SURGERY DAY

Surgery is over. I'm banded and home recovering after one night in the hospital. I might mention, this was a BRAND NEW hospital. Everything totally state-of-the-art, all private rooms each of which include a kitchenette and monstrous flatscreen television with wireless internet and a wireless keyboard on the bedside table. The room was twice as big as many hotel rooms I have stayed in. Amazing. I kinda didn't want to leave!!

I walked myself into the operating room and climbed up on to the operating table. Very shorty thereafter things went a bit fuzzy as the anesthesiologist gave me a sedative through my IV......and that's the last I remember until waking up in recovery. Within a couple of hours I was tucked into my hospital room, playing a word game on the big screen and sucking on ice chips.

I have five small incisions.The nurses were in my room, checking vitals every two hours so it wasn't a great nights sleep, but I was warm and very comfortable through most of the night.

Painful? Yes. Getting up out of bed was painful because I have to use all those abdominal muscles and they've had a bit of a trauma with all the laprascope stuff. But I also had a nice, steady flow of pain medication and on the scale of 1-10 with 10 being excruciating like if you got your hand slammed in the car door, honestly it was never over a 7 or so. When I walk around I can feel it in my tummy, too. Like it's tied up in little knifey knots in there. But it's not unbearable and every hour it gets a little bit better.

This morning I had the swallow test in front of the scope so they could make sure everything was flowing correctly and once passing that, was clear to go home.

And here I sit.
At home, in my jammies, under a blanket, sipping hot tea and waiting for my daughter to get back from the pharmacy with the pain meds. Coughing? No fun. Deep breathing? Very important and getting easier.

The required protocol from my surgeon is: 2 days of clear liquids followed by 2 weeks of a liquid diet, adding protein shakes, milk and soups. I'll be very excited to move out of the clear liquids as I've been "enjoying them" for 2 weeks already. Turkey broth for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.

Oh well, at least I don't have to get up early to cook it!

And I am sooooooooo glad to be sleeping in my own bed tonight.