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ZhyKitty ~ Post Op Recovery ~ Welcome back !

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Posted 11/2/2010 4:33 PM (GMT 0)
ZhyKitty,

Warning: The Surgeon General has determined...that illness is bad for your health!
Get Well Soon !

Gentle Hugs,

Kitt



 

Posted 11/2/2010 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Kitty! Welcome to the other side! We're glad you've joined us in the Wrapped Club.
I wanted you to know that I'm thinking of you and wish you a speedy recovery!
You can do this!yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Denise
Posted 11/2/2010 9:56 PM (GMT 0)
Hope to hear from you soon.
Hugs!
Posted 11/3/2010 12:35 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah... I am alive.
The pain in my guts - is like what I imagine it would feel like to take a swing from a wrecking ball in your tummy.
Then there is the shoulder pain from the gas they used to blow me up but it only hurts on the left side and with all the meds I can barely feel it.
I have to have a heprin shot in the tummy.. every 8 hours.
It doesnt hurt. Silly me for worrying.
I'm on a pain pump - dilaudid. It lights up about every 6 minutes so I can get some.
I also get atavan and phenegran in my iv every few hours. So, I am calm.

It took a long time to get enough medicine in me to get comfortable. so, I was REALLY hurting for a while but that is better now.


On the meds, it's not bad. Off the meds or certain movements though? OMFFSM.
I dread coming off the pump.

My surgeon came by and said my surgery went beautifully.
I might could go home tomorrow but I am not going home if I can help it.
. I'm not ready - and I cant pass gas for them - because I cant pass gas - so maybe I'll still get to stay...
I'm hoping to stay until Friday!
Posted 11/3/2010 1:07 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Kitty!
So glad to hear from you. Congratulations! You're now on the other side and on the road to recovery. You just had surgery this morning...the surgical pain will subside day by day.
See? The shot was no big deal!

If you want to stay in the hospital, I'm rooting that you're successful in that quest. You may change your mind after you've been there a couple of days...just my experience. There's no place like home!

Welcome to the Wrapped Club!
I'll check in on you tomorrow. I'm working in my son's classroom all day, so won't be around until dinnertime. Until then, rest and feel better!
Gentle Hugs,
Denise
Posted 11/3/2010 3:34 AM (GMT 0)
It really wasnt. I dont mind them at all and feel silly for having worried about it. lol

My nurse took me out and we did 2 laps around the 2nd floor! It wasnt too hard!

I've been walking, even if only in my room, since they put me in here!

I also love the boots...they feel like a massage!

I did have a catheter for a while but now it's gone and I am peeing on my own!! : )

So ready to try something to drink... I can hardly wait - still sucking the sponge for now though.

No problems not smoking either - I love the patch!

When you said I wouldnt find it as bad as I was thinking, you were not lying.
Its was nowhere near as bad as I'd thought - except maybe right when I woke up in post op and for about 1 hour and a half in there.

BTW? I LOVE this grip bar hanging from the ceiling. I want one for at home! lol

You guys are the absolute best - thank you for making what was a nerve wracking build up so much easier...
I cant even tell you.
Things being this much better than I thought they would be too...well...exemplary in comparison to my expectations - I could just laugh now at how scared I was.

Thank you for welcoming me to the club!!!!!! : )
Posted 11/3/2010 4:26 AM (GMT 0)
Yehaaa,  your back and now a bonafide member of the wrapped club ~ I am not a member,  just the cheer leader.

Glad you are being well medicated for the pain and that you strutting your stuff up and down the halls.  Way to Go. 

Fear of the unknown is always tough and now you know so you can share with others when they are facing surgery.  You be the expert now !  turn

As gas rises,  the best way to pass gas is to stand on your head ~ kidding tongue .  I use to tell my elderly patients that just to entertain them.  They loved the silly comments. 

Keep on trucking and see you in the morning.

Hugs,

Kitt

Posted 11/3/2010 3:27 PM (GMT 0)
Zhykitty   Glad to hear your surgery went well.

Have you had your jello, tea, and broth yet.   LOL    The main course for a while I am sure.

Pretty soon you will be home and be able to relax in your own home.

Let us know how you are doing.

Posted 11/3/2010 10:44 PM (GMT 0)
I loved the grip bar, too. I want one now to help me get up in the morning when my back's at its worst.
I told you it wasn't as bad as you thought. :)
Posted 11/4/2010 3:21 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Kitty,
See? I told you! We weren't lying...we wouldn't do that! I know the fear, though. It kept me from having the surgery for four years of horribly sick lungs caused by reflux. This forum played a big part in providing me with the support and courage I needed to move forward with the surgery.

