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Surgery on Friday and a Carribean Soul

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Posted 5/26/2014 2:32 PM (GMT 0)
Just back from a 7 night cruise thru the Western Caribbean and mentally readying myself for The Robot. Great vacation on Royal Caribbean and highly recommend a cruise to clean the soul of worry. In the immortal words of Jimmy Buffett: "I got a Caribbean soul I can barely control, and a little bit of Texas hidden in my heart". or " If we could not laugh, we would all go insane".

I am ready for whatever is in front of me now. My liver smilewinkgrin may never be the same but my mind is in the right place. Royal Caribbean has said they will probably allow me back on one of their ships turn so life is good.

On this Memorial Day, a toast: To Missing Friends !!

Semper Fi.
Walt
Posted 5/26/2014 2:53 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck with your date with the robot!

and hey--- once a Marine, always a Marine so get that "former" stuff off there will ya?!

And thank your serving for our freedoms!

Cheers!
Posted 5/26/2014 3:23 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck on your pending surgery, you should do well.

Understand about the cruise bit, we will be going on our 3rd in a row in October, this time a 7 day.

Salute to you, Marine. Navy Viet-Nam vet here.

Let's remember all our fallen brothers today.

David
Posted 5/26/2014 3:24 PM (GMT 0)

kukukajoo said...
Good luck with your date with the robot!

and hey--- once a Marine, always a Marine so get that "former" stuff off there will ya?!

And thank your serving for our freedoms!

Cheers!

Thanks. Just getting back and noticed you and your SO are here now. Hate that ya'll have joined this crappy club but can't think of a better group of members.

Only say Former so no one will mistake me as Active Duty right now. Once a Marine always a Marine.
Posted 5/26/2014 3:27 PM (GMT 0)

Purgatory said...
Good luck on your pending surgery, you should do well.

Understand about the cruise bit, we will be going on our 3rd in a row in October, this time a 7 day.

Salute to you, Marine. Navy Viet-Nam vet here.

Let's remember all our fallen brothers today.

David

Salute returned Navy! Thanks, have followed your saga nothing to offer but prayer and good wishes.
Posted 5/26/2014 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
Since I am sure there will be other opportunities to wish you good luck with your surgery I will defer that to later and merely suggest that you make sure you can see the TV from your recliner before you go in. You won't be moving furniture for quite a while after you meet the robot. You'll also want a small recliner-side table for a beverage and the remote and a waste basket where you can plop the catheter bag.
Posted 5/26/2014 7:16 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck with the robot. Agree with Peter. Get the recliner ready!! I felt like a mummy getting out of bed after surgery. One day at a time. Practice those Kegels before surgery.
Posted 5/26/2014 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck and hopefully it goes well. I was sore, and only took Hydrocodone in the first 2 evenings due to terrible shoulder pain (caused by the carbon dioxide gas migrating there), otherwise I a couple of tylenol and aleve would have been sufficient.

Drink plenty of water, wake as much as you can and take Miralax and stool softeners.
Posted 5/27/2014 12:07 AM (GMT 0)
Walt,
We are Diamond Plus members with RCCL which means we have cruised with Royal Caribbean at least 25 times. Nothing beats a cruise especially just before a Da Vinci surgery. Great idea!!! Eat all you can because that will change soon.

Good luck Friday. The surgery is really no big deal. It is the side effects that are life changing.

See you on the other side!

Bill from Florida cool
Posted 5/27/2014 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
Good luck Walt. See you on the other side.... Thank you Marine
Posted 5/27/2014 12:58 PM (GMT 0)
Good luck on Friday. I am 3 weeks post surgery today. Almost completely healed up now. Moving around like nothing happened except for leaking.

They will want you to get out of bed and move around the next morning. I made it a point to be sitting in the chair waiting for Dr to make rounds. It will be a challenge but it is either you do it on your own or they make you.

When you get home, drink lots of water. I suggest you use a tote to hold your cath bag in. Some guys suggest break away pants so you can run hose out the side for convenience. I chose to wear mesh gym shorts that went down to my knee. Didn't care if anyone saw the hose since I was mainly at home. You will be emptying the bag regularly if you are drinking plenty. The cath was not too bad of an experience. Towards the end of the week there was more movement of the hose ( reduction of swelling is my guess) so my tip was very irritated. It took a few days after removal for things to be closer to normal.

It will hurt to cough and sneeze. Belly will be sore for a week. Gas will be a big issue. It took a wile for me to rid myself of it. Some of it was constipation . Like others have said, continue to take stool softeners. I did not after leaving hospital and was blocked up for 4 days and was miserable. Ended using two suppositories that Saturday to get things going again. It was like a Glazier moving granite boulders through the lower intestines. DR said my bottom would feel like a pine cone was between my legs. He was right. It is now down to a acorn most days. I did not take pain meds two days after coming home. Just 3 Motrin as needed. I should have asked for more relief during my stay. ( Stupid man thing) I was uncomfortable and my blood pressure showed it but did not want to take more than I had too.

3 weeks post op now and I move around like normal. I am dry at night or when I keep my bladder full. If I mess around during the day and not drink lots, I leak . Use probably 4 pads during the day. I use the briefs with a pad and change the pad as needed. It was a suggestion someone made here and I found very useful.

I am ready to play golf again. I could have swung clubs after 2 weeks, I felt that good. Good luck with your day with the robot.

Brian
Posted 5/27/2014 3:43 PM (GMT 0)
hi walt,
my wife and I love the Caribbean cruises also we've done all 3 at least twice, there is nothing better!

good-luck with your appointment with the robot, you'll be sore for a couple days then start feeling much better quickly, but you have to take it easy no matter how good you feel, there is going to be some new plumbing that you definitely have to baby for a while no matter how good your outer mussels feel.
good-luck and thanks for your service, carl
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