Loretta W.
11 Days post OP! Had my DS on Nov 4th, 2009 8:30 AM
Nov 15, 2009
In Hermosillo, Mexico in the state of Sonora by Dr. Gilberto Ungson.Wow! I am still in shock that I have had my DS :)
First I am not trying to scare anyone but for ME it was just way way more than I expected. It was excruciatingly painful to move afterward.
I was on a round the clock morphine drip but it wasn't enough for me.
I would ask for *extra* and they would bring in an extra little IV bottle and give it to me but let me tell you the first few days were hell for me.
I was also nauseaus from the morphine. I was started on clear liquids at some point and for two days really didn't consume my clear liquids. The jello was gross. I was never given broth on my plate. for my pre op liquid fast. the broth was the one thing that tasted okay to me, not great but I could do it, you know? They brought the same camomille tea every tray. I could sip a Little but it wasn't that appetizing to me. There was apple juice which I just left on the tray. So basically other than a wee bit of camomille tea that is what I was taking in the hospital other than the IV fluids.
Still I was up the first day walking. Walking daily and taking showers daily and really pushing myself to move.
Then I got sick that one night and spent over 24 hours straight of being sick nauseaus. I was taken off All medications basically, all the pain medication . I was given Maalox.. Meloxx as it is called in Mexico and that's about it along with my heparin. I had my surgery on Wednesday morning and they were going to discharge me to my motel on Saturday a day earlier .. that is until I got sick with the nausea.
The doctor was stumped "Why?" he asked are you having nausea because other than the nausea I was having at first from the morphine .. it had stopped and I had been gettting better then boom.
After all meds were stopped the nausea went away :)
So I was discharged on Sunday.
Lourdes the private nurse who takes care of Dr. Ungson's patients said that maybe 1 in 3 have the complication of the nausea.
That in about 350 surgeries there has been 1 incision infection (I think that is what she said, it might have been two) and No blood clots..
This is what Lourdes said in the patients she has cared for from Dr. Ungson. She was quite proud of the statistics.
I do know that Lourdes and the regular nursing staff at Cima hospital really urge you to get up and get moving that first day even.
I was in surgery 3 hours without complication. Dr, Ungson said the surgery went perfectly.
They told my mom I would be out of recovery in an hour or two.
Well I must have taken awhile to come out of anesthesia because I was in recovery ALL day and into the evening.
I wasn't brought to my room until around 6 PM.
Even then I have Zero and I mean NO memory of any part of the recovery period, the entire recovery day.
I don't even remember being transfered into my room or my bed upstairs.
The first real memory I have is of being helped out of the bed to go potty and I was asked can I walk a little bit (as in just around the foot of the bed in my room)
I said yes.
Then I said that I could walk "Out there"
and I walked out to the nursing station around the corner and back. Not a full lap that I would be doing later.
I never did the bedpan thing.
I was hooked to the compression garments to the machine hooked on the end of the bed.
The IV pole .. and two drains from the abdomen. One on each side.
So all that would have to be unplugged for me to go potty.
Plus it hurt like a MOTHER UCKER!!
sorry, but it did!
The pain felt so deep and raw, omgawwwd. To move or turn in bed. The pain was for like 3 days.
I would shake, and tremble when in pain. My teeth would chatter.
It was really something.
I couldn't wipe my own butt. For pee I could but for diarrhea I couldn't. It wasn't until about the 3rd morning that I began passing gas.
I think it is earlier for some not sure. But for me it was the 3rd morning.
I also had about 3 days of terrible colicky gas pains.
I had my leak test on day 2 .. I believe or the day after the surgery. It could have been day 3
It was when I was very nauseaus.
I had to stand up on the platform of the radiation machine. I had a cup with a straw in it of the barium. It is extremely bitter. very nasty tasting.
I really wanted to make sure that they got very good pictures.
Problem was I was sooo nauseaus I was actually vomiting.
So first they had me standing straight up .. they would say "Drink, drink, drink , drink .Stop!"
They were putting the emesis basin up to my mouth for me to puke in!!!!
Then the machine leaned back .. with me trying to keep myself on it (being in pain, and weak)
the drink in my left hand.
"Drink, drink, drink, Stop!"
Uggh.
I then sat in a little chair while they looked at the films. I asked if I had a leak?
The lady said "Yes!"
I started to freak out! "I have a leak?!" Then she said "no no no" It was a language barrier issue.
Later that day Dr. Ungson came and said that not only was the leak test negative .. it was Beautiful!
