Tuesday, October 13, 2009

On the mend.

Today is post-surgery Day 6. I feel pretty good. Here's a quick recap of the last few days, some have been better than others.

Day of (Thursday): We arrived at the hospital and I was still reeling from the magnesium citrate. That is some nasty stuff. I assumed that things would be moving so quickly that I wouldn't have time to get anxious. Someone had suggested that I see if I can't take something to calm me down once I arrive. I checked in and asked a nurse if something was available to calm my nerves. Nothing. Ben disappeared to go get some food and I was entertained by a philosopher. Seriously, he was a professional, genius philosopher that kept me busy thinking about hyperbolic geometry and how it relates to knitting. At some point, I want to read this book - Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes. Ben came back, my Mom showed up and then we waited. Waited and waited. Finally, around 3pmish I went back to pre-op and had a hard time with the IV. I did it, though, and it ended up being ok. One thing I was not expecting was the shot of heparin in my stomach; that hurt more than the IV. The rest was sort of a blur. Lots of nurses giving me lots of attention. My surgeon and her NP showing up to make me laugh and the anesthesiologist who was mild and kind.
I woke up in a post-op waiting area and it was the longest hour of my life before I could be transferred to my room to see my family and have some water. I was pretty out of it, but aware. When they rolled me up to my room, I remember waiving to the nurse's station like I was on a parade float. I was in pretty good spirits. A male nurse came in and helped me get settled. He was great, unfortunately, he left an hour after I arrived. That night was not much fun and I mostly attribute that to the nurse whose care I was left in. I was uncomfortable and unhappy. My Mom stayed with me until about 3 in the morning and I was glad she was there because Nurse Ratchet was just too much.
Day 1, Post-Op(Friday): Nurse Nasty left about 7:30am and I was relieved when I got a new nurse. I didn't take the final shot of heparin, which I remained paranoid about for a couple of days. I thought Nurse Nasty had put a vex on me and that I was going to get a blood clot because I refused to take the final shot. My new nurse ordered me some clear liquids and made sure I had everything I needed, the aides were also awesome. RV came to visit and brought me some lovely flowers and a fitness magazine. We went for one of my many walks; I walked a lot... as much as possible. It was very hard to get up and down, but the walking wasn't too bad. My MIL & SIL showed up while RV was visiting. He headed out and I visited with them for a bit. The surgeon and the NP also showed up (at separate times) to check on me. The NP thought my incisions looked good and she thought I was so funny after anesthesia. She said that right before I fell asleep I said "this is going to be a 5-star experience". I was discharged about 12pm.
DH stopped at Chompie's... seriously... on the way home. I prepared for more days of herbal tea, chicken broth and jello. The car ride home was uncomfortable. When I got home, I was pretty cranky. I slept a lot and it was very hard to get in and out of bed. I mostly sat on the love seat at home.
Day 2, Post Op (Saturday): I don't remember much about this day. I had soreness in my calves and was worried (no convinced now) that Nurse Bitch was also a witch who had special magical blood clot powers. I was mostly uncomfortable and took a lot of lortab, pain medication. I was supposed to shower, but Ben convinced me to wait until the next day since I was so sore. I walked a lot, despite being sore. I didn't sleep in my bed, stayed on the love seat.
Day 3, Post Op (Sunday): By 5am, my ankles were pretty swollen and I called my mom to come and give me her opinion as to whether or not I had blood clots. Mom got their a couple of hours later and she said that so much sitting up was probably not the best. She suggested putting my legs up and, sure enough, she was right. So my attempt to avoid the blood clots, actually caused me more discomfort. She convinced me that I was ok and suggested that I shower. Ben helped me shower and it didn't go to badly. I finally started feeling more normal by the end of Sunday. I still couldn't really sleep in bed for very long, too hard to get up and down. Still walking.
Day 4, Post Op (Monday): By now, I was hungry and done with the clear liquids. I considered, carefully, what I was going to eat for my first meal. I reviewed the info provided and came up with some ideas. DH took me to the grocery store after my breakfast of herbal tea.
I was so excited about my first meal, but also very aware that it could lead to throwing up. Here is what I had: sliced turkey from the deli with laughing cow lite cheese spread, canned french green beans (for the softness) and watermelon. I put it all on a small plate and used some baby utensils that DH had bought the night before. Set a timer (for 20 minutes) and couldn't believe that I only ate half of what was on my plate. I was careful to eat small bites and chew a lot. I was full, but not "full"... more like very satisfied. No throwing up - woohoo! Dinner included more turkey/laughing cow rollups, mashed cauliflower (South Beach Mashed Potatoes) and watermelon. It was going very well and I felt much better.
Day 5, Post Op (Tuesday): Yesterday, I craved a lot of foods that I wouldn't normally even eat - like fried chicken. I think I've eaten fried chicken a total of 8 times in my life... maybe. Instead, I walked a lot and ate the following. Breakfast: eggbeaters, cottage cheese, morning star sausage and watermelon; Lunch: refried beans, enchilada sauce, reduced fat cheese, green beans and watermelon; Dinner: turkey meatballs (with parmesean instead of bread crumbs), mashed cauliflower and watermelon. I know it sounds like a lot of food, but I'm not eating more than a 1/2-1 cup of food. Very, very small portions. I'm also making sure I drink 64 oz. of water daily and sometimes I feel like it is too much too fast. I'm burping a lot when I eat and from what I hear that's normal for some people. I'm not embarrassed of it, but for some people it is really embarrassing.
I also went to the Dr.'s office today. My incisions look good; the NP told me I had great skin and that some of my incisions look like cosmetic surgery incisions, I guess that's a compliment. I've already lost 6 pounds since last week. Pretty remarkable, since post surgery (filled with liquid and air) I was 12 pounds heavier a few days prior.

Today (Day 6):
I slept pretty well in bed and had an easier time getting in and out. Last night was the first time I was able to get in and out on my own. I'm about to get up and start walking. Then, it's shower time and breakfast. I'm knitting more, but haven't really been as interested in it. Not sure why.

LOL! A commercial for xenedrine just came on and it made me think back to when I've tried that and other drugs in the past. No more Xenedrine ever... ;)

1 comment:

minisugar said...

I'm glad you are feeling much better. And that you are in good spirits. We all miss you at knitting. :) I'm getting nervous about my oral surgery tomorrow, but if you can make it, I can make it. :)