Michelle S.
Day 6
May 09, 2008
I'm telling you guys, I'm not normally this grumpy or complainy, but seriously, this is getting old lol. I almost passed out walking up the stairs going to my final today. And I've been doing everything they told me to do out of the hospital. So I email Jess, my dietician, and asked for her help. So she told me to take my B12, and go get some protein shakes. So I did, it almost wasn't very fun, but I went to walmart and got a bunch of Atkins Advantage shakes and Low Carb Slim Fast, and a whole crap load of jello because I just wanted some jello lol. I wasn't sure if food stamps would cover the protein shakes since they were in the pharmacy, but they did, so if I hadn't had to buy lightbulbs since my bathroom light went kaput, I wouldn't have had to pay anything for 6 packs of shakes and about a mile of jello. So now I'm waiting for them all to chill in the fridge, and hopefully I will be happier and a little more cheerful tomorrow. And just so everyone knows.....GET READY.....
My finals are over!!!!!!!! So I get to relax all weekend long, and then it's back into the classroom all next week, then I finally get to have my recuperation days lol, two weeks after the surgery is over. Jess wasn't too happy to hear that either lol, but oh well, as long as I get some recuperation time it's all good...right?
My finals are over!!!!!!!! So I get to relax all weekend long, and then it's back into the classroom all next week, then I finally get to have my recuperation days lol, two weeks after the surgery is over. Jess wasn't too happy to hear that either lol, but oh well, as long as I get some recuperation time it's all good...right?
Day 5 UUUGGGHH
May 08, 2008
Today was my bad day. I wasn't really sore, except when I moved from sitting in the same place for a while. The worst thing about today was the nausea. I don't understand what happened. I did the same things today that I did yesterday, and I was fine yesterday. It seems like my burping has gone down today, but every time I do burp, I feel like I'm going to hurl at the same time.... Sorry, a little too much info, but I was told to give the gritty details. I've also had a headache all day long, and I'm not sure if it's from drinking sugar free drinks all day long and not drinking any straight water, or something else entirely. Either way it's not fun. And I miss chewing. I was told that I can't have even gum for the first two weeks, and I'm having a hard time with that.
Day 2 (3) Afternoon and Evening
May 07, 2008
OK, I think I messed up when I started counting my days, so I'm skipping a number and saying that today is day 3. Now that that is cleared up...
I'm so sick of burping!!!!! I guess I never realized how much air I actually swallow, but it seems like every time I swallow I burp and every time I burp I swallow, it's a vicious cycle. I took some of the gas relief stuff they give you in the hospital, but it's measured in baby amounts. Thank God I have an RN for a mom. I haven't had much pain today, only when I sit in odd positions for extended periods of time, like when I had to sit in my desk in my Chemistry class for an hour to take the final, I thought I was going to die when I got up. But I made it through my final, and I think I did ok, even though I was heavily tylenol-ed up lol.
Here's a tip for you pre and post op people that are sick and tired of water, and I'm sure many of you have heard this but I just found out and it's amazing. Kool-aid has SF individual packets, like Crystal Light, and they are great, the grape ones even taste really good at room temperature-----always a good thing because it takes me about 3.5 hours to drink a 20 oz bottle lol. I'm going to mix one up and put it in the freezer, that way when I have my 3 hour long final tomorrow, I will have something cold to drink the entire time.
I'm trying my hardest to get all my liquids in, but I'm afraid of hurting my pouch by taking in too much at one time, and when I just sip it doesn't seem like I'm making any headway at all, so I do about 3/4 of a mouthful of liquid at a time and it seems to work pretty well until I have to burp again. There were a couple of times today that I thought I was going to throw everything back up, but it just turned out to be a really big loud burp...those are rare occurences now.
I have had a really weird feeling in my belly, right above the big incision about 1.5 inches and about .5 inches towards my belly button, it sometimes feels like it's going to sleep. It just tingles for a little while and then stops. I'm not sure if it's some nerves acting against the swelling of that incision, or what, but it's odd. I would show pictures of my scars, but they look a little horrible with all the bruising and stuff that it might turn people away from getting the surgery lol. I showed the biggest one to one of my guy friends, he's really curious about how all this stuff works, and he said it looked like someone had hit me in the stomach with a sledge hammer all the way around the incision lol. And of course I had to show him where they gave my shot of Heprin (spelling?) before the surgery, it's just this random circle bruise on the side of my stomach away from everything else.
Well, I guess that's it for tonight, I'll be blogging about tomorrow tomorrow night. Hope this helps all of you Pre-Op lovelies out there!
I'm so sick of burping!!!!! I guess I never realized how much air I actually swallow, but it seems like every time I swallow I burp and every time I burp I swallow, it's a vicious cycle. I took some of the gas relief stuff they give you in the hospital, but it's measured in baby amounts. Thank God I have an RN for a mom. I haven't had much pain today, only when I sit in odd positions for extended periods of time, like when I had to sit in my desk in my Chemistry class for an hour to take the final, I thought I was going to die when I got up. But I made it through my final, and I think I did ok, even though I was heavily tylenol-ed up lol.
