Arrival time
was set at 7:30 am. We got there about a half hour early. Surgery was scheduled for 9:30 am.They got me right in.
Weighed me. Hooked me up to the leg sleeves to prevent blood clots. Gave me a
shot of heparin in my right side. Started an IV for antibiotics in my left arm
(elbow area).
I had to get
up once to use the bathroom. The nurse came in a few times to check on me. The
surgical nurse came in and just explained what was going to happen in surgery.
The PA came in to reiterate what was going to happen. The surgeon stopped in to
see if I had any questions. The anesthesiologist stopped in and gave me a dose
of sedative and wheeled me away. I remember leaving the pre-op room and the
barely waking up in recovery. The PACU nurse stated they were going to wheel me
to my inpatient room.
I don’t
really remember waking up. I wasn’t in any pain. I was sleepy though. I was
able to have ice chips which were awesome. I was thirsty most of the day. I
attempted to urinate quite a few times, but couldn’t. They said this was very
common. I had a straight catheter done on me early afternoon and they were able
to get almost 800 ml out of me. Whew! No pain with the catheter, but there
certainly was a lot of relief. I was up walking every 4 hours. The first walk I
had the gait belt on and walked with a nurse. I was stable enough on my own
that the other walks I was able to do with my boyfriend and then on own
throughout the night. I actually walked a little more than that when I could. I
slept a lot. I would get up and walk, try to use the bathroom, then usually
take a nap. By late afternoon I was up walking more than every 4 hours. My
boyfriend was with me the entire time. He even stayed overnight with me. Yes,
he is wonderful.
My parents
came later in the evening and brought my grandmother along as well. They
brought a care package for me (Gax-X strips, Special K protein drinks,
sugar-free jello, a coloring book, and some colored pencils). While they were
there I had to attempt to use the bathroom and couldn’t so they had to do
another straight catheter. This time they were able to get about 750 ml out.
The doctor ordered something to help the muscles relax to help me urinate. I
didn’t pee on my own until the following day and it was glorious. Yes,
glorious. It is the weirdest feeling to have to go and not be able to.
They left
and I fell asleep. My boyfriend left to get some dinner but came back around 10
to stay the night with me. I don’t remember what time it was but it was early
morning that I was woken up to have labs drawn. Since it was close to the time
for me to be up walking, I went for a walk. I walked 3 laps and when I got back
I felt a little hungry. I asked for a little bit of the protein drink. I drank
one of the medicine cups full (one ounce) over about 45 minutes and then
crashed out for the night. They made a full portion so I had them put the rest
in the fridge. I had more of the protein drinks the following day. I had a
total of 6 ounces of protein shake before I was discharged. I alternated sips
between the protein shake and water. This seemed to help. I got really antsy
about an hour and a half before I was discharged. I was originally told by the
PA that the surgeon would be coming in to talk to me before discharge. The
nurse said they usually just call and check and then sign discharge papers. I
didn’t talk to the surgeon. I was discharged somewhere between 2 and 3 in the
afternoon on Friday. We dropped my prescriptions off and headed home. I slept a
lot.
I was on
Dilaudid for pain, Valium for spasms, and the Gas-X to help with the gas
buildup (they pump your abdomen full of gas to make room for them to work).
I had two
other prescriptions for nausea, but I never used them. I did have a little bit
of nausea in the hospital but that was only when I laid down too flat.
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