OMG I did it!

So, the good news...I made it through my surgery on Friday, 2/14/14, at 2:30 pm. Here is a re-cap of what's been going on:

Surgery Day: I woke up super tired from being on liquids only the day before, and fasting all morning. I got to the hospital on time...went through registration twice because they spelled my  name wrong. Then I was taken back to Pre-Op where they reviewed my medical history, confirmed which procedure I was having, then put my iv in and gave me a shot of Heparin to prevent blood clots. Oh, and I got to wear my lovely XXXXXXL gown and hair net thingy. I looked so lovely!  I was wheeled in to the operating room, right on time. I remember them getting me on the operating table and situating my arms. That's all that I remember until waking up. When I awoke in  the recovery room, I had horrible chest pain and couldn't breathe well. I was shivering and cold. My nurse was great--he gave me something to get me warmed up, plus lots of blankets. I was coughing a lot, which scared me. I didn't know that my lungs would be so hard to use. I wasn't expecting that! And of course I was scared that I would go into a full blown asthma attack. In spite of that, I was medicated up so I had no pain. I eventually made it to my room, where my family came to say a brief hello, then left. I was so tired! I had a hard time staying awake, even with nurses in constantly checking my vitals, my heart rate going up and setting off the alarms in my room, and with the uncomfortableness of a catheter. Never the less, I made it thru the night  with lots of walks and 8 hits of my morphine pump in 12 hours. I belched quite a bit, held down my water and walked as much as I could. Around 5:30 am on Saturday, my nurse took out my catheter and told me no more morphine....time to transition to pills. Once that catheter was removed, I wanted to move and move and move....to get the gas out of my body. OMG that gas pressure sucks!  I wouldn't call it pain as much as uncomfortable.

Saturday: We finally made it to lunch time on Saturday. Dr. Higa had made rounds earlier and said that I would be going home today. Unfortunately, my nurse wasn't so great and it took quite a bit of prodding for her to get me out of the hospital. We finally made it home. HOME! It was so nice to be home. At this point, I was in horrible discomfort from the gas. It was settled in my left hip area and around my shoulders. I was really afraid that I would have a heart attack or something. It just felt bad. I walked around my street as much as I could. I finally called my surgeon's office and asked to speak to the doctor on-call about  my pain. He advised taking another dose of Norco, but if I had more pain, he asked that I call back and head back to the hospital.  Thankfully, the Norco did its job and I was able to do my breathing exercises and walk, which helped the pressure go away, drastically. I slept off and on all night and woke up fairly tired.

Sunday: By Sunday morning, I still had my gas discomfort, but I knew that walking would be my only cure. I walked and walked that day, with naps in between. That's pretty  much all that I did. Walked, drank liquids, slept, walked, drank liquids, slept. You get the picture. By Sunday night, I was feeling better. I slept all night! Woohoo!

Monday: Here we are for today. Today was a beautiful, California day. I felt so much better. I had very little gas discomfort and still, NO pain in my tummy! I did get some discomfort when I took sips that were too big. That is no fun! I am still learning not to gulp a yummy drink, like pink lemonade (Crystal Light) or coffee (Pike's Place decaf). Today I got tired of walking my neighborhood. I went to Vons and walked. I went to Starbucks and DD's Discount and walked. I went to Target, Kohl's, Bath and Body Works, and walked. I have very little discomfort at this point and am ready for bed. So far, this recovery has been so much easier than I ever imagined. I am not hungry at all. My drinks/broth/popsicles are totally fulfilling. I am getting my water in with no problems. All I can attribute this to is God. I am thanking Him for carrying me through this and for having His hand upon me throughout this journey, as well as on the road that lies ahead.  Thank you Heavenly Father!

Love, Peace and Joy,
Rachel