Week of September 22, 2014
This is the first week of recovery had its highs and its lows. The highs came in having my best friend here to help me in my recovery to gain my strength, cook for me and my family, and just spend time with me and catching up. Lows came in bouts of pain, gas pain, and believing I could do more than I actually could.
I have never been one to ask for help, or see my limitations. When I was a kid, I had to help take care of my 4 little sisters and taking care of myself was never a priority. Sometimes I would look at my responsibilities as a big sister as a burden, and other times, I saw that I could be all that stood between my step father's rage and evil in getting to them. When my mom finally divorced him, my role as a secondary care giver increased. One time when I was in the grocery store buying groceries with my littlest sister (14 years my junior) she accidentally called me mom and people heard and stared. It's funny now, but then I was a mortified teenager. So, relying on myself became necessary, and leaning on others wasn't something I was ever comfortable with.
If I didn't have my best friend here, I truly believe that my recovery would have been even slower than it was. She would do some restorative yoga on me to increase circulation and promote healing, and I could tell in small ways that it was helping me. I started to get outside and walk down the street and back, and I did it twice in the day. The next day, was a true low for me. I finally had a bowel movement after 7 days, it was painful, took everything out of me, and I felt like I had taken a big leap back in my recovery. I spent all day sitting, and using the bathroom several times during the day. This was definitely a low for me!
On September 25 I took my measurements to see my progress beyond the scale:
Neck: 14"
Left upper arm: 17 1/2"
Upper chest: 56"
Lower chest: 46"
Waist: 48 1/4"
Hips: 70 1/2"
Left thigh: 39"
Calf: 19 1/2"
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Sunday, October 5, 2014
September 22, 2014
It was nice to wake up at home, but I was up at 4:30am needing a pain pill. I took it and settled in to my recliner, and am excited that my best friend in the whole world is coming to see me and help out tonight from San Diego! It was a bit of a rough day, not being able to get much of the boost down and even less water. I walked several times though back and forth the length of the house. I have been taking naps in the afternoon in my recliner as it is more comfortable sitting upright. At about 10pm I started getting such severe, painful gas and nothing was helping. During the surgery they filled my abdomen with gas for the surgeon to see during the laproscopic procedure, and now it's working its way out, and not very graciously! Christi got here at around 11:30 and boy I was in a lot of gas pain, but I was over the moon she was here. I gave her a hug and went to bed. The next morning she will begin some restorative yoga therapy on me, and I know that it will help me heal and feel so much better.
It was nice to wake up at home, but I was up at 4:30am needing a pain pill. I took it and settled in to my recliner, and am excited that my best friend in the whole world is coming to see me and help out tonight from San Diego! It was a bit of a rough day, not being able to get much of the boost down and even less water. I walked several times though back and forth the length of the house. I have been taking naps in the afternoon in my recliner as it is more comfortable sitting upright. At about 10pm I started getting such severe, painful gas and nothing was helping. During the surgery they filled my abdomen with gas for the surgeon to see during the laproscopic procedure, and now it's working its way out, and not very graciously! Christi got here at around 11:30 and boy I was in a lot of gas pain, but I was over the moon she was here. I gave her a hug and went to bed. The next morning she will begin some restorative yoga therapy on me, and I know that it will help me heal and feel so much better.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
September 20, 2014
I am in the hospital thinking that I will get to go home, but that is not going to happen today. I began running a fever, and my blood sugars were not in control. So, they are keeping me another night, and to be honest I am fine with it because after this scary surgery I preferred to be close to help if I need it. The fever was 101.6 and the blood sugars are in the 300's, so one more day, just one more day. I was able to walk several times during the day and get in 3 liquid boosts in as well, so besides what was keeping me in the hospital, I was doing okay.
September 21, 2014
Woke up fever free, and blood sugars are in the 200's, so today is the day I get to go home! They released me at 3pm, and the drive home was a little painful, every bump hurt but I am so glad to be going home. The doctor sent me home with oxycodone for the pain, and I am not shy to take it, because to tell the truth pain hurts! The nurses told me that if I am in pain that healing is more difficult. My first night at home I was in the most pain during the night while I was trying to sleep!! This went on for about 3 nights and then I called the surgical nurse and she told me that I shouldn't be laying flat, but no one told me. They should have told me this when I was released from the hospital. When I put more pillows to raise my head and I finally slept very comfortably.
I am in the hospital thinking that I will get to go home, but that is not going to happen today. I began running a fever, and my blood sugars were not in control. So, they are keeping me another night, and to be honest I am fine with it because after this scary surgery I preferred to be close to help if I need it. The fever was 101.6 and the blood sugars are in the 300's, so one more day, just one more day. I was able to walk several times during the day and get in 3 liquid boosts in as well, so besides what was keeping me in the hospital, I was doing okay.
