I can’t believe it’s getting towards the end of March. It’s been 5 months since my surgery. First, and foremost, surgery was worth it a million billion percent. I feel like I’m getting my life back. I’ve gained almost 15 lbs. That’s right, GAINED. I don’t know the last time I said I’ve gained weight, and this time it’s going to stay.
I’m also a little diabetic now. That could still go away, or get worse. Right now I’m on 8 units of a long lasting insulin (lantus) once a day and that’s it. It’s been corrected a couple of times in the last few months. I check my blood sugar before big meals, or three times a day. Right now it’s well controlled in the 110s.
So how was surgery? It sucked. LOL.
Initally I spent three weeks in the hospital. When I came back lucid I was in my own room. I really don’t remember the ICU. The only part of ICU that I remember is the nurses trying to roll me, or move me, and having a panic attack because it was so painful. Apparently they gave me more drugs and tried it again later, I really don’t remember.
I do remember waking up in my own room. I woke up with a drainage tube in my abdomen, a stomach drainage tube, feeding tube, oxygen, a pik line in my neck, iv’s, monitors….
After a few days they got me out of bed to use a commode next to the bed. I needed lots of help. In fact, I needed a lot of help for a good week to use the bathroom next to the bed. The doctors and nurses got me started in physical theraphy right away, relearning how to get up and move and get out of bed…weeks later walking and getting into a sitting position and climbing stairs….
After a few weeks there was still some discrepancies between doctors on whether or not I could start eating, so I was given food. Soft foods. I was happy. Spend a couple weeks not eating, and whether you feel up to it or not, you’ll want food. I was still on a feeding tube and a stomach drainage tube. After three weeks, and still feeling really rough, I was sent home. At this point I was on liquid methadone (directly into the feeding tube port) for pain. I was also on an anti-naseau medication that I was taking quite often.
I spent a week at home before going back to the hospital, and during that week I ate quite a bit of food. And vomitted a lot. And took a lot of anti-naseau medication. It didn’t help. It was getting bad. I don’t remember what exactly made me go back to the hospital but I’m sure it was pain. The local ER did x-rays and kept me for a while, then sent me back to the twin cities to the surgeon. They let me go by personal vehicle. UM-Fairview did a strait admission, re-did all the tests and then did some more. They kept me for 8 days. I had an obstruction. I should have never been allowed to eat in the first place. Those 8 days in the hospital were days with nothing by mouth. Nothing to eat or drink. And that diet continued after they released me.
I have to add here that you haven’t really seen anything until you’ve seen doctors and nurses sucking out your insides through a stomach drainage tube every hour or so for a few days. Flush with water and repeat until the siphon is clogged with chunks of food, or the water starts to come back clear instead of green sludge. You’re welcome for that little bit.
For the next couple months I had nothing by mouth. From Nov until the beginning of Jan, until I could keep the stomach drainage tube closed without getting sick for an extended amount of time, I was not allowed to have anything by mouth. I lived on the feeding tube. I lost more weight. I was getting enough fat and calories where I should have been gaining weight, but I still lost 1-2 lbs a month. I went down to 98 lbs. (And have I mentioned I’m 5′8″?) When I was told I could have some juice, nothing could have made me happier. And food? HOLY SHIT! FOOD!
Pain was an issue. Even after coming home, being on methadone, being on oxycodone, I was in a lot of pain. A lot. I was in the ER every week for pain control. Every couple days it seemed I was back at the hospital for something. Pain medication, x-rays, MRIs, consults…And I had a home nurse.
In January everything changed. My stomach started working again. I started getting energy back. I felt better. Then we started getting me off of methadone. It didn’t go so well. I ended up in the worst pain of my life. In fact, worst pain doesn’t begin to deescribe the pain. Morphine, dulodid, something stronger, then fentanyl. Lots of fentanyl. My own fentanyl pain pump, then an ambulance ride back down to UM-Fairview. Turns out I was just in withdrawls. Methadone is not a fun drug to be on, or come down off of. My doctor started me back up on methadone and after I was stable again we took me back off of it even slower. The second time around it went much smoother.
Now I’m rarely in pain bad enough to take anything. In fact, it’s been weeks, months?, since I was. I’m still on reglan 4 times a day to make my stomach/digestive system work. It’s slow otherwise. I do, and always will have to, take digestive enzymes every time I eat. And that’s about it. Oh, and no more drinking for me. One drink a week and no getting drunk. Doc’s orders. I’ve never been much of a drink though, so…not a big deal.
Physically I still can’t do a sit up. Not even if it was to save my life. My core is still really weak. I did just get permission to start exercising again though. I’ve started rock climbing (no falls) and power walking on a treadmill. No sit-ups for me, they’re apparently the worst thing I can do.
I’ve been back at work since the end of Jan. Overall I took about 16 weeks off of work. I had to come back by the first of Feb for insurance reasons and I made that goal. And thank god for that insurance, over that period of time they paid out about $300,000.