So, I guess I'll start from Monday morning. I got to the hospital dressed in the most baggy clothes I could find, and they took me back pretty quick. The nurse I had was very friendly. She came in and took my vitals and got a urine test so they could do a pregnancy test. Then she left me to change. I changed into my gown and laid down in bed, and that was the moment when the reality of my surgery hit me. I finally felt like this is really happening. Needless to say, I freaked out a little, but took a few deep breaths and was able to calm down.
The nurse came back in after I was done changing and did the pregnancy test. Of course, the first test was faulty...and the second. This led to another freak out by me. I am not ready to have a kid and I especially did not want to have this surgery postponed after all my hard work. Thankfully, the third test worked, and I am not pregnant.
Next, another lady came in to put in my IV and start fluids. I knew my veins suck for getting blood drawn, but apparently they're even worse for trying to start an IV line. They tried in my left hand, then my left forearm before finally giving in and using the same vein I always get blood drawn from since that's basically the only good vein I have. It was in the vein in the crook of my arm, so not the best placement for an IV, but it worked and that's what mattered.
That's when the surgeon and anesthesiologist came in to get me ready to get wheeled in to the OR. They double checked all my details, warned me about possible side effects, and then off we went. I know my face dropped as soon as they said it was time to go. They put something in my IV while we were in the hall. I thought it would knock me out almost instantly, but it just made me feel very heavy. I was still awake when we reached the OR. It was a bit freaky. They then inflated the mat underneath me and moved me onto the operating table, and then they put a mask on my face and told me to breathe deeply. I remember thinking when I would fall asleep, and then next thing i knew I was in recovery.
I wasn't really in any pain at this point, probably because I was still doped up on some crazy drugs. I even asked the guy who was keeping an eye on my recovery if I had my surgery yet. He laughed, and told me it was all over. I was still really tired, though. I was in and out of it. At some point when I was asleep again, I was wheeled up to my room, and woke up to a nurse ready to take my vitals. I was really surprised they didn't have me on oxygen since I know my mom was on oxygen for a while after her surgery. I did still have a catheter like her, though. It sucked, but I understand them wanting to measure fluid output. One of the nurses asked me if I had been given a water pill since I produced so much urine. I just told him I keep myself well hydrated on my ice chips.
That night absolutely sucked, though. It had nothing to do with pain. It was because they had me attached to an oxygen saturation monitor. This monitor wasn't hooked up to my IV pole, so it was nearly impossible to go for a walk. It also sucked because apparently this machine does not like patients sleeping. The nurse explained to me that the machine is quiet at levels between 90 to 100 percent. Well, just as I would start dozing off, my levels would drop to 88 to 89 percent since my breathing rate would slow. Therefore, the machine would beep like crazy and of course wake me up. I wanted to throw that sucker against the wall, especially the next morning. I was so sore from laying down all night thanks to that machine.
The biggest excitement the next day was getting to drink water. Ice chips can only do so much. It was also nice getting some broth and jello, but I didn't eat too much of it. I was having some serious gas pain that made it hard to eat. I also had my morphine taken away and had to take pain pills. I was still on IV fluids, though, to make sure I stayed hydrated. I spent most of the day watching cartoons and walking or sitting in my chair. Oh, and I got the catheter out! That was nice, although it was kinda hard to pee at first since I think my system was still in some shock. As the day went on, I felt better and better. Another plus, I didn't have to be attached to the anti-sleep machine that night, so I was able to get some sleep between the nurses coming in to take vitals. Oh, and another thing...I farted! It sounds goofy, but the relief of all that gas pressure made me feel better than the pain meds did.
That brings us to this morning. I was completely detached from all IVs bright and early in the morning so I could walk easier. I also got to give myself a shot of blood thinner to the stomach with the nurse watching me. Holy cow does the blood thinner burn, but I'd rather have that than a blood clot. My fiance was happy I managed to do it myself because he could never do it for me.
My surgeon came by to check and see how I was doing, too. He wanted to make sure everything was good before I headed for home. He was glad to hear the pain wasn't too bad and I was up and walking since day 1. He was actually surprised considering the hernia repair that he had to do.
They also removed my bandages and staples from my incisions. I got a picture of 3/6 of them. I didn't want to flash the camera since the others are a little higher up. I actually think it hurt less getting the staples out compared to getting the bandages pulled off, and both of those hurt less than having the IV pulled out of my arm. I'm pretty sure they super glue that sucker in place. But it meant I could go home after attending a postop nutrition class, so I was happy.
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