Post #26- Day After Surgery- Friday, November 21, 2008

Of course I had drama that night after surgery. Seems the person in the room next to me liked to use a lot of toilet paper and their toilet backed up into my bathroom. Just my luck. I did well that night, I stopped taking the pain meds and haven't taken any since I got home. Not even a Tylenol. The morning after the surgery I felt very nauseous. The nurse gave me some anti nausea medicine through my IV. It burned so bad going in and it made me very sleepy. Actually that was the first time some medicine really made me feel good and sleepy. Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep because the physical therapist came to show me the exercises I needed to start doing to preserve the motion in my arm and assist the drains in eliminating blood and lymph fluid. Basically I told her I would look at the pictures when I got home because I was on another planet.Everyone had called that morning but I was not able to answer the phone that nausea medicine had me going. That would have been a great sleep had I not had a thousand and one interruptions. One being food service asking what I wanted to eat. Like I could get anything other than that nasty fatty broth. I think I told them to call me back.



My surgeon had told me I would probably get discharged the day after surgery but he wouldn't be able to see me until sometime in the evening to discharge me. I didn't have any visitors early in the day because everyone was at work. However, My Father drove up and arrived in the afternoon. He brought me some pretty pink roses. It was a little awkward because we haven't seen each other in a long while and last time we saw each other was when my brother was killed in an auto accident. He stayed for an hour or so and then went back to his hotel room because he had had a six hour drive to come see me. GOD is good and sure does have a plan that I know nothing about because I never thought my Father even cared about me, let alone would have driven all that way to come see me.



While my Father was there, my IV went through my vein and into my muscle. My forearm swelled up like I was Popeye and had just ate some spinach, lol. It wasn't funny then because that thing hurt until they took the IV out!!! You know I was still hungry, not eating for almost two days can do that to you. So about 5pm I asked the nurse can a sister get some solid food. She called the Dr and they said yes. I got on the phone so quick to call food service because you have to order your food before 6:30pm. I ordered turkey with stuffing and gravy, a roll, spinach, apple juice, cranberry juice and vanilla ice cream. The food got there about 5:30pm.Yeah!!!! The turkey was a big grilled conglomeration, the stuffing was a ice cream scoop situation, the spinach ..was spinach..lol..When I started to eat my stomach cramped up bad. I was a little gaseous and it hurt. It felt like I was pushing the gas out when I ate so that's what I did to help get my body regulated, lol...By now the crew started arriving individually and food service brought up another tray for my room mate that had been discharged early that day. They told us to keep it and eat it. So you know we did. It was herb crusted tilapia, spaghetti/marinara, string beans, cole slaw,fruit cup, tea, milk.. I guess she was kind of greedy because that was a lot of food. Thanks Roomy they tore the food up.



My surgeon came in about 7pm and checked me out. He didn't take the dressing off because he wanted me to come to the office on Monday. He showed me how to drain my drains and told me he was going to discharge me. That was fine with me because I was ready to go. A lot of people were planning to come see me on Saturday in the hospital but they got a shock because I was out of there and glad I was. I was glad when my roommate left she was a pain with her loud family and they had the nerve to bring food in when I was on all liquids. She never spoke to me until she was leaving. I did speak to her the night I came in. Plus she was nasty in the bathroom. I had to clean up the bathroom when I went in after her. She would just throw the paper towels on the floor. She was bragging about the fact that her son was a Doctor in India so the nurse asked her well why are you here then. LOL... All in all I was glad to go home. 24 hours in the hospital was definitely enough. They sent me home with a prescription for percocet and I didn't even need antibiotics. I filled the prescription but I haven't taken one of the percocet. I thank GOD I made it through the surgery. I am 1/4 way to recovery I pray!!! I have faith that there won't be any unexpected road blocks in my way but if there is one I will kick it then crush it. I don't have any choice!!!!!!! I WANT TO LIVE!