SURGERY UPDATE - Post Op - 31 hours at home

 

The Surgery

 A couple of times today people have asked about details and since there's so much info - I opted to write the whole story out!  
This is a long read - Be forewarned! 

Here’s the story as best I can recall

I have had 4 close friends who’ve had this surgery – who have walked with me through this week and the days leading up to it –
This week in particular , Karen Lesperance and Laurie Lachapelle Henderson were heavily involved in helping me mentally and in getting details organized and supplies ready for post surgery. I am DEEPLY grateful for their help in this process  I COULD NOT have made it without your help!

Monday night October 21 – I had my last medimeal shake around 10 PM

And went to bed
I had to be in Kingston for 11 on Tuesday and check in at Hotel Dieu – Surgery was scheduled for 1 pm

With Dr Robertson

My second cousin Laurie – who had this same surgery in July – offered to take me to Kingston.
She picked me up at 9 and we arrived in time to stop and say hello to her mom – Her mom Nancy was mom’s first cousin and a very precious friend and very supportive in this venture.

I had Laurie drop me at the round about drop off spot – and I went in to the Day Surgery check in on the second floor.

Every single person I interacted with for the entire 48 hours I was there – were wonderful – FUN, and quick to banter back and forth – what a blessing!

 

 

I have photos taken for my own memory along the way and have exact times so I can remember when things happened!
I checked in and at 10:45 - they sent me to the large waiting room with a pager –

 

 

 within half an hour I was taken in, weighed and put in a room – by 11:18 my ONE SIZE FITS SOME gown was draped over my body – and dignity had been left at the door!

 

 

Even my cane had to be labelled !

This was the last I saw of my clothes until Just before being discharged Thursday !!

At 12:04, my IV was in – and I waited until about 12:50 in a waiting room nearer to the OR

I met with the Anesthetist Intern, the Anesthetist, and then the surgeon – all quick visits –

Every one of them asking the same questions!
What’s your name
What’s your date of birth

What procedure are you here for?
after the third time being questioned – I considered answering “ANYTHING BUT MAID”  but opted to be serious!

Eventually they took me to the OR – a big room with bright bright lights -
I had to have a stool to get up on the operating table -
It was freezing in there
They left my gown on until I was unconscious – thank the LORD!

I had to stretch my arms way out like I was Jesus – they added a second IV in my right hand –

They moved a table close to my left side – on the table was a massive TV screen – all of the procedure was done laparoscopically  and so everything was done by viewing the screen!

At some point they put a gas mask on me and told me I would start to feel dizzy – and I DID!
The surgeon arrived – funny the change in demeanor -
When I’d met with him in that cold little waiting room – he was soft spoken, kind, tender – very nice man.

But when he arrived to do surgery – he was in charge – it was neat to see the change.
And THAT is the last I remember until the recovery room.

I have sleep Apnea – and was required to bring my CPAP machine to the surgery – I don’t know if they used mine FOR the surgery or just in my room – it was in my room and set up when I got back to my room.

All I recall – is the first voice I heard was one of the recovery room nurses YELLING at me--
PAUL    PAUL ---- You have to BREATH!
And in my stupor – I remember saying – “Isn’t that what the CPAP machine is FOR ????”
I don’t recall being very Christlike in that moment!
Shut up woman – I’m trying to sleep here.

And I don’t have any memories at all of how I got back to my room – or anything leading up to late afternoon.
When I did become aware in my room – my friend Karen had dropped in to check on me – and left a note and came back later.

Most of this is a blur now. This is a photo my friend Karen took – the picture of beauty!

The incisions were all bandaged – 6 separate entry points – one very deep, and one very large to allow

the camera in.

The bandages were marshmallow sized and I could feel them under my gown –

But zero pain.

What I was NOT prepared for was the gas pains.

What I have learned since then – is that they blow carbon dioxide into your chest cavity and all manner of places I guess – to expand the area to make working on the organs possible and easier.
That gas is extracted as much as possible at the end of the surgery BUT NOT NEARLY ENOUGH!

They told me that I would have to “walk it off”

The pain – when you hear the words “gas pains” – makes you think of a baby that needs to burp

THIS WAS NOT THE SAME!  It was CRAZY painful!
The gas moves around all through the interior of my torso –  my stomach was distended and taut  - bloated almost.

And it HURT

And the nurse – who was relatively nice – said : Oh… just wait til it hits your shoulders!

whuttttt?

 

Yes – the gas goes all the way up to your shoulders!
and she was RIGHT

 At one point - I got the hiccups - and the gas pain on each hiccup would radiate from one shoulder - across the clavicle to the other shoulder - shooting pain horizontally - FREAKY !!

I was given a bariatric flow sheet to monitor fluids – incoming and outgoing!

Did I mention – dignity absent?

