They asked me to wipe down my belly and really clean out my belly button with surgical wipes. Then I just laid there as the pre-op nurse took vitals, hooked up heart monitoring stickers and leads, and 2 IVs were started and kept on my left arm (one was on the top of the hand and the bigger one was on the forearm underarm area).
The registration person from the hospital got me registered for surgery. I got my advance directive scanned and will be included in my medical record as well. The anesthesiologist, the operating nurse, and the doctor all came in to make sure I was me and I knew that plus why I was there. Luckily, I answered all of the questions correctly.
Then I was wheeled to one of the furthest surgical rooms (at least it seemed that way). They checked my name, etc. again and then they put medication in my IV that put me to sleep. I woke up in recovery around noon. I was very sleepy and kept falling asleep. They didn't have any postsurgery inpatient rooms available until around 3pm. Everyone working in the recovery area was wonderful. They had compression devices on my legs and I had an oxygen tube plus the IV fluids. I could not focus my eyes on any text on my phone, probably due to the pain medication. I was also wearing a large abdominal binder which stayed on the whole hospital stay.
When I got up to the room (4120), I met my day nurse and medical assistant. They set me up in the recliner type chair with a pulse ox meter, took my vitals and gave me a Gatorade. It was a huge single room. Felt like I won the lottery or something. Then John arrived and stayed until 4:30 when he had to leave for a meeting. The staff gave me painkillers when I asked for them and I even got a lunch tray.... Jell-O, decaf iced tea, chicken broth, and a small bottle of water. I got nauseous after eating a couple of spoons of the Jell-O but didn't vomit. I then got some Zofran antinausea medication. I was ambulatory, walked to the bathroom and a little around the room. Then I got a dinner tray with the same items. I ate half of the Jell-O this time. John came back from 5:30 to 7 and I walked some more. Then the night nurse, Christine, and medical assistant, Sheila, arrived.
Christine came back in about 8 pm and was surprised that I was not on any IV fluids. I was moving myself to the bed at this point. So she set up the fluids, set up the compression devices on my calves, and had the medical assistant set up the heart monitoring leads. She made sure I had everything I needed, including more Dilaudid. I feel asleep until 2:30. Then I rang for help to the toilet (with the IV) and Shelia came to help. Once that was done, I mentioned going for a walk and Christine unhooked the IV and I took a walk around the whole floor. Got some more painkillers. The other excitement was that I tooted which showed my digestive system was working.
I slept again until 7:00 am when the shift change happened. I was given a vitamin B12 shot and some folic acid via the IV. I got another bottle of Gatorade and a breakfast tray. I walked around a bit more. Then the doctor came by around 10:30 am. He said everything looked great and put in my discharge orders. John arrived around 11:00 am.
The home prescriptions were delivered to my room. A medical assistant came in and read off the discharge instructions. My IVs were removed by a wonderful medical assistant. I got dressed and we headed home. We arrived around 12:30 pm
I made it into the house and then sat down on the couch and zonked out.
After that nap, I opened up two packages that were waiting for me. My best friends sent me a robe and slippers for my recovery (see picture at top). 💜
Then I slept some more, ate a bit of Jell-O, and 3 sugar-free Popsicles plus sipped lots of water. I watched some TV with John and Rose and then zonked out again on the couch. Around 2:30 am, I took my first Dilaudid and went to bed. I tried lying down without the binder on and my belly said no. Even with the binder on, It hurt at first but was fine once the painkiller kicked in.
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