SLEEVED 19/9/17
Well...I got sleeved! I am still in hospital just waiting for my doctor to come and visit me today. I got sleeved on the afternoon of Tuesday 19th September, and it is currently 12pm on the afternoon of Friday 22nd September - so I am almost 3 full days out - or almost exactly 72 hours.
I thought I would take you through my experience!
TUESDAY 19th - I got to the hospital at 12.30pm for admission and went in around 3.30pm. I was lucky to have a lovely private room with a big window onto a garden, and I got to check in and sort all my stuff out while I waited. I was given the first of 4 anti-embolism injections in my thigh and it hurt.
Tuesday night I was post surgery, I told the nurse in recovery that I felt nauseous and she loaded me up on anti-nausea. My whole family was there when I got wheeled back into my room but I barely remember it as I was so spaced out on drugs.
During the night I had to get up to go to the toilet a few times and it was painful because of my stomach. I was on morphine, though, so I noticed this less than the night after and I got loads of help from the lovely nurses. All was well.
WEDNESDAY 20th - This was my worst day in terms of the recovery so far. This is probably a good sign though - aka every single day I have woken up, I have felt better.
When I was laying in my bed I felt ok. I was dosed up on intravenous panadol, IV fluids, IV anti-nausea and at night an anti-reflux med. Also another painful thigh injection for the anti-embolism.
I truly did feel ok in bed, but the difference with Wednesday was that the surgery meds had worn off and I felt the pain in my stomach more. It was not internal pain - it was - and remains - external muscular pain. Imagine your personal trainer makes you do 2000 sit ups. That is what you are dealing with. Getting into and out of bed to go to the toilet was dreadful - but once back in bed I really couldn't complain. I was full of gas from the operation and this made it really difficult to breathe while I did simple things like walk 2 meters to the toilet.
The other gross aspect to Wednesday was my 'swallow x-ray'. I was wheeled in a wheelchair to the Radiology department whereupon I promptly informed the nurse that I was not feeling my best. She vowed to only make me stand up for the shortest possible time. I was then given a shot glass of milky liquid which tasted a bit like liquorice - but not in a good way - told to swallow some and get on the X-ray platform to stand. The doctor came in and they started taking pictures. This was a disaster. I only lasted about 50 seconds before I almost fainted and asked to be sat back in my chair. A look of genuine concern crossed the face of the doctor and he had me promptly sent back to bed - saying we would try again tomorrow. LEARN FROM THIS - I KNEW it was too soon and I went for it anyway. Don't. Tell the nurses if you aren't feeling up to something. Take your recovery at your own pace.
After this, it was more of the same in terms of bed/toilet trips. I did not sleep well that night...I stupidly did not ask for morphine so I just had IV panadol but the pain wasn't the issue. It was a feeling of discomfort and helplessness.
THURSDAY 21st - Yesterday was a mixed bag.
On the negative side, it was when serious cabin-fever really began to sink in. I just wanted to be well and get out of my room. I am sick and tired of feeling pain when I launch myself out of bed and I resented my guests for their mobility. I knew I had two nights to go in the hospital and I just was not happy.
On the positive, it was when I started to feel better. I had my first shower and new sheets - life-changing. I first began to really notice how gassed up I am. I was absolutely full of gas - and trying to fart or burp it out was difficult. I needed to walk around, which my mum assisted me with and which really helped. I started liquids - just sips of Water. This also helped move the gas. I began to feel less tight in the abdomen and I could breathe better.
NOTE: If you are getting excruciating pain in your shoulder, it's the gas!!!! get them to give you a heat pack for it - it really, really helps.
Last night I also asked for morphine to help me sleep - this was another huge win as I really did sleep and sleep does so much for recovery. I was out cold by 10pm and woke up only once or twice before 8am.
FRIDAY 22nd - So far, so good. Another shower - new sheets again - and I am not back in civilian pyjamas. The sun is out, my window is open for fresh air and I have some flowers. Life is beginning to look like it could go back to 'normal' again. I am in a pretty good mood.
A lot more gas left me last night...so I feel less stuffed. I am sipping apple juice and water and it makes an unpleasant bubbling of gas in my belly....is this normal??
I am on fewer drugs - just anti-nausea which I barely needed and I am still on my IV fluids. They are making moves to remove certain bits and pieces from my care, so I know they are preparing to let me leave....probably tomorrow I would say.
There is some talk of only letting me go if I have had a bowel movement....is this normal? I wouldn't have thought I had much in there to come out....
I have enough data to confirm that I've beaten last week's inexplicable weight gain. Over the past few days, not only have I lost all the weight I gained over the previous week but as of today, I'm at a lower point on the scale than I was the day before the gain started, being down 0,4 kg (0,8 lbs for the Americans here) from my lowest point and down 1 kg (2,2 lbs) since yesterday.
I'm on the 26th too! My surgeon was very particular for the pre-op diet.... no Premier shakes which seems to be popular pre-surgery.... I can have them post surgery. Pre-op, I'm having 4 to 5 Advanced Protein Slimfast Shakes - they are okay - well let's be honest, all Protein Shakes are pretty terrible - I just so my best to get them down :-)
