WELL WELL WELL.. can you even believe it is over with!! I'd have to say that the surgery date and the day after was the worst. Since then It has been down hill. I think Swedish is a great hospital but having your own room has got to be the best way to go and that is not the way at Swedish. The nurses and staff were all very nice. I guess having your own room isn't that big of a deal in the grand sceam of things but it would have been nice. So where do I start? I checked in at the front and was basically asked all the questions I answered at my pre op testing appointment. After that I went to pre op took my cloths off,put them in a bag, got up on a bed in a room with about 15 other beds and waited for a nurse. I answered what seem to be all the same questions again for the second time in one day and then waited for the anastisiologist and Dr. T. I meet with both of them and then they gave me something to calm the nerves. I wasn't really nervious but the anastisiologist said it can't hurt we give it so you might as well take it. (so my suggestion to everyone take it:o)) Next thing I know they are wheeling me in surgery. I meet another Doctor in the operating room, don't remember his name but he said he is there to assist Dr. T. he was very nice. After that it's all a blurrrr:o). I don't even remember it being over and me in recovery. When I get my memory back they are wheeling me into my room and this lovely nurse is helping me get situated in my bed which seemed like it took forever. I say lovely because it must have been a half hour before I stopped bugging her I just couldn't get comfortable and she was this little thing pulling me, I'm laughing now as I write, but I wasn't to plesent at the time.
Like I said earlier the first probably 24 hours was hell. So pump your pain meds, and take the nausia medication or supositories and just deal with it. Because, It gets better. The ice chips really helped so chew them all the time. I got to finally do my leak test. They rolled me down to xray and had me get on the table drink this nasty stuff and breath and stop, breath and stop. The test was ok and it was back up to my room from there. They then took my tube out and that was vertually the worst experience of all. I through up in the process. I finally got to blow my nose, that was a relief and well it seems smooth sailing from there. The days got better but the comfort of the hospital bed did not. I never realized how weak my back muscles were. I had my cathiter taken out as soon as possible because it was driving me crazy. I happen to have my period the same time of the surgery so not having a pad was getting quite messy and a real drag too. I also ended up having a Urinary Tract Infection that was there before I had surgery, Such is life. My only advise here is, Be sure you are up to getting up everytime you have to pee before you stop using the cathiter. By Sunday it was nice to have visitors. My family came, Aunt Uncle, cousin, Daughter (I'll tell that story later) sister from Grand Junction, father, Mother, and friends(Denise her husband, Tina, Miranda, Penny, Ken. It was funny everyone came one after another it could not have been planned any better. Thanks to everyone for the flowers, cards and calls. Susan you are a God send being an Angle calling me just as I had questions and didn't even know it. Well that's it for now, I have two friends going in for surgery Monday back to back. And another friend going to get a Tummy Tuck Tuesday. If you reading this and you live in the surronding Denver, metro area in Colorado please come to the support group at Littleton Hospital the first Friday of every month:o) TTFN