Here's a tip for you pre and post op people that are sick and tired of water, and I'm sure many of you have heard this but I just found out and it's amazing. Kool-aid has SF individual packets, like Crystal Light, and they are great, the grape ones even taste really good at room temperature-----always a good thing because it takes me about 3.5 hours to drink a 20 oz bottle lol. I'm going to mix one up and put it in the freezer, that way when I have my 3 hour long final tomorrow, I will have something cold to drink the entire time.
I'm trying my hardest to get all my liquids in, but I'm afraid of hurting my pouch by taking in too much at one time, and when I just sip it doesn't seem like I'm making any headway at all, so I do about 3/4 of a mouthful of liquid at a time and it seems to work pretty well until I have to burp again. There were a couple of times today that I thought I was going to throw everything back up, but it just turned out to be a really big loud burp...those are rare occurences now.
I have had a really weird feeling in my belly, right above the big incision about 1.5 inches and about .5 inches towards my belly button, it sometimes feels like it's going to sleep. It just tingles for a little while and then stops. I'm not sure if it's some nerves acting against the swelling of that incision, or what, but it's odd. I would show pictures of my scars, but they look a little horrible with all the bruising and stuff that it might turn people away from getting the surgery lol. I showed the biggest one to one of my guy friends, he's really curious about how all this stuff works, and he said it looked like someone had hit me in the stomach with a sledge hammer all the way around the incision lol. And of course I had to show him where they gave my shot of Heprin (spelling?) before the surgery, it's just this random circle bruise on the side of my stomach away from everything else.
Well, I guess that's it for tonight, I'll be blogging about tomorrow tomorrow night. Hope this helps all of you Pre-Op lovelies out there!
Day 1 night and 2 morning
May 07, 2008
I think I may have overdone myself a little last night, the entire family was over, and we had our Mother's Day party, therefore, lots of moving around. And I'm seriously confused about my meds that they sent me home with. I have the liquid Lortab, which I know when and how to take it, but then I have antacids that I have to take 2x a day and nausea gel I have to rub on my wrists if I get nauseous. Plus getting in two of my multivitamins and all of my water. GAH! but I do have to say, chicken broth has never tasted so good in my life lol. O and my mom and I went to Walmart, probably not the best thing to do right after surgery, but I needed to get some allergy medicine that I wouldn't have to cut up to swallow, and of course, I got a whole basket full almost of Crystal Light and Suger Free Koolaid and Jello, so I should be set for about a year on nothing but liquids lol. Nothing else new has been going on, I'm just sore from all the activity and sleeping in a weird position. I'll keep you guys posted.
Surgery Night and Day 1 morning post Op
May 05, 2008
OK, I made it through the night, my IV machine was empty at about midnight, so it went off like a screaming banshee but my nurse was really cool about it. At about 4 30 she came in and took two vials of blood from me, but it didn't hurt too much. I finally got up around 7 this morning, had to pee, and sat in the recliner to drink my sips of water and the nurse came in to take my vitals, my pain has gone down quite a bit, I went walking around the hall and I'm feeling so much better. I took a gas ex thin strip at about 8 and now i'm sitting here waiting for my dietician to come see me
Surgery Day
May 05, 2008
Well I was up at 7 this morning to take a shower with the antibacterial soap and the get to the hospital on time. I got there about 8:30. I had to give a urine sample
. They sent me to my room, which is really nice, better than most hotel rooms I;ve stayed at. I was in my room with my mom for about 45 minutes, and then I was taken back to pre op. I waited there for a long time, and was finally taken back to surgery about 11 45. I don't remember anything else until about 4 this afternoon. The ice chips were wonderful, the bottled water was impossibly good, and the chicken broth tasted like heaven on earth. I;ve been bobbing in and out of sleep and drink little sips every chance I get. The only complaint I have is that my stomach is having spasms because it misses the rest of it, but the pain meds are taking care of that very nicely. I will continue to keep everyone updated and I;ll try to go into detail for the pre ops out there, that way you will have some idea about what to expect.
. They sent me to my room, which is really nice, better than most hotel rooms I;ve stayed at. I was in my room with my mom for about 45 minutes, and then I was taken back to pre op. I waited there for a long time, and was finally taken back to surgery about 11 45. I don't remember anything else until about 4 this afternoon. The ice chips were wonderful, the bottled water was impossibly good, and the chicken broth tasted like heaven on earth. I;ve been bobbing in and out of sleep and drink little sips every chance I get. The only complaint I have is that my stomach is having spasms because it misses the rest of it, but the pain meds are taking care of that very nicely. I will continue to keep everyone updated and I;ll try to go into detail for the pre ops out there, that way you will have some idea about what to expect.