They put water in little pill dispensers – basically a two swallow pill container – and I was to take 4 of those in an hour.

I wasn’t good at keeping tabs on how much I drank –  the plastic urinal part was their responsibility – to record the volume every time the emptied it.

YUP - Dignity absent!

As the night wore on – the gas pain was horrendous – and when it passed my chest area – it felt like chest pains – I thought I was having a heart attack.  At first it is frightening

I didn’t walk a LOT – but there was no sign or promise of flatulence.
By 12:30 after midnight – I had a grand total of ONE fart. A squeaker that any man would have been ashamed of.

I slept some that night – there’s never much sleep in the hospital.
I was in a semi private room but had no roommate.

The noise of beeping in the hall was incessant and made me restless.

I went to sleep around 1 – at 5, they came in to draw blood – Apparently they send blood work off early in the morning to the lab, and the results are back quickly so the dr’s can see the results for their morning rounds.

I got a breakfast tray at 8

I was shocked – I expected to only have liquids.

I was given black decaf coffee, a Greek yogurt, skim milk, cream of wheat, and a protein package to put in one or other of the items.

I managed a half spoon of yogurt, a sip of the coffee – and nothing else.

It felt like an awful waste of food, to be honest

.

 

The day remains a bit of a blur – The gas pains seemed almost unmanageable – I walked some – not much.

Lunch arrived right at 12 – I have the list of foods – which is why I am able to remember.

Lunch was skim milk, diet vanilla pudding, cream of carrot soup, decaf tea, and another protein packet.

 

 

I managed about ¾ of a spoon full of the soup – tasty but thick – and I had been told I’d only be on clear liquids – and it spooked me to try more – and honestly I didn’t feel I could mange intake of any kind.

Again I felt like I was wasting food.  I kept the protein package and the pudding container – It has been a godsend now that I’m home!

Mid afternoon – I was given meds again – I think I was fairly l heavily medicated on Tylenol and Hydro Morphone – the Tylenol was liquid – cherry flavoured – and the Hydro morphone was crushed and mixed in – and it didn’t mix well at all.

Just after 3 I took the meds – and it took 3 sips to get it down –

And decided to go for a walk-

Within seconds I felt extreme nausea – and rushed back to my room and threw it all up into the sink.
because of the colour it looked like blood

Yeah – I don’t do blood.

I panicked a bit – hollered for the nurse – talked to A nurse – in the hall who summoned my nurse.

In my stupor – I cleaned up, wiped the sink up and sent the remains down the drain – so there was no proof at all that it was blood.

I’m not calm cool OR collected in those moments!

Sometime around 4 that afternoon, the clinician from the Bariatric dept came in to check on me – Magan is her name – She was as kind and soft spoken – it was merciful and I felt very comforted.

She said “Normally we send people home late afternoon one day after – you could go home if you like – or you could stay another night ----”
And I was SO relieved to stay one more night -  and remain very thankful they let me.

Supper came at 5 – Skim Milk, Unsweetened Apple Sauce, Cottage Cheese, and cream of carrot soup again.
I managed a about a full spoon of cottage cheese, and kept the applesauce and protein.

At some point  my friend Karen had messaged and offered to come and visit -  I don’t remember much about the visit except that she arrived around 6 and got me walking, and that DID get the gas moving.

Karen went home around 8 and I went for a walk around 9 –

At 9:13 – I texted my sister with two glorious words:

I POOOOOPED!

I felt like a five year old !

And found joy in Instagram filters!

 

 

It was glorious though – for the gas expulsion – At this point, I was 30 hours post op – and in so much pain that I was PLEADING with God to let me fart.

I felt like I should rewrite the song “Jesus take the wheel” and name it “Jesus pull my finger!”

the 9:13 movement started the gas flowing and relief came in the next couple of hours.

At some point that afternoon, I’d received a room mate.

A nice man in his late 50’s – in for a knee replacement.  Listening to him talk back and forth with his wife was strangely comforting.

Once she left – it was quiet again – but after 9:13 – the room was anything but quiet.

I finally said after one flatulent moment – “SORRY BUDDY” and he said “
MAN YOU JUST DO WHAT YOU GOTTA DO!”

Well we should order new curtains --- that would be a start!
ok I didn’t say that but I thought it!

Meds came again around 10 – Hydromorphone, Tylenol and a crushed sleeping pill ( Zopiclone which my GP has prescribed me – and works very well for me )

It didn’t work all that well in the hospital. But it did give me some rest.

 

By 1 – I was still awake – I would doze off – hear the beeping in the hall – and be awake for a while – I decided to put in ear plugs hoping it would help some – it might have – but not very much.

By 3 something – I was beginning to get very annoyed with the call bells – It was MUCH worse than the night before

And I assumed it was my room mate –

I walked to the bathroom sometime before 4 – and considered smothering him with a pillow – again, I’m not very Christ-like in those moments!

