jjldh_va
My Surgery Story
Oct 10, 2012
Day 1 – Travel Day!
I cannot believe it. I am here. I am in my hotel room in Eagle Pass TX, and will be having my surgery tomorrow. I have come so close (due to other reasons) to having to cancel and reschedule things last week that the fact that I am here has not sunk in yet.
More things had to go wrong today as well… was on the plane having boarded our 2nd leg, and then told they were having mechanical difficulties and were going to put everyone on a different plane. Got in 2 hours later, of course, but Rosy (Dr. Alvarez’s driver) waited for me after I called and let them know.
Not focused on doing the tourist thing right now… so did not really pay attention to much of the scenery. Looking out the window from the hotel and the only difference is that everything is just so brown. Not used to that coming from such a green state like VA, but other than that, it looks like any other small town. We passed through long stretches of road that reminded me of roads in Florida… very flat, with not much in between the towns. I left extra time on Friday to get to our flight, so not sure how much we are going to want to, but in case we feel like taking a look around, we have plenty of time to do that.
I am focused tonight on relaxing, and having some Won Ton soup at the Chinese place nearby… and getting ready for tomorrow. Wish me luck!!
Day 2 – Surgery Day!
Got picked up by Rosy at the hotel early in the morning. Brought over to the clinic and meet with Dr. Alvarez. (He is just as personable in real life as he is on the videos!) My surgery buddy Susie and I agreed to the order, her nerves were bugging her so she went first. I got my pre-op weight (with clothing, 280lbs), pre-op pictures, blood work, X-Ray, and IV and tried to rest a bit. Then the anesthesiologist came in, gave me a check-up and ordered a shot to relax me… and that was all she wrote! I was out. Next thing I know I am waking up and being told everything went very well. Surgery was great, Dr. A was very happy with how things turned out… my liver was in great condition.
Not feeling any pain right now… but then I am being medicated. I have gotten up and walked around a bit, but feel dizzy so not very steady on my feet yet. It’s about 9:30pm now, and wanted to read or play Sims, but still loopy and tired, not likely for long.
Hospital is interesting… they are still remodeling bit by bit, replacing old beds and furniture. They need to fix up the bathrooms… tiles are stained cause of age, but it gives the appearance of being dirty at first glance. A test with a cleaning wipe (I always have them) shows that it is very clean, just old. The nurses wash hands, use gloves, and do everything in a very proper way. Electronic equipment is all very recent, like the X-Ray and I saw the MRI machine in another room, so this gives another level of confidence.
Just a recommendation, pick up a Spanish phrase book! It really helps, and people have been very nice in helping me learn more!
Also, lesson learned – you really do not need to pack much!!
Day 3
Up for some reason at 4am… they continued to give me preventive pain and nausea meds in the night, though I have not felt any pain. Walked around a bit twice this am. I am starting to show obvious signs of swelling from the fluids and will be very happy to get the IV out and start sipping ice chips. It’s about 5:30 am now, so I am going to try to rest some more.
9:15am – Up again, IV out, now showered. Starting to feel some pain, but it’s like others have said…. As if you overdid it on sit-ups in the gym. I think someone else likened it to the day after getting punched in the stomach… not having felt that, I cannot confirm!!! HAHA. Shower was ok, just not enough water pressure or hot water, so it was kinda tepid, but I still felt more human after taking one.
Warning – the yellow betadine stains do not wash off. It will take about a week and they should wear off on their own.
Finally got internet, so I am going to post this today and will update it as I can.
