Its been just over 2 weeks since my surgery and I'm doing fairly well. Also I was discharged from the hospital one week ago today. Its so nice to be home!
I had my first outing since my surgery yesterday. I managed a trip to the chiropractor's office (those OR tables really mess you up) and mom and I went to Target too. I walk like I'm 80 years old so its a bit of a struggle getting around but it was nice to go outside and breathe some fresh air.
I'm still in quite a bit of pain and struggle with simple things like sitting down and getting up. Every day I am getting better and stronger though so I'm fairly happy with my progress. Eating is still a bit of a problem. All my food has to go through the catheter in my stomach which means it has to be chewed excessively. Anything that is thickening doesn't make it through the tube very well. I have to drink a lot of water and grape juice (helps thin stuff out) and I've never been the biggest fan of grape juice. Maybe I'll have to try some cran-grape. I still don't have very much of an appetite yet and nothing really appeals to me. These things just take time I think but my mom is concerned that I'm losing too much weight, I guess I'll have to up my pudding consumption!
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
I'm an official Kock poucher!!!!
Well I'm home - finally.
9 days in the hospital, not fun at all and I'm really really glad to be home.
Surgery itself went really well, lasted 5 hours and my surgeon was extremely happy with how everything went. He said I had very few adhesions (scar tissue) which made the work much easier and I think he found less disease than he thought he would. I have my Kock pouch.
I did have unfortunately some terrible experiences in the hospital. I was woken up in the PACU (post anesthesia care unit) around noon because I had a reaction to some painkillers I was given immediately post-op. I stopped breathing - yes, it happened. Because of that I was given a medication to wake me up and keep me awake and also I was not allowed any pain medication for over a hour. This was an excruciating experience for me. Under normal circumstances I would not even wake up in the PACU and would sleep most of the day of my surgery. Because of the drugs though I was wide awake an fully aware of everything that was happening to me. The nurse who attended me was very unkind and unsympathetic. I will spare you the details except to say that I cried the entire time I was in there, It was a truly horrible experience.
Eventually I was allowed pain killers and given access to my pain pump but after being off pain killers it takes a while for them to bring the pain under control, it was probably 5pm before I was actually comfortable again.
I woke up with a catheter in my bladder and a stent (to prevent the formation of scar tissue), with an abdominal drain (to drain fluid out of the abdominal cavity and prevent sepsis), my catheter for my kock pouch and my IV.
The next couple of days in the hospital went well. I managed to walk to the bathroom get a little sponge bath, sit up in a chair etc etc. On Monday they took away my pain pump and started me on percocet. This was a mistake as it was inadequate pain control. With the pain pump I could dose myself every 6 minutes which I didn't usually need to unless I was getting up or moving around etc. With the percocet I was given pills every 4 hours and oxycondon in between time for "breakthrough" pain but it just couldn't bring anything under control. Tuesday and Wednesday were both horrible days for me. Between the pain and nausea and my small intestine still not being "awake" (meaning functioning) I was absolutely miserable. I was able to speak to my doctor about the inadequate pain control and they agreed to put me on Morphine since I was still not eating and I was also sent for a GI x-ray with contrast so they could see how the pouch was doing.
Also on Wednesday my IV infiltrated and a new one had to be started. They brought in a special nurse to do it who tried 3 times with no luck. Then they called in the IV SWAT team (not lying) and they did manage to get it started. Had my abdominal drain removed on Wednesday. It was sutured to my skin so they cut those and then pulled it out. That hurt more than I can put into words. I was glad shon was there to hold my hand as I believe I almost crushed his fingers and glad my mom was not there to hear me.
Thursday was my turn-around day. I actually got some sleep wednesday night (which let me tell you, in a hospital is an amazing feet) I started taking longer walks down the hallway. By Thursday night I was actually hungry - I went 7 days with no food. Friday I was allowed soft foods and was told if the pouch kept functioning and I had no nausea I could go home on Saturday.
No more nausea and lots of walking and sitting up and I got sent home yesterday and arrived around 3pm. I still have my constant drain in my k-pouch and that will stay in for the next 4 weeks until I go see my surgeon. I've been taught how to take care of it though and I feel fairly comfortable with the whole thing.
This was probably the worst hospital experience that I've ever had, mostly due to inadequate pain control. The care I received over-all was quite good. I had some excellent nurses and some that were just so-so. I can't thank God enough for allowing my mom to be here to help take care of me. Besides keeping me company and helping spare Shon some of the burden its just nice to have my mom here. Shon has been truly amazing. I have been blessed beyond measure to have him as my husband. I sat trembling in the bathroom naked, cold, in pain and tired day after day as he patiently and tenderly got me cleaned up. Not grossed out by dried blood and mucus, by drains and poop and my inability to do anything for myself. He was always by my side when he could be holding my hand and encouraging me. Telling me how proud he was of me. Thank you God, for giving me Shon.
And thank you all for your prayers. As hard as this experience has been I felt God's presence and encouragement and I know how much your prayers helped my family as well.
I'm Home.
9 days in the hospital, not fun at all and I'm really really glad to be home.
Surgery itself went really well, lasted 5 hours and my surgeon was extremely happy with how everything went. He said I had very few adhesions (scar tissue) which made the work much easier and I think he found less disease than he thought he would. I have my Kock pouch.
