chivasgirl
New Member
Can I first stay thanks to everyone who wished me well and offered their support, it has been much appreciated. Particular thanks go to Vicky (Craftygirl), Rachael (Naughty Puppy) who came to visit me on Sunday, and Terri (Tesmerelda) who has been checking on my progress daily and updating here directly after my op to keep you all updated!!! 
Had my op on Friday 19th after going in on the morning (5.30am had to leave home!!!). Terrified. Just kept focussed and eventually there I was back in recovery. Unfortunately I was quite sick which was a mixture of the morphine and the smell of the oxygen mask, as I have an ultra-strong sense of smell anyway! So kept taking the mask off, they kept putting it back on but left it in the end and when back on the ward I got a nasal oxygen thing instead. Went into surgery about 10.30 and back in the ward at about 3.30 after a while in recovery because of the vomiting.
There was a small problem with a gastric vessel between my stomach and spleen and the surgeon had thought my spleen would have to come out, but fortunately not.
Had very bad shoulder pain from the trapped wind that night, but hubby spent most of the two hours visiting time rubbing it for me and it eased right off.
Next day, Saturday, I felt great!!! Really truly felt good. The nurses told me to watch out, it wouldn't be so good on the Sunday. They were right!!! I had a shower on the Saturday, aided by a lovely kindly nurse who was obviously used to having to help larger people wash their bits and pieces after a bypass!!! But it felt SO good to shower.
Made a bit of a silly mistake - I didn't tolerate the morphine at all well and kept being sick, so decided just to have the paracetamol, but once it came to not having it in the drip, I had to have dissolvable... they took so long to drink that I started turning them down.... Huge mistake. Never let the drugs wear off, it takes too long for them to build up again!!!!
Sunday I had two bypass visitors!! One pre, one post op, so it was good to show the preop friend how we all were - there were 3 others in at the same time, one who had her op the same day, the other two the day after. It was also lovely for Vicky (Craftygirl) to show how well she had done so far, it was really encouraging for the other girls who were in.
The night staff in general at the hospital were thoroughly unpleasant. They had NO respect for the two elderly ladies on our ward, dignity in patient care was noticeably absent.
On Monday the other lady who had her op at the same time as me, and I were told we could go home. Went to the shower, came back and no bed, it had already been filled!!!!!!!!!!! Now I understand that they need the beds, and no doubt this happened on the Friday for us to get our beds too!!!, but my stuff was sort of dumped in a pile and I had to sort it all out, while not even being able to bend properly!!! However, they went to the trouble of getting my medicines etc ready so I could leave earlier, as hubby came straight away when I told him, and it was a long drive home (50 miles). Pillow advice was taken and was possibly one of the best pieces of advice I'd had!!! Slept most of the way.
Got home Monday afternoon around 1pm. Got straight into bed, it looked so comfortable. I had been worried about our bed, as we have a water bed which is not in the best nick at the moment, it moves too much. But it was BLISS!!!!!!!!!!! It just enveloped me and I felt so good. I went to sleep for a couple of hours and then came downstairs and sat in front of the telly for the rest of the evening. Slept pretty well til about 5am, so got up, had to go to the loo for a no. 2 which was interesting!!!, had some more paracetamol and fell asleep on the sofa.
Yesterday hubby took me to his mum's on the way to work, as we thought it would be a really good idea for me to be around people in case there were any issues with the spleen (surgeon had warned me to look out for certain signs which actually mirrored the trapped wind, so hmmm, how do I know which is which!!).
Unfortunately the day was not good, couldn't rest or relax, 18 month old niece was there, my 4.5 month old puppy was there and there was no control over her going in and out, and at one point she had gone out when the door was left open and I went to find her, in a bit of a panic, and she'd gone right over to the main road (where my mother-in-law's own 6 month old pup was killed last year...). So relaxing wasn't possible!!!
So today I've stayed home, been told off for taking one piece of washing out of the machine every time I went into the garden to check the dog was okay, to hang on the line!!! Ooops, won't do that again, forgot I'd have to stretch to hang things up. I've felt tons better today, a bit uncomfortable now at 6pm, but alot better than yesterday. Most of the wind pain has gone I think, or at least moved.
Guts in general feel just like they have been pulled out, messed around with and pushed back in again!! Haven't got alot of energy but managing to get a good amount of fluids in. Only thing which has strongly disagreed with me is the strawberry fortimel I tried earlier. Just having some milk with NAS raspberry crusha, as I just can't stand milk on its own and the coffee didn't go down well.
Just looking forward now to feeling well enough to go out of the house properly, visit friends, go to supermarket etc, but I'm not pushing it, it just isn't worth risking setbacks. My work colleagues are coming to visit at the end of the week for a bit, so I'm really looking forward to that! Got GP appt on Friday for the week postop blood tests and a check of my wound, and all in all I am actually quite shocked I only had this op 5 days ago!!!