Glad you're up and walking! Yes, the boots are nice! I have had a blood clot, so I wear compression stockings...in the summer on just the affected leg, in winter on both legs. They feel wonderful...they don't look wonderful, and they are super hot in summer, but the compression is very comforting on my legs.

Have a good night, and keep walking!yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Denise turn
Posted 11/4/2010 1:13 PM (GMT 0)
Good morning, Kitty! Hope you had a good night. I'm off to help my daughter in law (she's homebound because of high blood pressure--baby due in three weeks). We're going to clean their house. I made them dinner for tonight, too. Anyway, I'll be back later, so will check in and see how you're doing.
Have a great day! Remember...surrender! Go with the flow.
Hugs,
Denise yeah
Posted 11/5/2010 1:57 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Kitty,
Okay, so now I'm wondering where you are? I hope things are going well.
I'll be looking forward to an update!
Heal well,
Denise turn
Posted 11/5/2010 4:20 PM (GMT 0)
Still sending good wishes! Hope everything is going well.
Denise yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Posted 11/5/2010 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hey there Kitty,  I am wondering how you are doing also ?  Hope everything is ok and let us hear from you when you are able to.

Sending you good vibes !

Hugs,

Kitt

Posted 11/6/2010 11:40 AM (GMT 0)
Hey guys! I got discharged last evening and made the move home. Oh, I've never been so glad to be home!!!!
The hospital is fine for a day or two but I stayed for almost 4 days and that was a bit much.

I loved my nurses the first few days - the ones I got on the last two though I surely could have done without. They made food and med mistakes! They even blew two of my veins. I wasnt pleased.

I stayed on the Pain Pump for the first 3 days and then moved down to injectables the 3rd night, and then stepped down to pills the day I came home. I left with 'scripts for dilaudid, phenegran, Toreadol, and nicotine patches. Needless to say, I've been asleep more than awake since I got back here! (I already had scripts or adavan and flexaril so I have quite a stockpile of pills)

I set a timer so I know when to get up and walk - and I do walk every hour. It's the only thing that helps the pain in my shoulders and neck. The only other real pain I've had is from hiccuping - that was awful - and when I swallow it hurts in my chest.

The cuts themselves just itch now.

I keep dozing off while trying to type this. Same as with anything,,, i just seem to need some more sleep.
Love to you all (Hope this is readbale)

Cat
Member of the Wrapped Club! lol
Posted 11/6/2010 2:37 PM (GMT 0)
Good Morning Cat ~ Member of the Wrapped Club,

Gald to hear you are home.  Setting the timer is a great idea to get up and walk.  It is good to allow your body to rest but you will need to keep balancing the rest with activity.  Do be careful with dilaudid and ativan together !  During concomitant use of these drugs, patients should be monitored for potentially excessive or prolonged CNS and respiratory depression.  I would strongly suggest not combining these two drugs.

I agree with you,  4 days in the hospital is long enough.  Thinking of you and keep on talking to us.

Gentle Hugs,

Kitt

Posted 11/6/2010 6:07 PM (GMT 0)
Painful hiccups...brings back memories... ouch...
Those will fade... I remembered mine was worse when I ate or drank too much.
Posted 11/6/2010 7:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Cat!
I'm so glad you're back home. The hospital is definitely a place to avoid as much as possible! Sorry to hear you're dealing with hiccups. Many do...fortunately I was spared. They hurt enough when you didn't just have surgery!

Great job walking! It's so important. I hope you catch up on the rest you missed when you were hospitalized. I know you planned ahead so you can take it easy. Put those teenagers to work!

Rest, relax, and let us know how you are doing!
Hugs,
Denise turn
Posted 11/6/2010 9:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hey girls!!!!

Now that I'm much more sober (saving atavan only for bedtime at night and only taking pain meds as needed, ibuprofen seems to cut it most of the time) and well rested I think I might be able to speak more coherently. lol

The hiccups have passed but the pain in my shoulders and behind my diaphragm are tough.
I'm walking all I can - but the gas pains come right back when you settle in.
I dont find it to be unbearable - it's more of a nuisance than an agony but I DO wish it would go away.
The pressure in my belly from the gas is just awful and I've got to be over dosing on the gas-x but I have no idea what else to take for it. I didnt even notice it, really, when I was so high on all the pills but now that I'm not - ow, ow, ow.

Is there anything else I can do besides the walking?

I'm passing gas constantly - something they kept insisting I do in the hospital but I couldnt make it happen.
That didnt start until I got home and sobered up.
It's like it's not accomplishing anything though - I still feel really full of air.
I've found that I can burp - but only if the air turns around before it gets to my chest. Once it passes the sore pot, it's a lost cause but it doesnt all seem to want to come out the other way.

