I can’t believe it has been a week since my life changed. A lot happened in the hospital stay so I will keep it simple with some of the experience.
Before the surgery, I tested positive for MRSA. When I asked what that meant, the nurse just said, “It means you get your own room to yourself..” I figured shit, well everyone should hope for some MRSA! I realized afterwards it’t not a good thing and it meant washing hands repeatedly, using special soap to scrub the body and the nurses came in with masks in the beginning. Apparently, it wasn’t the serious kind and they knocked it out with antibiotics while I was there.
The first day was rough. Apparently, I fought the intubation and as a result, I woke up with a gnarly sore throat that lasted pretty much all day and part of the next.
The nausea was intense. The first day, I had very few liquids, some water mainly and I was constantly feeling sick. I guess it was the anesthesia.
Morphine made the nausea worse. Every time I pushed the button, within minutes I was feeling sick.
I slept a LOT
The second day was better at being able to drink, but again the morphine made me sick and I threw up a couple of times. Worst pain imaginable is throwing up with half your stomach missing is intense! Finally they gave me liquid Norco, which tasted like Nyquil and from then on, I was good to go!
We ended up staying two nights because the nausea was so bad and they wanted to keep an eye out on me. Also, the indigestion was insane! We were finally home on Sunday Night.
I spent the rest of the week between home and my moms house. Every hour I am awake I drink 4-5 ounces of liquid (I set a timer ever 12-15 minutes to keep me on track) and I walk for about 20 minutes a day.
It has been a crazy week for sure, learning new routines and taking baby steps in recovery has been challenging on the one hand, but lovely on the other because I know the end result should be flipping amazing!
As I drink my dinner of Isopure on the recliner while everyone is outside with their Pizza and Margaritas, I will leave you these things I have learned over the last week since having the surgery
Car rides suck Balls
Snuggies are Amazing!
The recliner never felt so amazing as a place to sleep
Throwing up is bad enough, but throwing up with 1/3 of your stomach is a whole other level of pain
You can never fully prepare yourself mentally for the pain and discomfort, you have to bite the bullet and deal with it when it comes and think of the end result
You will question (often) why you did this and is it worth the pain. The answer in a day or two, and thereafter will always be YES
Prepare yourself mentally for any and all embarrassing moments that can possibly happen in the hospital….they will happen….often
If you are a woman, make sure you bring feminine pads to the hospital for when mother nature decides to visit you the night of your surgery….with a catheter in your chonch and you are just standing up for the first time with your partner and a big black male nurse by your side…..or so I’ve heard…..
With that being said, make sure whoever stays with you in the hospital is someone you trust implicitly with any and all embarrassing moments. It will get personal at some point. Don’t ask the neighborhood dog walker to help you. You will lose her business.
There is references to food EVERYWHERE…television, people’s conversations, social media. There is no wonder we are a fat nation. I didn’t watch tv until about tuesday or so and my god, every 2-3 minutes there is a commercial for food.
All in all, I wouldn’t trade this week in for the world. I finally made a decision to change and it’s already happening. 1 week post op and i have lost 19 POUNDS!!!! If I was on “The Biggest Loser”, I would be safe this week, LOL. I’m looking forward to what the next week brings me in terms of mobility and keeping up with the drinking regimes.
Until Next Week…