Surgery & Life After

For a while I had pain, sick, & best of it all doctors couldn't figure me out. I'm a mystery, just great! Never give up. If you have a go for 4-5 opinions do. If you have to repeat tests do. Things change over time.

So recently 2 1/2 weeks ago I just had a major stomach operation. For once in my life I wasn't thinking about it before I went in. I enjoyed every weekend. I got my mind off it. I wanted to think positive. I go to the hospital. Lets do add I brought my pink peep keyring with me as a good luck charm. Her name is peep. I have an obsession with peeps. Anyway as soon as I went into the hospital of course your going to freak out. A nurse came to talk to me & we get into a covo about American Idol. Anesthesia came to talk to me. Hi I tell her just to let you know I'm not going to be an easy patient. I want anti nautious med, I need something to relax me, iv in the arm only. She tells me are you and your surgeon plotting against me? No! haha. My pressure started getting higher because I'm starting to freak out there too. I got told your going to be incubated during surgery. What! Now I'm freaking out. Thinking no way is a tube going down my throat. I was informed you won't even know. It goes in when your asleep and out before you wake up. Finally some guy comes your ready. I go into the room where the surgery was being performed. Then I see 5 people. I go hum are you all here for me? They said yes and introduced themselves.I see lots of tv's. Now I know I'm being put out, but am I going to be watch tv? O no the surgeon and team are going to be seeing my stomach on these screens. I go on the bed, I get told your going to be strapped in. What! Then we start a covo I had everyone laughing. Now its time for surgery. No I want the iv in my arm only. I will scream otherwise, but I'll scream regardless. Surgery was an hr in half. Once it was over I had the tube taken out. They did it all when I was sleeping. I felt nothing. They didn't even need to tell me I would have a tube.

I go into recovery area, all I hear is your not breathing good. Breathe. Now I do have asthma. My oxygen went down. I'm in a whole of world my own as if I'm floating in La la land. Most patients stay in recovery an hr or 2. I'm in recovery 5hrs because of breathing problems. Finally I got up, then they got me a room. Yes I'm thinking I got a room before Idol and Glee go on. I got my wish. My friends were like your not staying at hospital marriot hotel. Since I requested a room & tv before the shows. Only thing because I was so tired I slept through the shows. Had to re watch it when I got home. I'm looking at my arms and hands. What! How did I get 3 iv's in both my arms and my hand? I remember one in my arm. I looked so beat up on my arms. It was gross. Then I had these blood pressure like cuffs on my legs. Am I in jail in this hospital? This is crazy. I was in so much pain just to get up to go to the bathroom was hard enough. I had troubling bending. My shoulders were killing. I couldn't wait to get out of the hospital. Who wants to be in a hospital. I didn't get sleep at all. The nurses come in all night to draw more and more blood. They take blood pressure ect. Can I sleep seriously? I finally get chicken booth, jello, and juice. Not bad it went down my throat no problem. Next morning I get protein shake. "Hey you sure I can have this". "This taste good". Nurse takes a walk with me around the floor. Later they give me really soft pasta, sauce, meatballs. I never seen pasta as soft as they make it. Now I said I'm not allowed this. The said you can because it was made really soft for you. I'm not going to pass up pasta. If it get stuck in my throat I figured at least I'm in the hospital. I thought better to try it here then at home. It wasn't bad. I was only able to eat 10 noodles and got so full. My dad didn't mind the food because he ate the meatballs. More then half my plates went to my parents here tea, milk, peas, meatballs, beef soup. Anything wrong they gave me or I didn't like here. Finally after I was able to handle liquids and soft foods I got discharged. I was so happy. They said I can stay an extra day get more needles, no sleep, or go home get sleep in my own bed. Of course I wanted to go home and get sleep.

I finally get home. My dogs come to greet me. I had to be careful and make sure they don't jump on me. My brother & his girl friend are sitting downstairs. I'm in a world of my own so tired. I just walk up the stairs. I go straight to my bed. What do I do, I fell. At least I fell on my bed, but I fell on my arm. I was all twisted. I couldn't lift myself up. I'm trying to say help. No one heard me really. Then my brother girl friend said I think she's crying or saying help. Good thing she heard me. It took time with lots of ouch! Time to sleep. When I sleep I could only sleep on my right side.