Yay :)
I asked about my measurements. My CC common channel is 95 cm and alimentary limb 285 cm
He informed me he was not able to remove my Appendix because mine was Retro Celiac, tucked in back and that it would necessitate additonal surgery and risk and so it was not taken out.
Dr. Ungson does not routinely remove the appendix, of course the gallbladder always comes out. However he said if a patients asks for it out he removes it.
He told me he would have removed my appendix if he could have gotten to it without additional surgery.
So I have my appendix.
Dr. Ungson is the best! He visited me twice everyday!
Lourdes came and helped me everyday in the hospital and came to the motel everyday to give me my Heparin shot and check my incision.
Except the last day when I told Luz that I would just give my own injection of Heparin that evening since we were leaving for the airport in the morning anyways and I was doing so well by then.
The day before we left my mom and I went to the Casino, about a mile from the Hotel Colonial we were staying out and played slots for about an hour and a half.
We stayed on the same machines. I would stand up and shake my legs about frequently.
My mom won $100 U.S. dollars lol. I lost about 50 bucks, U.S. money but hey I played nonstop for at least an hour and a half.
Then we walked through the very small mall. I bought two handbags.. one is suede with nailhead accents and a long fringe.
I just love it! Love the smell of it too.
I also bought some work boots that I had been wanting for a long time to work in the yard. (I live on 9 acres)
I got some lightweight, flexible boots .. soft nubuck leather by CAT (caterpillar company) I LOVE them, so comfie and padded insoles.
I had to have help trying them on in the store.
Couldn't .. reach over to put on boots and lace them.
We needed a translator to make the purchase. A young man from the bakery shop across from the shoe shop came over and translated for us.. then led my mom off to His store "Want some Cookies LOL"
My mom came back with a cupcake with caramel filling and a white frosting with coconut on top LOL.
We had lunch at a very good mexican restaurant in the mall.
I had a cheese enchilada. opened it up and had a few bites of the cheese inside only .. dipped in a little guacamole.
My mom really enjoyed her plate whatever it was!
Then we waited outside the mall at some table and chairs for a taxi.
It was a big day for me!
That was on Wednesday.
Our flight home was for Saturday but I paid $340 (US dollars) to get both of our tickets changed to leave home early on Thursday.
I was dying to get out of there and get home.
I missed my husband, my little boy Ben.. even my dogs and all the comforts of home.
So we flew home Thursday around noon, and hour and a half flight (NONSTOP)
from hermosill (HMO) to los angeles (LAX)
The motel was clean. The room had a few problems. The shower curtain billowed around and no matter what you did water got on bathroom floor. there is a drain on the bathroom floor but it was clogged. maintenance had to come unclog it as the bathroom was flooded.
the drain in the tub also wouldn't drain. taking a shower the water was like 5 inches deep. The cleared that one too and after that it did drain better.
However.. water did get on the floor several times and even if you scooted the water over to the drain it didn't go down well and you have to mop it up with towels.
You were only given 2 large bath towels and no hand towels, wash cloths or anything extra. We had to ask.
If we asked for a hand towel they would hand us One LOL. But quickly they knew we wanted LOTs of extra handtowels and washcloths. I tipped the housekeeper well everyday and pretty soon they were folding the little towels into pretty shapes for us LOL.
You got one large bottle of drinking water free daily in the room.
additional bottles were available for about $1 US dollars. We didn't need any extra water and in fact couldn't use all the water we did have because after surgery I could only sip small amounts plus we had purchased gatorade and other juices.
We ended up giving all our extra unopened water and groceries to Lourdes and Luz before we left.
My mom thought she would have more meals in the room but didn't so there was luncheon meat, cheese, veggies and a bunch of stuff lol.
Some kinds of milk in a carton (soy maybe) those were unopened. I wasn't going to even taste them!@
Everyday you go to the front reception desk of the hotel and sign for 2 restaurant vouchers for breakfast.
The breakfast is served in their onsite restaurant. There is usually scrambled eggs (sometimes with veggies in it) Once there was bacon.
chile rilleno sometimes. spicy potatoes. Cream Frijoles. fruit (mango) small Sweet rolls. Some spicy sauces with meats in them.
Juices. Like a pineapple mixed with mango? They had three .. one yellow, one orange, and one red.
I always had the one that had grapefruit mixed with something in it .. it was orange colored and was very good.
With the "voucher" before and after your surgery when you are on clear liquids the restaurant will give you Jello and make you a Jello basket. Some of the Jello you can take back to your room to have when you want it.