I can drink anything I like but so far - no luck with anything other than jello, pudding, and yogurt as far as solids go.
I tried one spoonful of mashed potatoes and it got stuck which made me cry, the pain was so bad. I wont do it again.
Fortunately, I dont feel very hungry. I feel full...

Any suggestions welcome at this point. I'm feeling like the blueberry girl in Willy Wonka....BLOATED... lol

I'm going to have my son pull me out of my chair now and go for another walk....

*waves* I'll check back in sometime tonight.

Thanks so much ladies - for everything.

Cat
Posted 11/6/2010 10:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Cat,
My surgeon specifically warned me about mashed potato as he told me (at day 5 mind you) that I could eat any solid (except bread and steak) that could be chewed to a liquid. He said that just because something was considered "soft" didn't necessarily ensure it would go down better. He said, "A bolus of mashed potato can get stuck." So...my advice...small bites, chew chew chew. Later (assuming your surgeon agrees) you'll find a wonderful assortment of things that can be safely to a liquid. Just give yourself a few days to relax into recovery.

Don't worry if something gets a bit stuck. Eventually it'll go down. It was compared to a "hairball" by someone who was active on this forum when I was going through recovery. Hey...a Cat with a hairball! So appropriate.

I wondered how much Gas-X could be safely taken, and asked here. It seemed it wasn't a big problem to take a lot. I also burped, but not on demand. Only when my stomach felt like it, and was in just the right position, I guess.

Glad you're resting!
Take care and relax into the recovery. We're here for you!yeah yeah yeah yeah
Denise
Posted 11/6/2010 10:50 PM (GMT 0)
Sounds like you're on the same track as most post-op patients.
Stay with the liquids until week 2 after your wrap calms down from swelling. Remember small meals (1/2 cup) every 2-3 hours.
Posted 11/6/2010 11:52 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, that once incident made me not want to try food again. lol
I'm okay on liquids and jello type stuff.
It was the smell of the food that made me want to eat something last night but that pain was enough to keep me from getting the urge tonight.

The worst of my pain is in my shoulders tonight and behind my diaphragm - all gas pain, I assume.
I've got menthol patches on my shoulders - which seems to really help - and a heating pad on my back.
I had to get out of the recliner and into the bed - the feeling of tightness under my ribs was unbearable in the chair.
It switches though, what feels good and what hurts - so it's hard to pick just one thing for a cure-all.
Sleep seems to be the best escape and that's done best with blanket and pillows to support me at different angels whether I'm on a bed or in a chair.
Posted 11/7/2010 3:45 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Cat,
At this stage in the recovery, you'll want to get as much rest as possible--especially after spending so much time in the hospital. You need some sleep! So take those meds and rest, rest, rest!

This early in the healing process you will definitely have some interesting swallowing issue. I think I may have told you (as Joy did) that your wrap will become increasingly more swollen over the first two weeks, then begin to subside. I remember having some quirky swallowing issues at about Day 4. Also, my mouth was making gallons of saliva for some reason. That passed after a day or so.

Good luck with the gas. It will subside, but is a strange side effect of the surgery.
Sleep well!
Denise
Posted 11/7/2010 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
I cant seem to stop sleeping.
I sleep, then get up and walk (and give orders about the house work they're not doing), drink something, then sleep some more.
When I try to watch a movie or read something I knock right out.

This morning I discovered that my insides are so swollen that I can barely swallow my pills.
This is a new development for me - on day 5. I guess I'm a late bloomer. lol
I had to add a huge dollop of mineral oil to my water to get them to slide down.
(That did work though for future reference. The mineral oil.....it makes a great inner lube.)

Pain wise I continue to improve except when I'm sleeping. I could only sleep in the chair the first night and had to move back to the bed when I started to swell inside. I couldnt stand the pressure of having my stomach folded. I sleep on my side - and that hurts if I roll onto my left side while I'm knocked out. It hurts enough to wake me up. Even on my right side though, I have to surround my tummy with a rolled up blanket for support. It helps with the pain.

For my shoulder pain, these menthol pain patches have been a help....still walking....it's not as bad this morning.

I'm more bummed about my scars than the swelling or the pain though.
I looked today for the first time - and I'm a walking bruise with raised places that are going to be scars.
I have always bruised easily but this is just depressing. All those heprin shots left bruises and holes all over my belly and then the surgical scars...they're horizontal! I was just horrified by that. Vertical scars would have been so much more slimming... lol

Thanks for the support you guys! : )
Posted 11/7/2010 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Cat,
Most of the scars will completely disappear. I have one that I can still see...it's like a horizontal dimple!

It sounds like you're doing just great. I was always a side sleeper, and began sleeping on my back after 2 foot surgeries and the Nissen. Now I sleep just fine on my back.

Have a great day and get lots of rest! I'm glad to hear you continue to walk, walk, walk!
Denise
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