Diva70
2-24 Surgery and Post-Op
Feb 25, 2011
This is a repost from my VGS discussion post:Hey all, I am home and trying to rest (the key word - trying) I think I sleep in spurts now.Anyway, I arrived at the hospital at 5 a.m.on February 24. I was taken to a room and weighed. Then they took me to another room for prep. During this time, the nurse started my IV and gave me some instructions on how to administer the heprin and had me administer my first dose. I will not lie, that first one was painful and scarry, but they do get better! I also signed power of attorney papers (a little nerve wracking!!!!) and talked to my friend that was there with me. I met with the 2 antheseologists, the two surgical nurses, and my doctor. At around 7, they wheeled me to surgery and told my friend where the surgical waiting room was at.
I was taken into surgery, where they transferred me onto the operating table. I was strapped to the table with both arms out and they put the oxygen on. Af first, I panicked because the mask was putting pressure back into my lungs and I was resisting, but the only thing I remember was taking two breaths and then being told that it was time to wake up, so OBVIOUSLY, they did their job well (LOL).
When I first woke up, I just remember that I was in pain and I kept telling the nurse that my stomach was burning and she kept reassuring me that they would get me some pain medicine soon and was rubbing my shoulder. I don't remember much after that, but I do remember them giving me some pain medication in my IV and asking if that gave me relief. They kept doing this until I was completely pain free...giving me medicine in small increments until they hit the magic combination. This was probably more mental than actual. I am really not sure. I know that I kept waking up and asking for more medicine and they quote unquote were giving me more . They finally told me that they could only give me one more dose and for some reason that last one seemed to do the trick. I was out of pain and sleeping well.
I don't remember the recovery room, or them taking the tube out, but I do remember waking up in my semi-private room. I have two things to say about that. It is very hard to be patient with a complaining roomate when you have come through this type of surgery, but remember that they may be going through something far worse than an elective surgery. I felt really bad about being annoyed by my roommate when I found out that her condition was terminal. The second thing is to be nice to your nurses and nurse aids. They are there to help and believe me, I was CONSTANTLY saying thank you and please. They treated me so well and were so willing to help me because eventhough I was in pain, I knew that they were doing the best they could. At times it was hard because I wanted my needs met, but they are very busy and often have A LOT of patients. Being nice encouraged them to check on me more, spend time with me when they got to me and just hold general conversation with me while I was there. I can honestly say that I didn't have one bad nurse or nurse aid the whole time that I was there and I can honestly relate that to just being kind and considerate at all times. Not an easy thing to do when you are not feeling well!
After I woke up, around noon, they took me down for my leak test. This was very hard. Your stomach is new and raw. I asked for medicine for nausea before I went for the test and I am so thankful that I did. The medicine that they make you drink at first is very sweet and nasty (smile). The second liquid was the barium and of course very chalky. Both were hard to get down...not because it is hard to swallow, but because you feel everything going into your stomach. That is not a good feeling...and it still isn't (and I am 2 days out!).This x-ray is performed standing up which is difficult because you still feel weak and tired. At first nothing was draining into my dueodenum (the first part of your small intestine) and that really scared me. The helped me onto the table and helped me roll onto my side one way and then the other to see if they could encourage it to go through. It finally did and i breathed a sigh of relief. I was sent back to my room and i slept most of the day until my friend came to visit.
My first day was spent taking pain medicine and just trying to get out of the bed to go to the bathroom. That is a challenge, but try to push yourself...it will pay off in the end. I used the support bar above my head and wore my support band (i am still wearing it) and that seemed to help. The day after surgery, it was liquids day. In order for me to go home, I had to drink a certain amount. This was hard and I barely made it. I finally gave up on the protein and just went straight for the water, broth and suger-free popsicles (which seem sooo sweet after surgery). My surgeon finally told me that if I wanted to go home that I would have to do 10 more cups by a certain time. It was just the challenge i needed. I made it and was able to get home. I live with my son, but didn't want him to see me right after surgery so I was home alone the first night. Uneventful, but it was very hard to get anything down.
Two pieces of advice. Make sure that your room is set up before you leave and when you get home, have all of your things organized so that they are easy to reach and obtain. Getting out of your bed at home is much more difficult then getting out of the hospital bed which raises up.
The second thing is not to put your health shakes in the blender. Just use the ball to mix them. When you put them in the blender, a lot of air gets into it and it is very difficult to get down.
So, I wish everyone that is on their way good luck. Sorry for the long post. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I wouldn't trade nothing for my journey (smile)!
