SilentlyWeeping623
The Hospital Stay
May 03, 2009
Hi Everyone!Okay, so I am doing better, and wanted to write in a bit of detail how the hospital experience went. First of all, the men and women at Tufts are GREAT!
Day 1 ~ There was only one thing I did not like about the experience. We went in, and had to be there for 6 a.m. for the first surgery (Aunt Ann's). The place was just opening up. It was hard to find parking (but thankfully not impossible). And slightly disorganized....NOTHING like I have seen some doctors offices and hospitals in my time, just a little groggy-ish. Here is the crappy part. Okay, so normally when you change into your designer johnny you go to the..er..back room, get in bed, get IV-ed and such. They had Aunt Ann get changed, sent her back out to the regular waiting room, and then had to wait til 7:30 to get blood drawn. Okay, now don't get me wrong, I have no problem changing into the johnny....but to be sent back to the regular waiting room wearing nothing but the two johnnys and slipper socks they give you? Thats embarassing. I did not like that one bit. Fortunately, I had a later surgery, and they did it the right way for me.....I got all my blood drawn, and all the stuff done, THEN they had me change and zoomed me into the back room to get IV-ed and all.
The wait sucks. I have no patience, and I am horrible at waiting. But once I got changed, the wait wasnt that long. It felt like forever and a frickin day though. I panicked. Thought, what the fuck am I doing? This is awful drastic....and I am relatively healthy now......I am going to change my entire body, for what? a couple pills? to get a breast reduction? What the hell? Of course, I was thankfully interrupted by the fellow who would be operating with Dr Shah on me, then by Dr Shah, who has some great bedside manner. Then the anesthesiologists came in and gave me happiness through an IV. I've never gotten so drunk so fast LOL. I got a little sad, cried a little, and then they wheeled me into the OR.
I scooted over to the operating table, asked a couple questions (Please save my belly button.....is that the monitor they use to see inside me.....wow there are a lot of bells and whistles here to monitor me)...I was told there would be a delay, so we waited, then I got the oxygen....and the next thing I remember I was in recovery.
Recovery was cool, save the fact that they couldn't get the pain meds into me fast enough. Not their fault....I was too polite "excuse me.....um.....excuse me..." I got louder and started weeping.....they got me happiness REALLY FAST!!! I think the lady beside me wasn't doing as well as I was, so that might have caused the delay.
They got me into a room. I saw Holly, Dad, my cousins, BOY was I stoned. They visited for a while. It was nice to chat. Then they left. My nurse was very sweet, and funny. They got me up walking that night, with the catheter and drains and all. Though my nurse was nice enough to pin the cath and drain to my Johnny, so that it wasnt all hangin and flippity floppin while I walked. She poined out the room my aunt would be in....just across the hall from me. NICE! Closeby! They ddin't want to put us in the same room because we have the same last name and similar health conditions....so they wanted to make sure that we didn't get one anothers medication. I understand that, and I thought it was great that they were kind enough to put us close together. I didn't drink any water, but I was allowed those spongepops to keep my mouth nice and wet. They also gave me a happy button, and showed me how to use it. A point of advice: NEVER lose the happy button. The nurses clipped it to my johnny so that it was always close, and they were nice enough to seperate that button from the very similar call button so that I wasn't hitting the call button thinking I was supposed to get happy juice. I wonder how many patients have done that...... ;-)
Day 2 ~ I started with shots of water. I could only drink about 1/3 of an ounce at a time. But it only took me a half hour to drink the whole ounce. I did that for 3 or 4 hours, and I think it was lunch-ish when they progressed me to stage 2, broth and jello. Okay, sorry Tufts, but your broth sucks. The Chicken broth worse than the beef. The beef, to me was okay....like French onion soup without the onions. The chicken? EEEW!!!! Jello was good.....I could only eat a couple bites of jello, plus a few spoonfuls of broth. Let me tell you though, I was sucking down water like a trooper. They took out my catheter. THANK GOD!!!! I hate the way they feel when they come out, but I was soo effin happy it was out. AND I got to shower. They disconnect your IV and double glove the IV'ed hand, so it doesnt get wet....the way they bandage the drain its okay....and they change that bandage right after the shower. Oh I was SOOOO Excited! It felt so good. I did hold the hand with the IV well away from the water, so it was hard to wash my hair and that arm....but it was nice to be clean and fresh! New sheets, new Johnny, and the guy who brought my meal tray would knock and say "Room Service"! It was almost like being in a hotel! hahaha I got to put on panties and a bra. Nothin like panties and a bra when youve been flyin free for a day or two. I did as much walking as I could.....a lot around my room...couple times around the floor....visited Aunt Ann. She came to visit me too! They started me on Dilotted....its a pill painkiller that they send you home on. Tiny thing. There was also one IV pain killer, I had twice I think that day.....I overdid it, plus you get extra achy on day 2 as well, so they gave me both. They were very attentive to making sure I was not in pain, and I could do what I needed to. (i.e. pee, walk around, eat, drink, etc)
The morning of day 3: In the AM, Dr Julian (he's cute with an Italian last name that I can't remember) came in to ask if I would liek to try a shake...and go to stage 3. He also said they'd prolly discharge me today if that went well...and that he could take out the drain. I had no problem with the shake...but the milk.....I wish they could bring it up with ice. I like my milk ICE COLD....if its not practically freezing, its too warm. That hindered my drinking it all. But I did. I had breakfast and lunch there....two vanilla shakes. Yay. The drain came out...good GOD was it long. I felt like he was pulling it out from the patient in the room next to me. It wasnt painful....just weird and uncomfortable.
I reccomend asking for a pain pill before you go home. The ride home is bumpy and causes pain.
I got home, took a couple pain pills, and a nap. Then I started in on my protein shakes and drinking like an irish fish.
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About Me
MA
Location
26.0
BMI
Surgery
04/27/2009
Surgery Date
Feb 16, 2009
Member Since