The first day I had a jello that they had out on the breakfast buffet. To me.. it was gross. I just couldn't do it!
The jello and many other products do not taste the same as in the U.S.
I probably could have stomached the JELLO brand jello cup that we have at home but I did not ask for or try any of their jello again.
Now the restaurant staff was Very nice and accomodating. Before and after my surgery they made me up Caldo De Pollo .. homemade chicken broth and it was Yummy.
Twice they brought it with huge chuncks of real chicken in it but I just sipped the broth!
On the last two days of my stay I tried a few bites of stuff from the buffet and did fine with it.
I mean a few Bites before I felt the twinge. I chewed very good till pureed.
My week 2-5 diet says any puree meats and stuff so technically I was on week 2.
I had a few bites of scrambled eggs.
they tasted soooooooo good to me.
a bite of frijoles..again so good. I think a bite of watermelon. Just bites here and there over the last 2 days and I had an Activia yogurt shake (Banana/Strawberry) that I didn't love.. but hey it wasn't so bad.
I had Zero complications except for the nausea that came near the end of my hospital stay when I was expected to go home. Kept me there an extra day. Also I would say (definitely say) I had a Very rough time of it pain wise.
But no seromas, no fever, no leaks.
Oh my blood sugar was 289 in the hospital. ooops. my pre op labs showed a high fasting blood sugar sooo I think I was developing (I think I have) type II diabetes.
So my DS is just in time!
I am 11 days post op today.
I have diarrhea everyday. Usually just in the morning. About 4 to 5 trips to the toilet. However yesterday I had it Bad last night before bed and then again this morning.
My stomach is still sore but I am up and about doing light chores like dishes, folding clothes. I don't lift or pull anything
Bending over is hard. I avoid it.
By day my guts feel okay. But it seems by the early evening they start hurting me. I can tell because when I stand up .. my stomach hurts. I can't stand straight up.. etc. I start having gas pains and feel bloated.
This is due to gas and being full of diarrhea I believe.
Once it all comes out I feel better again.
I hope the diarrhea slows down.
I have woke with a headache two mornings. It is not too unusual as I used to have this before surgery anyways. But it has happened like two or three mornings which is frequent within an 11 day period.
I took ONE excedrine for it this morning and it went away.
Not supposed to have caffeine which is in excedrine but I have migraines and if I ignore them I will have them all day, getting worse and worse till I am ill with them.
So I took one excedrin.. I used to take two.
I am working up to my vitamin regime.
I am so new post op I am not too worried just gearing up for it
I took my Citrical (Calcium Citrate) Plus D Petites this morning. First thing with half cup of cottage cheese. Very early in morning so it would be well over an hour from any other food.
The cottage cheese I only wanted like one teaspoon but forced it down for the protein.
16 grams of protein in half cup!
So I love cottage cheese but for some reason it didn't really taste good but I ate it any way.
I made a fruit smoothie with a scoop of protein powder . I have consumed about half of it.. and am working on the rest.
I can see it is going to be hard to get the protein in. but i am so early out I don't think I will have a problem with it in the near future.
About day 5 of my surgery while still in Hermosillo.. I just felt so Relieved, and So grateful that the worst of it was behind me. That I survived it. That I had no complications.
Then I felt just so ready to leave and was getting a bit ovewhelmed that I would have to spend 3 more niights in the motel room. It was so uncomfortable to sleep there. Very hard to get out of the recliner. Impossible to lay in the bed.
Soon as I found out I could switch my return flights and got clearance from Dr. Ungson for an early return. I was EUPHORIC.
I was like a new person.
I am going home Soon. I am on the mend. All of this is over. Praise God. Thank You jesus.
I also felt a sort of shock and disbelief.
I couldn't believe it was done, that I had gone through with it.
That it had actually occured.
Now.. 11 days out I feel happy with what I have done!
At 3 days out I definitely did have regrets. OMG!! What have I done.. oh what have I done to myself? Am I going to be okay?
I have no regrets now and am just looking forward to Moving forward.
I had lost 6 pounds on the 5 day liquid fast Pre Op diet.
When I got home.. I weighed myself naked in the morning, on an empty intestines and found I had Gained .. gained all the weight I had lost on the pre op diet PLUS some.. I had expected it from reading about it on the OH boards but still it is hard to believe or understand that you haven't eating anything in so long.. only fluids and can still weigh MORE.
it is water retention.
The next day I was like 6 lbs lighter and havent weighed again.
Anyway keep on movin on.. :)
Hope this detailed account may help someone in the future
xoxoox Loretta