And when I passed his bed – he was SOUND asleep – and SNORING

I was dumbfounded – I heard the nurse in the hall and stepped out and asked
Is it our room that is causing all the beeping?

 

Oh no! – the bell for ALL the rooms is right here in the hall ( RIGHT across from our door )

OY

Suddenly it dawned on me that I could close the door

And I DID!

And fell into a fitful sleep just after 4 – only to be awakened when they came in for blood work for my room mate at 5

I had just fallen back asleep and they arrived to do MY blood work – there’s just no rest in the hospital !

Thursday morning – I felt very different.  Not rested per se but hopeful .

The bloodwork came back with good results, the Assistant Surgeon did rounds again and looked at the incisions. And gave me the go ahead to go home.

The nurse on duty told me I would be sent home with a script for
Anti Heartburn ( Prevacid )
Liquid Tylenol
Restoralax laxative
HydroMorphone and
FRAGMIN Injections – which are blood thinners.
They injected me both days in the hospital post surgery with blood thinners – to prevent blood clots

I have 30 days of injections – that he taught me how to do – it’s freaky the first time -but doable!

 

My cousin Laurie came and picked me up around 10:45 – I’d been given my walking papers and my scripts – and we headed out.
I was comfortable walking and so we left of our own accord.
It was very surreal!

We stopped at her mom and dad’s for a visit – while Laurie went to a Dr's appt of her own.

Visiting the Lachapelles was like a family reunion - they are life long family friends, and it felt like a glorious reunion for an hour or so.
We got back to Belleville around 1:30 – went straight to the pharmacy with my scripts – they filled the Pain meds and the antacid – and ordered the liquid Tylenol and the injections – which arrived today.

 

 

 

The incision sites have been healing and quickly it seems – Most of them are itchy which is a good sign.
One down near my belly button ( site # 3 ) is a very deep cut , and it is by far the most painful.
It is difficult to cough – difficult getting in and out of a chair but not so bad for bed.

 

 

Look away – I’m hideous !

 

I purchased a new mattress about 2 weeks ago in anticipation of this , knowing a firmer mattress would be easier to get out of with abdominal pain.

I have been relatively overwhelmed since coming home – with the prcoess that is ahead -
I am very unable to intake much more than 2 of 3 sips of anything.

When I got home yesterday – I got all my things inside with Laurie’s help – and decided to take meds and try one of the protein shakes.

I bought a couple of cases at Costco last week and they were in the fridge waiting -
It tasted quite delicious!

Although I didn’t manage much more than a sip and a half.

 

I need 60 grams of protein per day – so that my body doesn’t attack muscle but rather the fat cells.

That amounts to 2 little shakes per day – about 600 mls total
Since coming home I have not yet finished 3 shakes – which will get better I have been told.

 

 

 

I went straight to bed – and though I didn’t sleep – it felt good to be home and in my own surroundings.

But somewhere between 3 and 6 – things seem to slip a little.

When I got up at supper time – I went to have another sip of the shake – and I found it tasted disgusting.

I tried another flavour – and liked it even less.
What I’ve learned since – is that your taste buds morph in this process – and that may have been what was going on.

Combining that with the exhaustion factor – by mid evening, I was a wreck.
Overwhelemd, worried I’d never be able to eat enough to manage – Afraid of all of it !

They DID tell me that many people experience “buyers remorse” in this process post op – I don’t know if it was that – or just feeling discouraged.
I opted to mix in some coffee crystals with the vanilla shake – and see if I could make it tolerable – the result was tasty but the shaking part made it so foamy that I didn’t dare drink it – because it would contribute to the gas problem that still hasn’t fully dissipated.

I left the shake container in the fridge overnight and was able to get through the foam today and finish it.
Tomorrow I am going to mix the instant coffee crystals with water – and then stir lightly with a spoon and see if that works better!
Today I have more hope than yesterday !!
I am mixing protein powder with sugar free pudding and that is helping.

I had a full snack cup of pudding today in three sittings – and about 1/3  of a cup of beef broth – which remains so tasty that I find it DECADENT!

God has been merciful to me in so many ways – but one is that my taste buds have loved the beef broth.

Something so bland and clear – in the past would have seemed disgusting to me- but I have LOVED this broth – I know this is only a miracle of God and I am SO grateful.

I have had a delivery today of meds, of protein as well as pudding from my friend Karen, and Laurie is coming over tomorrow with some things –

 

I hope they know how grateful I am for their support.

The “FOG” of this week would have prevented me from picking up on crucial details in terms of my nutritional management – and both Laurie and Karen  have been messaging frequently to remind me to drink ….

 

I know I will think of more things later on that I should have said -
But I’ll finish now – 3044 words so far – not that I’m counting!