Well, I came home from the hospital today...two days after gastric bypass surgery. I feel OK - have a low-grade fever probably from the shock to my system. I basically feel run-down. Not too much pain in the incisions (it was done laporoscopically, so I have six small incisions on my abdomen).
I have to walk a lot to prevent the blod clots and to encourage my body to heal. Since I'm not up yet for going outside, I find myself doing a loop inside my house - through the kitchen, living room, and dining room. My son looks at me like I'm crazy. I just chuckle.
I know it's important to get the water and liquids in, but I am not hungry at all. I figure that today was an exception...I know I won't get the full 64 ounces in . Tomorrow, I will try my hardest. It's such a weird feeling NOT being hungry.
As for the surgery itself, I have to give a huge shout-out to the staff at Barix Clinics in Langhorne. The nurses were incredibly wonderful and accommodating. They made me feel right at home.
Here's a brief recap of my surgery for those of you reading this who are scheduled for surgery. Maybe this will help.
Thursday, 4/30
8:15 a.m. - My husband and I arrive at Barix and sign in. I had to wait almost an hour and a half in the waiting room before they came and took me back to pre-op. I will say that was a bit frustrating. Never keep a patient about to have surgery waiting. As if I wasn't nervous already!
9:50 a.m. - Melissa (wonderful nurse in pre-op) preps me for surgery: has me dress in the wonderful robe and hair bonnet, puts in the IV, gives me something to drink to reduce the acid in my tummy, and tells me funny stories to keep me in good spirits. The anesthesia guys come in, I sign some papers, and they put something into my IV. That is all I remember.
Sometime around 1 p.m. - The nurses are trying to wake me up in recovery. I remember them yelling my name and trying to shake my shoulders gently. My body didn't want to come out of the anesthesia, but it finally did.
Sometime later (no idea what time) - I gradually wake up in my room. My hubby is standing there with a nurse or two. They try to get me to do the breathing machine, but I'm still out of it.
Later that afternoon - I am suffering from some pretty severe pain below my breast plate - didn't know if it was gas already or what. Found out later it was my stomach spasming. It was awful. I felt like I was going through labor in childbirth all over again. I cried...and I cried...and I moaned...nothing was helping. I think they got me up to walk and I recall doing a 1/2 lap around the floor. That took so much energy! The pain hurt so bad...none of the medicine was helping.
4:30 p.m. - I remember sitting in the chair in my room (they wouldn't let me back in bed at this point) and crying from the pain. My hubby was standing there, and all I remember is crying for my mother (how silly, I know). It's amazing that at 39 years old, all I wanted was my mother!
5:30 p.m. (or so) - My mom and dad arrived and that made me feel so much better. The pain was still there. I remember walking the floor with them a few times, and then coming back to my room and they let me get back into bed again. I think about 7:30 p.m., I dozed off. Before going to la-la land, I told my hubby and parents that they should leave and go get some dinner!
Somewhere about 8:00 p.m. - One of the nurses came in and gave me a shot of dilaudid in my leg (I think). That was what was in my machine, but it was such a small dose, that every time I hit the button, it didn't really help. I couldn't have morphine or demerol like most patients because both of those made me throw up after my c-sections. Within 20 minutes of getting that shot of dilaudid, the stomach spasms felt a little better and I was able to go to sleep. That was wonderful. I slept like a baby for a few hours.
The nurses woke me through the night every 2-3 hours to check my vitals and to help me walk a few laps. I didn't get much sleep on Thursday night...it was all intermittent.
Friday, 5/1
6:30 a.m. - After doing a few laps, I called my mom and woke her up to tell her I was feeling much better. I knew she'd be worried after all the pain I was in on Thursday night.
For the rest of my stay at Barix, I walked and sipped water, tea, and chicken broth. Like I said, the nurses were incredible! I had a beautiful private room all to myself, so it was so quiet!
I'm off from work this week, so I will get plenty of rest, do lots of walking, and start getting all my fluids in. I'll write more later in the week...
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