First off, I am done and home and have joined ya'll on the Loser's Bench!  YAY!! 

Now, that being said, I didn't have the SMOOTHEST experience ever.  (Eh. Whatever.  Who does, right?)  I went in for surgery at around 10am on July 1st, 2010.  I don't remember any of the surgery part.. no scary tubes when I woke up or anything. 

Within an hour or so of waking up, I felt pretty good.  I didn't have much pain and I wanted to get up and walk around.    I guess my only complaint immediately after waking up was dry lips.  I had lip balm and they gave me mouth swabs, so no real problem there.  They made me wait another hour to get up, but when I did I was a ROCKSTAR!!  I grabbed my IV and just started moving.  Honestly, I had to wonder if I got the right surgery... I really did feel pretty good. I didn't use the pain button too often, and when I did it was mostly because I was afraid that if I didn't I would suddenly hurt.   I didn't have horrible gas pains.  I had no real trouble getting in and out of bed. 

The following morning was good.  I felt pretty great and they started me on liquids.  I sipped my water and actually enjoyed the teaspoon full of vegetable broth I ate.  I didn't feel up to Jello, but only because I wasn't actually hungry and it looked a little too much like real food to me.  I drank probably 2 ounces of the decaf tea they brought.  (YUM!)  I sipped and walked, sipped and walked.  Everything was great. 

When my surgeon came in to see me, cleared me to remove the compression cuffs from my legs (because I was walking pretty much all the time) and said that I was doing so well that if I felt up to moving to stage 2 diet, I could go home that day.  (Kaiser SoSF has you on stage 2 when you leave the hospital).  I had no real desire to go home and I certainly didn't want to push my pouch, but if felt good to know that I was doing well.   That's when everything took a turn for the worst.   The nurses switched shifts and I got The Nurse From Hell.  [To be known from here on out as TNFH].   She had me put the compression cuffs back on (ok, annoying, but not a big deal) and decided that I was doing so well with my liquids that I could be removed from my IV.  She said that doctor's orders were to remove me from my IV when I was comfortable with liquids.  I was just excited to change out of my hospital gown.    Shortly after she took away my IV, (surprise, surprise!) I started feeling weak, sick and in pain.  For the remainder of her shift, I just kept getting more and more weak and tired.  With no IV, I had no pain button... and I was only cleared for pain meds once every 6 hours.  (Loritab?) .  It was alright for the first 3 hours or so, but after that I was just miserable. 

When the next nurse came on, she was pissed!  She put me right back on my IV and the doctor made a special trip in and gave me back a pain button (not morphine this time.. something else).  After that, I was terrified of what would happen when they took the IV off!   I was scheduled to leave at 8am on Saturday, July 3rd, but I actually didn't leave until 6 or 7 hours later than that and only because it was inconvenient for anyone to come get me after that.  (July 4th is a big deal in my family and it's also my Mother's birthday).  I left still feeling weak and tired and sore.  I can't complain too much, though... I did just have major surgery and I SHOULD be a bit weak, tired and sore. 

The ride home was long and hot, but bearable with my pillow on my tummy.  I was really worried about the whole seatbelt thing, but it was alright. 

I am about to make some ss/ff pudding with protein powder.  My first "real" meal.  I'll post again as soon as I feel up to it.  =]