell back asleep from that one I dreamed I was back at work and all of my co-workers were offering me chocolate and I was having to run an obstacle coarse to avoid all the chocolate. Like a mouse trap game.

When I finally woke up for real, I was sweaty and extremely hot. I think I was feverish a little again. I felt super nauseous too so I had to drag myself out of bed and go down stairs to take my anti-nausea meds. I tried cooking myself a tiny omelet with egg beaters but I got so frustrated and sick feeling I just went and cried on the couch. I felt so pathetic this morning. No one talks about how much of a math wizz you have to be with this surgery! Counting ounces, measurements, trying to figure out just how many calories and protein you ate because you ate way less than the serving size. I was so frustrated. I finally did my best though and now here I am, eating a tiny cheesy pureed blob of egg beaters with a tiny bit of fat free cottage cheese on the side. Sure tastes good... and I'm not being sarcastic.

3 Comments