Okay post-post op notes

Nov 13, 2009

So today is Saturday...as you will note, I've missed a few days of writing in between my surgery date and today, mainly because I got what 1 in 1000 people get with my surgery...should have bought a lottery ticket but wasn't feeling up to it.  Guessed it yet?! It's a leak! How exciting!

Here I was thinking my head, you bastards from the forum can't find enough adjectives to describe really bad gas and let me believe it was way easier than it was, then suddenly I hear through the grapevine that I'm going back into the OR...after two days of feeling like I'm dying a slow and painful death of course, thinking - could my appendix be bursting? Is this just gas? Get it out getitioutgetitoutgetitout!  One minute you're eating a blue freezing and drinky murky looking purple water, the next minute you're in hysterics because you have to go through the whole procedure again and dreading the thought of the post-op pain that I had just lived through.  The staff was really good, everyone assured me that my situation was rare (reaaaal comforting) and easy to fix (not if I had to go through hell again!) but waking up in the OR, all I can rembember thinking is, what have I done to myself, why couldn't I just take self-esteem classes and love fat me instead of killing myself in Mexico and that I really wished my husband and my friend Mel was here helping me through this.  Luckily enough, I could text Mel through the whole ordeal and she'd attack things from her end, so that was nice to know someone was fighting for me and helping me through.  All of this when I couldn't get passed the chattering of my teeth to ask if they fixed it.

When I could speak, they moved me slowly to my room and told me that the surgery was successfu;, they had to take my stomach and wash it, drain all the liquids that had gathered in my lower back and check for other leaks, then fix them.  All in all, 30 minutes to make it so I could walk again without feeling like I was being stabbed inthe back was worth it.  The downside to all of this? Starting from square one all over again.  THe doctor didn't get my into surgery until Thursday, so I was back to walking out the gas (which is NOTH|ING compared to what I went through so no big deal there), showering with my IV, maneuvering on and off the hospital beds and still trying to figure out where to drop myself so I landed on the toilet seat and not on the floor. 

All of Friday was the same, sleeping, multiple needles, popping up to pee and then suddenly I started getting nauseus (sp).   All of the guys who work for the hospital are very helpful patient coordinators, drivers, very friendly guys who take their job (us) seriously.  THey love to chat and hang out and have fun but some of them wear a bit too much cologne and it definitely doesn't help the healing process. The fabric softner, cleaning products and even the toilet paper I think are scented.  I started getting insanely nauseus friday night, so now I'm dealing with that, day 1 of mother nature's visit, and at 4am one of the other patients down the hall deicdes that this would be the best time to blast their Tv.  I've topped out on my nausea meds and am not sure what the day has in store fo rme now - I'm supposed to be doing that purple water test and my xrays (how exciting if I can't keep both liquids down) but the nurse just handed me a blue freezie and I'm starting to feel a little superstituious - I know that dry ache in my mouth has not been helped by sucking on ice chips and spitting out the water but...I've been up puking all night and I'm worried this blue freezie is a sign that I'm not ready to go home yet.  Crazy?! You would be too if you were stuck here with me by yourself. 

Advice for anyone interested in taking it - come down with someone, no matter who, bring your own suppositories, you can't take anything orally but man I think I wouldn't have half this nausea problem if I could poop - haven't seen any action down there since Monday....oh and bring more pjs than you think you need (buttton up tops are best) and beware of blue freezies...juuuuuuuuuuust in case.

I'm going to go flush this one and get myself ready for the morning.  Both tests at 8, airport by 12, flight out at 2:30 and I arrive at home around midnight.  I just hope I can pass the tests and survive the day, then I'm debating what flavour of gatorade I remember as being the best...I hate to say it, but I think purple is coming to mind...

Anyway, that's a quick update from my insane world - hope I will have nothing but good news for you as my day progresses today.  TO all of you that thought I was just being a big baby/wussbag through the gas part of recovery - I took one for the team so you didn't have to...I guess someone has to be that 1 in 1000 hey? I'm just refusing to play the odds again...no more bets for this girl!.

Lighter dayz (hopefully?!) ahead,

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