3 days Post-op

Nov 23, 2011

I did it!
Surgery was a success and I am officially on the other side - time to make it work for me! My surgeon's words of wisdom the day after surgery: "I kept up my part of the bargain, now it's time for you to keep yours!"
Quick (ok as I scan through this again..not so quick) recap:

Day of surgery:
I was feeling pretty calm. I didn't get really nervous until they rolled me out of my room, made me say goodbye to my friend, and took me down to the holding area pre surgery. I felt very alone and started to cry! It's scary! And it got scarier. For some reason I thought they would have me asleep before going into the operating room - wrong! I was wheeled in there, and asked to slide onto the operating table. Then 5 people decended on me and started wrapping things on my legs, strapping me to the table and taking off my gowns (though they kindly covered me with a sheet first). Looking around at all these peering people and machines and screens - it felt like i was in some movie -or spaceship. The only thing that calmed me down was the laugh I had at the Queen music playing in the room. 
Waking up after surgery was the worst feeling i've ever had. PAIN PAIN PAIN. I can't even describe it. My friend said I would float in and out of sleep. snore. cry. snore. cry. snore. cry. All I heard was him asking the doctor to give me more pain medicine! Then all of a sudden I was back in my room. The pain wasn't as disconcerting as the feeling of needing to pee! Apparently I didn't have a catheter and they just brought me a bedpan. That was not going to happen, no matter how hard I tried. So I waited imatiently until the nurse finally let me walk to the bathroom with her assistance. After that I felt much better. Then, the most horrifying thing happened. My roommate and her visitors started eating McDonalds! The smell of french fries right after WLS should be considered a form or torture. Then, sleep. Not a lot. but in and out.

Day 1 post op: 
Feel pretty ok! Better then expected anyway. I was able to move around the halls very slowly and sip some water - I got down about 3/4 of a small bottle. Some visitors distracted me. overall I was just very sleepy and would drift in and out. The day went by quickly.

Day 2 post op:
ouch! 
Worse then day 1. I took a shower which felt good but  wasn't easy. I drank about 2 bottles of liquid (mostly water with a cup of broth). The broth hurt my stomach. some more pain meds which made me so loopy I seem to have taken home a hospital towel. Then waited a few hours for the dietician to come and to be discharged. Another friend came to pick me up and get me home. I was so scared to get in the car and drive but it turned out to not be too painful. Drank another bottle of water, crushed up an ibupro, then bed. I slept fairly well.

Day 3 post op:
Feeling ok for most of the day. I wouldn't call it pain - just discomfort. I am scared to move too suddenly or bend down. They say things are not so delicate inside but it feels like I am goign to explode if I move! Trying to walk. determined to drink 8 cups of water. Took the antacid. Dreading the blood thinner. Watching tv and resting. PAUSE for pain....ok. pain is here unexpectedly. Felt a really sharp pain in my new stomach that took about 20 minutes to settle away. Maybe it was the antacid? My planned trip to the grocery is now cancelled but my friend is goign to pick up some veggies so we can make some home made vegetable stock to have on hand.

Surprises:
1. Trouble beathing after surgery. I can only take shallow breaths.
2. My hair has been dyed blue. WHAT?! There is about a 1/3 section of my hair that has blue ends right now. Shampooing three times didn't help so far. Uh oh...my face and tongue were also blue but that has since faded.
3. Feeling hungry - people say it is just head hunger, but i am pretty sure my body is calling for food. Thankfully I couldn't imagine actually eating - i'd be too scared of the pain!
4. They didn't send me home with pain meds, just instructions to grind up some ibupro if needed.
5. Need to do an injection of blood thinner for two weeks. Luckily my ex is a doctor and he is taking good care of me now that I am home.
6. I feel like i'm pregnant. Or at least what I am guessing being pregnant feels like.
7. Crazy dreams - mostly about food. I think I had a very long dream about eating two pounds of tortilla chips, one chip at a time.
8. Realizing that I did research about what happens before surgery and after surgery. Not much about the actual surgery! That is what made me very scared in the pre-op room. I didn't know what was goign to happen.

Here's to the next few days being better...
tali

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