I know this is a long post, but I know how much I appreciated this kind of post when I was waiting for my op!!!!
Have to rest now!!!!
Had my op on Friday 19th after going in on the morning (5.30am had to leave home!!!). Terrified. Just kept focussed and eventually there I was back in recovery. Unfortunately I was quite sick which was a mixture of the morphine and the smell of the oxygen mask, as I have an ultra-strong sense of smell anyway! So kept taking the mask off, they kept putting it back on but left it in the end and when back on the ward I got a nasal oxygen thing instead. Went into surgery about 10.30 and back in the ward at about 3.30 after a while in recovery because of the vomiting.
There was a small problem with a gastric vessel between my stomach and spleen and the surgeon had thought my spleen would have to come out, but fortunately not.
Had very bad shoulder pain from the trapped wind that night, but hubby spent most of the two hours visiting time rubbing it for me and it eased right off.
Next day, Saturday, I felt great!!! Really truly felt good. The nurses told me to watch out, it wouldn't be so good on the Sunday. They were right!!! I had a shower on the Saturday, aided by a lovely kindly nurse who was obviously used to having to help larger people wash their bits and pieces after a bypass!!! But it felt SO good to shower.
Made a bit of a silly mistake - I didn't tolerate the morphine at all well and kept being sick, so decided just to have the paracetamol, but once it came to not having it in the drip, I had to have dissolvable... they took so long to drink that I started turning them down.... Huge mistake. Never let the drugs wear off, it takes too long for them to build up again!!!!
Sunday I had two bypass visitors!! One pre, one post op, so it was good to show the preop friend how we all were - there were 3 others in at the same time, one who had her op the same day, the other two the day after. It was also lovely for Vicky (Craftygirl) to show how well she had done so far, it was really encouraging for the other girls who were in.
The night staff in general at the hospital were thoroughly unpleasant. They had NO respect for the two elderly ladies on our ward, dignity in patient care was noticeably absent.
On Monday the other lady who had her op at the same time as me, and I were told we could go home. Went to the shower, came back and no bed, it had already been filled!!!!!!!!!!! Now I understand that they need the beds, and no doubt this happened on the Friday for us to get our beds too!!!, but my stuff was sort of dumped in a pile and I had to sort it all out, while not even being able to bend properly!!! However, they went to the trouble of getting my medicines etc ready so I could leave earlier, as hubby came straight away when I told him, and it was a long drive home (50 miles). Pillow advice was taken and was possibly one of the best pieces of advice I'd had!!! Slept most of the way.
Got home Monday afternoon around 1pm. Got straight into bed, it looked so comfortable. I had been worried about our bed, as we have a water bed which is not in the best nick at the moment, it moves too much. But it was BLISS!!!!!!!!!!! It just enveloped me and I felt so good. I went to sleep for a couple of hours and then came downstairs and sat in front of the telly for the rest of the evening. Slept pretty well til about 5am, so got up, had to go to the loo for a no. 2 which was interesting!!!, had some more paracetamol and fell asleep on the sofa.
Yesterday hubby took me to his mum's on the way to work, as we thought it would be a really good idea for me to be around people in case there were any issues with the spleen (surgeon had warned me to look out for certain signs which actually mirrored the trapped wind, so hmmm, how do I know which is which!!).
Unfortunately the day was not good, couldn't rest or relax, 18 month old niece was there, my 4.5 month old puppy was there and there was no control over her going in and out, and at one point she had gone out when the door was left open and I went to find her, in a bit of a panic, and she'd gone right over to the main road (where my mother-in-law's own 6 month old pup was killed last year...). So relaxing wasn't possible!!!
So today I've stayed home, been told off for taking one piece of washing out of the machine every time I went into the garden to check the dog was okay, to hang on the line!!! Ooops, won't do that again, forgot I'd have to stretch to hang things up. I've felt tons better today, a bit uncomfortable now at 6pm, but alot better than yesterday. Most of the wind pain has gone I think, or at least moved.
Guts in general feel just like they have been pulled out, messed around with and pushed back in again!! Haven't got alot of energy but managing to get a good amount of fluids in. Only thing which has strongly disagreed with me is the strawberry fortimel I tried earlier. Just having some milk with NAS raspberry crusha, as I just can't stand milk on its own and the coffee didn't go down well.
Just looking forward now to feeling well enough to go out of the house properly, visit friends, go to supermarket etc, but I'm not pushing it, it just isn't worth risking setbacks. My work colleagues are coming to visit at the end of the week for a bit, so I'm really looking forward to that! Got GP appt on Friday for the week postop blood tests and a check of my wound, and all in all I am actually quite shocked I only had this op 5 days ago!!!
I know this is a long post, but I know how much I appreciated this kind of post when I was waiting for my op!!!!
Have to rest now!!!!