September 21, 2014
Woke up fever free, and blood sugars are in the 200's, so today is the day I get to go home! They released me at 3pm, and the drive home was a little painful, every bump hurt but I am so glad to be going home. The doctor sent me home with oxycodone for the pain, and I am not shy to take it, because to tell the truth pain hurts! The nurses told me that if I am in pain that healing is more difficult. My first night at home I was in the most pain during the night while I was trying to sleep!! This went on for about 3 nights and then I called the surgical nurse and she told me that I shouldn't be laying flat, but no one told me. They should have told me this when I was released from the hospital. When I put more pillows to raise my head and I finally slept very comfortably.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
September 18, 2014, the day of my surgery is here. I checked in at 8:30 to be prepped for surgery. I can tell you that praying helped, but I was still very scared. In comes a wonderful friend to pray over me and my husband and daughter. As she was praying, tears were streaming from my eyes, not out of fear, but out of gratitude for her, my family, my friends, and the Lord who are supporting me through this journey, and will be there for me whenever I need.
Rewind to my childhood, when there was no one that I could trust or go to, because of a step father who was in all sense of the word...Evil. When I was 7 years old my mom married a man from Alaska, whom she knew for less than a year before they married. Not long after, we went to Alaska to start a new life with him, and his family in Sitka, Alaska. This was the beginning of the end for the innocent child in me. When everyone was asleep in his mother's house one night, he took away my childhood. And, continued to violate me until I was 14. He was a drunk who beat my mother, and yet she stayed with him. During those 7 years I never felt safe or protected. I certainly couldn't tell anyone, and the one time I did tell someone, he got me alone and threatened to slit my throat, so in doing so I said I was lying. Everything went back to the normal I knew until I was 14 and had the courage to tell my mom again, and I am not sure what convinced her, because the first time I had said something she didn't believe me. The violation of my body at 14 had finally ended, but the violation of my spirit continued. I began putting on weight to hide in the world, because who wants a fat girl right?
September 18, 2014, I went into surgery at 10:30 and was in the step down ICU by 3:30 and I was not very lucid. I had a personal pain button to administer pain medication as needed. Apparently I had visitors but I have no memory until the next day to begin recovery.
September 19, 2014, 5am, the nurse comes in to wake me, and weigh me. I was completely freaked out when I stepped on the scale and was 13 pounds heavier than the day before. Thankfully the nurse told me that it was normal and due to the surgery and fluids thats how it is for everyone who has the surgery. So, they bring in my first post operative meal, and it was "breeze" a clear liquid version of boost...yuck! I had to tolerate that before I could move back to boost, which isn't much better than breeze. I tolerated it just fine, and let the liquid diet continue. I had to drink 1oz every 15 minutes, alternating with sips of water or ice chips. This was pretty easy, but I wasn't very mobile yet. I still had a catheter in and had to walk with it, which was a little uncomfortable, but they want you to move as quickly as possible to encourage healing. I think I made it 25 feet before I had to turn around and go back to my hospital room, but it was a start. The catheter came out later that day, and I felt a little more free to move about. I walked about 5 times that day and made it a little farther each time. I thought I would be out of the hospital the next day like my surgeon said, but that was not to be.
Rewind to my childhood, when there was no one that I could trust or go to, because of a step father who was in all sense of the word...Evil. When I was 7 years old my mom married a man from Alaska, whom she knew for less than a year before they married. Not long after, we went to Alaska to start a new life with him, and his family in Sitka, Alaska. This was the beginning of the end for the innocent child in me. When everyone was asleep in his mother's house one night, he took away my childhood. And, continued to violate me until I was 14. He was a drunk who beat my mother, and yet she stayed with him. During those 7 years I never felt safe or protected. I certainly couldn't tell anyone, and the one time I did tell someone, he got me alone and threatened to slit my throat, so in doing so I said I was lying. Everything went back to the normal I knew until I was 14 and had the courage to tell my mom again, and I am not sure what convinced her, because the first time I had said something she didn't believe me. The violation of my body at 14 had finally ended, but the violation of my spirit continued. I began putting on weight to hide in the world, because who wants a fat girl right?
September 18, 2014, I went into surgery at 10:30 and was in the step down ICU by 3:30 and I was not very lucid. I had a personal pain button to administer pain medication as needed. Apparently I had visitors but I have no memory until the next day to begin recovery.
September 19, 2014, 5am, the nurse comes in to wake me, and weigh me. I was completely freaked out when I stepped on the scale and was 13 pounds heavier than the day before. Thankfully the nurse told me that it was normal and due to the surgery and fluids thats how it is for everyone who has the surgery. So, they bring in my first post operative meal, and it was "breeze" a clear liquid version of boost...yuck! I had to tolerate that before I could move back to boost, which isn't much better than breeze. I tolerated it just fine, and let the liquid diet continue. I had to drink 1oz every 15 minutes, alternating with sips of water or ice chips. This was pretty easy, but I wasn't very mobile yet. I still had a catheter in and had to walk with it, which was a little uncomfortable, but they want you to move as quickly as possible to encourage healing. I think I made it 25 feet before I had to turn around and go back to my hospital room, but it was a start. The catheter came out later that day, and I felt a little more free to move about. I walked about 5 times that day and made it a little farther each time. I thought I would be out of the hospital the next day like my surgeon said, but that was not to be.
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