The Day of Surgery Part III - Going Home

The next day I heard that I was going home. Yay. They discharge people by 11am usually. The ride MUST be here. I mean they really pressed that fact, in paperwork, signs, everything. Like they may leave us at the curb if our ride is late.

I went for a walk that day. Alllllllll the way down and back. That was only three walks total. I was supposed to walk about nine times. I lived so it's alright. My surgeon was to come in and talk to me before it was time to go home.

I had some broth. Yum. It didn't hurt, didn't feel weird. It was nice. They also gave me a bottle of IsoPure protein water. Not the best tasting stuff, but its protein. A little tiny bit per huge bottle but still. At the liquid stage its kind of important.

A bit later my surgeon did come in with the nutritionist. They poked at my wounds. My surgeon was on my right and took my hand and was walking about how wrong the directions on the board were while the nutritionist was poking at my drain tube. On tubes...damn, I forgot.

I had my catheter removed the previous day. Weird feeling that was, but they needed to know I could go to the bathroom on my own. I did a couple times. Woo. Had to mention that so people don't think they may be on the tube the entire time there. Anyway...back to the drain tube.

The Nut. was looking at the drain tube and she said "little pinch". My surgeon said something and I cant recall what, I said "I'll live.". Right after I said that there was a ripping sound. I'm not sure if it was the tape or the wound itself. It hurt so bad and I said "Ow". I mean it really hurt, holy moly. Owww. As if THAT wasn't bad enough, my surgeon goes "Okay funny feeling." as the tube was pulled out very, very fast.

I cant describe it. I felt a tube slither around on my guts. How can you describe it? I tell people "You know the phrase where people say they feel like a goose just walked over their grave, well that's what it felt like.". It's the only way I can describe it.

The tubes were out, I cant recall when the IV was taken out. That hurt a bit, I didn't know it was a big tube in my arm and not a little needle. The tubes were all out though. Freedom! I was given the okay to go home. I had to sign some things and get my stuff together. I called my dad and he came to get me.

Funny note, I was waiting for him, I blinked asleep for five minutes, opened my eyes and he was watching TV next to me. I mean it felt like I blinked for one second. I asked for some lortab before going home, just in case. Got all my things together, wore my new robe, it was fun.

Got a wheelchair. The nurse asked if I wanted one and I thought about walking down several halls, into the elevator, through more halls, to the parking lot and to the car. Yeah...think Ill take the chair. First time in one and it was fun being pushed around, the only hospital amusement ride. The driver of that wheelchair was funny and rather crazy. He walked fast! Wheee. Into the car and on to the road by 11am. My house was only ten minutes away. My headache went away when I got into the car.

I went home, I walked around fine. The six stairs to my room were fine. Laying down wasn't fun and sleeping was hard. I tried sleeping in a recliner but it made me nervous, I thought I would snap my cats up in the chair. I did like sitting in it though, the reason is a little different...

My tailbone was numb. It had been for those days in the hospital. It was totally numb, when more pressure was put on it it was even more numb. Standing didn't help. Nothing did. I read about nerve damage that can happen from just laying in one spot after surgery. This numbness lasted a week or two then once I was able to sleep on my stomach suddenly I felt the pressure go away and it went back to normal. Weird.

So I'm back home! This would have been December 10th I believe. I got a scale by the time I went in for surgery, I weighed a ten pound bag of sugar on it and the scale read ten pounds. I stood on it and it said 274. That was my pre-op weight and I consider it my starting weight. Why? I like to think of how much I lost "since surgery". I will sometimes add in what I lost before surgery too. I started at 289 I believe. Big change since then. Ill get to that later though, this post was just about December 10th.

Some of the next posts Ill do by week I think.