I have awesome friends that wanted to know how I was. Most of them probably didn't care if I get sleep. I'm home I can get sleep anytime. My phones would ring off the wall. If it wasn't my cell, it was my mom's. Grandma wants to say hi, your cousin wants to say hi, now your aunt. Call waiting it your friend. My cell is ringing it's my other friend. My uncle came over get up say hi, now its your neighbor. I love you guys.

Life after surgery is the worse, at least the first few days and weeks! I really thought things would get better. I was wrong, right now! Don't start thinking negative now. It is only the first week. It is just the beginning. I'm sure things will get better as time goes by. This is just my experience step by step. I get home, just to get out of bed I was crying. Sitting up & walking are hard too. Standing for more then a few mins ouch! At first everything is hard. In the hospital I was on morphine. When I got home 2-3 days I was on codiene. Mainly just at night so I can sleep pain free.

After the 1st night home, the next day what does my mom do? Time to wake up? Are you kidding me? I need sleep! Don't tell me I got more sleep in the hospital then I do here. Throwing the blanket over my face. My mom's like but you have to have a shake or jello or something. I'm like sleep. She is like but its 2pm. Okay let me sleep till 5pm then wake me. Better off let me sleep a whole day. Of course that didn't happen. I didn't feel hungry at all either. My mom I think your phone rang. When I get up I'll call my friends back. Sleep! My mom look the dogs want to say hi to you dogs. Omg they are jumping on my bed hi now get them off. They can't jump on me.

I'm on a liquid diet & soft food. I feel like I eat like a bird. I can't handle much. I'm not hungry much either. My mom thinks I'm a turkey and tries stuffing me. My surgeon told her not too. If you stuff her things will be worse in the long run. Let her eat small. I get really weak. I could be not eating a lot. The body has to get used to the new diet changes. Plus I just had surgery. Even better I look like casper. I'm a friendly ghost.

I'm allowed to shower. Problem can't get my stomach wet. How do you shower and not get your stomach wet? I was thinking hey it's raining why not go out in a raincoat and bring shampoo outside with me. I decided to wear a tank bathing suit over my stomach. Bad idea it got soaked. I ended up taking the bandages off. I put new bandages on. The next day my regular dr took them off anyway. Maybe plastic bags tapped around would of worked. That's what all my friends said after I already did the other way. Why didn't you respond with that info before I took a shower?

After a week I was out at my regular dr. I couldn't walk straight at all. I had to hold onto my parents. Almost 2 weeks I got out twice and got to walk around a little. My parents have to stay close to me because I do get weak & dizzy.

Now its been 2 weeks since surgery. I got out a little. I went back to my surgeon he said the scars are healing. I thought maybe he tell me I can eat more now. Not exactly! I'm on this diet for 6 months. I said 6 months all I can have is jello, protein drinks, soup booth, baby food, ice pops, & mash potato. This is crazy. He tells me you can add fish cut up really small. Great fish yuck! He goes egg salad. Even better I'm allergic to eggs. What else is soft food? I tell him I had pastrini and that got stuck in my throat. He told me stay away from that. Pastrini are small and get clumpy. If you want a noddle try like big noddle but it has to be cooked really soft. I'm a picky eater as it is. So I'm limited. I'm not allowed bread because that will get stuck in my throat. No chicken, that will get stuck. A normal eater can probably find a few more things to eat then me.

Now talking food. I have to eat little meals slowly. Once my stomach gets full stop eating. I thought to myself how would I handle this diet. It is like nothing. How can I just drink a protein drink and not be hungry after? I can and you be surprised that you can't. I love the protein drinks. I drink glucerna vanilla ones and owadalla vanilla/strawberry ones. I tried some fruit smoothies haven't found one I like yet. I eat sugar free jello and sugar free ice pops. I tried a few brands of mash potato's the only ones I seem to like are the ones from whole foods. I have an obsession with whole foods anyway. Baby food I only like the fruit of Earth's best organic.

Now I have people asking did you lose weight since your not eating much? People come over I pictured you to look stick thin. Are you people crazy? No one loses weight that fast in a week or two. I don't fell like I lost weight either. Just a drop in my face if you needed to know that.

Now it is 2 1/2 weeks. The pain is getting a little better. Though the past 2 days I been having pain by the incisions. The surgeon said it is just pulling pain. There are 5 incisions. They will heal in time.

Lets talk the good, yes the positive. I'm finally off medicines. I don't feel stomach or throat burning anymore.

I'm still in pain. I still look like casper. So did the surgery help is the question everyone been asking me? I will see the full picture hopefully in a month or 2. My cough got a little better.