It was a little dicey there at first. After the surgery I was really out of it, which of course was to be expected, and was really nauseated, too to be expected, and of course I wasn't allowed to move so I was really antsy, anxious and uncomfortable. That first night, or at least the first 5 hours or so I was awake after the surgery were unbearable. I was in a lot of pain. Even the slightest twitch or shift sent me reeling. I was bracing myself for what would be pure hell for the next few weeks.
Then I slept. For about four hours. Until I had to get up so the nurse could remove my catheter. That was at midnight. Why midnight? Why not let me sleep peacefully through that first night? No clue.
But I was up and the catheter came out and so I tried to get up and walk to the bathroom.
But I couldn't. I was hit with nausea, then a wave of dizziness, then tunnel vision. Back to the bed I went. Again, feeling like complete shit, writhing in agony. It was brutal.
I was pretty sure the nausea and dizziness were from both the anesthesia and from not eating anything but a cookie and a popsicle over the las 26 hours. So, I laid in bed and ate an apple and drank some OJ. And by 1am I was up and making my first trip to the bathroom on my own. Big victory for team Dacia.
Then I was up again at 330a. This time I made it up to the bathroom completely unassisted because I couldn't find the call button for the nurse.
Then around 530a I ate another apple (thanks to my vegan nurse who was kind enough to share her lunch with me) and some more OJ. A trip to the bathroom plus a walk to the end of the hall and back and I was starting to feel a bit more optimistic.
My nurses and doctors told me the best thing to do was to keep moving. Not tons but to take short walks every time I get up to go to the bathroom. That sitting for extended periods of time would be hard on my body, I would get stiff and it would make it harder to move around when I did try to. Trust me, I'm not up running any marathons, I am just taking short walks, hunched over like a little old lady. I move but I move very, very slowly.
Throughout the morning I took a couple more walks while waiting to see the surgeon and was almost able to successfully navigate getting in and out of the hospital bed with a little less pain. By early afternoon I was discharged and my friend E took me home.
Yesterday was definitely better than surgery day but it was still very difficult moving around. Not just walking but trying to figure out how to get on/off the couch, on/off the bed, and trying to figure out how/where I could eat. Once I ate dinner I pretty much slept off and on for the remainder of the night. I moved from the couch to the bed (which was really not a fun transition at first) and spent the night sleeping in pretty decent chunks. I think I woke up twice to use the bathroom and on the second trip up I also took some tylenol before heading back to sleep. I woke up around 715a this morning and have been up ever since.
Not sure how or why (maybe it's because I pee so frequently which has caused me to have to be up moving around every hour or two) but today has been pretty awesome. No pain meds, just tylenol. I don't have any real pain, just discomfort from the tight ass binder wrapped around my body and of course the stitches and incisions. And I have managed to get off/on the couch, multiple times, on my own. I can sit upright (albeit hunched over) for short periods of time. I even ate lunch at the dining room table. With the exception of my compression socks, I can pretty much dress/undress myself. I know I still have residual anesthesia and pain meds in my system from Wednesday but I am pretty amazed at the progress I have made. All the nurses told me it would get easier and they were definitely right, even if it didn't feel like that was even possible when they were telling me that.
Speaking of nurses, I had the best nurses and techs in the history of all hospital care. They made my time there really pleasant. They were super caring and understanding and didn't seem to mind when I would break out into a rant of curse words when I was in pain. Between my surgeon, the surgical team and the anesthesia team, as well as all my nurses and techs in recovery and observation I never felt for a moment that I didn't make the right decision. I felt safe and comfortable and because of there positivity and optimism I felt the same. Not only did everyone repeatedly tell me how great I was going to look and how happy I would be with the results, I was constantly praised for my ability to have lost and kept off 130 pounds. That was pretty cool.
Do you know what else was pretty cool? Never feeling for a moment that I was alone in all this. My phone, which was so graciously manned by E during the procedure, never stopped buzzing. From the moment I was able to respond on my own, I was flooded with phone calls, text messages, Facebook posts, messages, tweets, you name it. Friends, family, co-workers. People checking in on me all day (and night) long. Presents and flowers. Well wishes and happy thoughts. It was a bit overwhelming. I cried, a lot. Which wasn't fun because crying (and laughing) hurts. But it was totally worth it. Nothing could ever compare with the outpouring of love I have received and you know what, it's pretty freaking amazing. And humbling. I don't really know what I ever did to deserve so much love and kindness in my life…and I hope you all know that I don't take it for granted for a moment. I know I am the luckiest girl and I am so thankful to have such wonderful people in my life. You guys are truly the best!
And I do have to say a big thank you to E for taking care of me these past few days. I know it hasn't been easy and it was probably way more than he expected. It is amazing having someone in my life to take on all of this and not complain once. And trust me, I can be quite whiney when I am in pain. I know I am not an easy person to put up with so I think he deserves a round of applause and probably some kind of medal of honor or something. That man is a saint.
I have a bunch of pictures of me pre-op but I think I will hold off on sharing until I have some post-op to share which won't be until 12/24. I will remain in these bandages and binder with these two drains until the 24th. Then my surgeon will remove the binder, the bandages, and one (if not both) of the drains. Then I will be able to shower! Yay! The binder will stay for a month though. And then after that it will be spanx for a year. I am guessing I will adjust to both although right now it seems kind of like a year of medieval torture. But in the end, it will be worth it.
So tonight I will leave you with two things:
This amazing song my friend Kelly wrote for me (actually she wrote two, maybe I will share the other one in the next post)
Today's song -- Sing to "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"
Oh, my surgery was so frightful
But the results are so delightful
And I’ll be rockin’ an awesome bod
Head to toe! Head to toe! Head to toe!
Though it doesn’t show, I’m all stapled
But I’m far from being disabled
It’s time to get outta here
Lemme go! Lemme go! Lemme go!
I may have been slightly bitchy
‘Cuz the food was oh so icky
But I’ll be feelin’ good soon enough…
Gimme drugs! Gimme drugs! Gimme drugs!
Bridge:
When I finally leave Sacred Heart
How I’ll love to eat vegan again
So doctor please set me free
So I can get food in these veins!
Oh, the morphine has long worn off
But the itching is really tough
I could really use a change of clothes
And a bath! And a bath! And a bath!
The day is slowly breaking
And my tummy’s really aching
I'm craving quinoa and beer...
Lemme go! Lemme go! Lemme go!
And some ridiculous pictures of me before and after surgery…
It's a tiara!!!
Pretty delirious but I was still able to eat a popsicle…priorities….
I'm awake??? Who took this picture anyway??? Seems kind of mean… ;)
Sitting at the table…almost back to normal, just two days post-op
Thanks again for being here with me…every step of the way.
So for tonight I say…
thank you
i love you
you rock!
Love and hugs,
Always,
Dacia
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