My Sleeve Experience

Mar 17, 2012

Well, I'm home from the hospital. What a crazy couple of days.

Right after I left home yesterday a nurse from the hospital called me to see if I could arrive any earlier then my scheduled time because the surgeon was running ahead of schedule. That was awesome because as soon as I got there they quickly got me ready for the OR and away we went. It happened so fast, I didn't have time to get too nervous. I remember only a flash of going into the OR and moving over to the table, then nothing until the recovery room. In the recovery room I remember hearing the nurse next to my bed giving report to my nurse on the floor over the phone. I must have been awake and talking because she kept telling the other nurse that I was very very nice. I wonder what I was saying to make her stress that so much? The next thing I remember was two young men pushing my bed to my room on the floor. I kept my eyes closed most of the time, but when I would open them they were both smiling. I really wish I could remember what I was saying, I was really pretty out of it.

When I did really wake up, I felt awful. The nausea was unbelievable! There wasn't much actual pain, just soreness. In the recovery room I was getting morphine though my IV, I also have an On Q pain pump, it is a ball of lidocaine that has small catheters going to my incisions so those areas are numb. There is only enough lidocaine in it to last until tomorrow so we'll see if I'm feeling so hot then. The nurse gave me some meds for the nausea that didn't even touch it and I know I got crabby with her because when I asked her if there was anything else that could be done she said that there was but she would have to call the doctor for that. I said get on it, call him up, I don't care of he's back in the OR, call the circulating nurse and ask her to ask him but do it now! I felt kind of bad about that but I had never been so miserable in my life as I was from that nausea! She called him and got orders for another med and to give me the original med more frequently until it resolved, which took about 7 hours from the time the surgery was over. When it was gone it was like someone flipped a switch and I was in much better shape. I was able to go to the restroom and walk the halls no problem. I sipped some water and some chicken broth, they both stayed down and felt fine. In the evening I went from getting the morphine to lortab (liquid vicodin) I felt a lot better after that because I didn't have to fight the medicine to think clearly. The night passed uneventfully and this morning the surgeon came in and gave me some vitamins through the IV and let me go home after that. I was feeling well enough to stop at the grocery store on the way home to get my prescription filled and while I was waiting I walked the aisles. I do think the walking helps you feel a lot better. I weighed myself when I got home to see if all of the IV fluids made a difference and I gained 10 pounds in 1 day! I know it's water and it will be gone soon but for it to be that much was a surprise.

I am still taking the painkillers and it's pretty late so please forgive me for rambling. I read so many others accounts of their surgical experiences with great interest as a pre-op so I hope this helps someone out there.

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