I did have unfortunately some terrible experiences in the hospital. I was woken up in the PACU (post anesthesia care unit) around noon because I had a reaction to some painkillers I was given immediately post-op. I stopped breathing - yes, it happened. Because of that I was given a medication to wake me up and keep me awake and also I was not allowed any pain medication for over a hour. This was an excruciating experience for me. Under normal circumstances I would not even wake up in the PACU and would sleep most of the day of my surgery. Because of the drugs though I was wide awake an fully aware of everything that was happening to me. The nurse who attended me was very unkind and unsympathetic. I will spare you the details except to say that I cried the entire time I was in there, It was a truly horrible experience.
Eventually I was allowed pain killers and given access to my pain pump but after being off pain killers it takes a while for them to bring the pain under control, it was probably 5pm before I was actually comfortable again.
I woke up with a catheter in my bladder and a stent (to prevent the formation of scar tissue), with an abdominal drain (to drain fluid out of the abdominal cavity and prevent sepsis), my catheter for my kock pouch and my IV.
The next couple of days in the hospital went well. I managed to walk to the bathroom get a little sponge bath, sit up in a chair etc etc. On Monday they took away my pain pump and started me on percocet. This was a mistake as it was inadequate pain control. With the pain pump I could dose myself every 6 minutes which I didn't usually need to unless I was getting up or moving around etc. With the percocet I was given pills every 4 hours and oxycondon in between time for "breakthrough" pain but it just couldn't bring anything under control. Tuesday and Wednesday were both horrible days for me. Between the pain and nausea and my small intestine still not being "awake" (meaning functioning) I was absolutely miserable. I was able to speak to my doctor about the inadequate pain control and they agreed to put me on Morphine since I was still not eating and I was also sent for a GI x-ray with contrast so they could see how the pouch was doing.
Also on Wednesday my IV infiltrated and a new one had to be started. They brought in a special nurse to do it who tried 3 times with no luck. Then they called in the IV SWAT team (not lying) and they did manage to get it started. Had my abdominal drain removed on Wednesday. It was sutured to my skin so they cut those and then pulled it out. That hurt more than I can put into words. I was glad shon was there to hold my hand as I believe I almost crushed his fingers and glad my mom was not there to hear me.
Thursday was my turn-around day. I actually got some sleep wednesday night (which let me tell you, in a hospital is an amazing feet) I started taking longer walks down the hallway. By Thursday night I was actually hungry - I went 7 days with no food. Friday I was allowed soft foods and was told if the pouch kept functioning and I had no nausea I could go home on Saturday.
No more nausea and lots of walking and sitting up and I got sent home yesterday and arrived around 3pm. I still have my constant drain in my k-pouch and that will stay in for the next 4 weeks until I go see my surgeon. I've been taught how to take care of it though and I feel fairly comfortable with the whole thing.
This was probably the worst hospital experience that I've ever had, mostly due to inadequate pain control. The care I received over-all was quite good. I had some excellent nurses and some that were just so-so. I can't thank God enough for allowing my mom to be here to help take care of me. Besides keeping me company and helping spare Shon some of the burden its just nice to have my mom here. Shon has been truly amazing. I have been blessed beyond measure to have him as my husband. I sat trembling in the bathroom naked, cold, in pain and tired day after day as he patiently and tenderly got me cleaned up. Not grossed out by dried blood and mucus, by drains and poop and my inability to do anything for myself. He was always by my side when he could be holding my hand and encouraging me. Telling me how proud he was of me. Thank you God, for giving me Shon.
And thank you all for your prayers. As hard as this experience has been I felt God's presence and encouragement and I know how much your prayers helped my family as well.
I'm Home.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
K Day
Surgery is at 7am tomorrow and I have to be at the Cleveland Clinic at 5:30am *eek* I'm the first patient of the day for both surgeons so that's good. Please pray that they get my IV started right away.
I'm on clear liquids from 4pm on today and nothing at all after midnight.
I gotta go finish packing.
I'm on clear liquids from 4pm on today and nothing at all after midnight.
I gotta go finish packing.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Pre-Op Day
Tomorrow is my big day of pre-op work-up at the Cleveland Clinic.
My schedule?
9:45 Lab
10:15 Internal Medicine nurse
10:30 Internal Medicine Doctor
12:10 Pace Clinic Preoperative Clearance
1:00 Pace Clinic Admitting Interview
2:00 Dr Remzi - Colorectal surgery
2:40 Stoma Therapy
3:00 Nurse Patient Education
The lab work will be fun, they'll draw something like 4 vials of blood - here's hoping they get a good vein on the first stick. The internal medicine nurse and doctor is basically to make sure I'm healthy enough for major surgery. Funny huh? At some point, you have to be sick enough and yet on the other hand.... The Pace clinic stuff is to get all the paperwork out of the way. Then I go see my surgeon then I have to meet with the stoma nurses as I'll be getting a new stoma so they'll talk with me about placement and how to care for it. The last bit is all the rundown you get before surgery, nothing to eat or drink after midnight (thankfully because I'm already without a colon I won't have any nasty bowel prep to drink), no jewelry, makeup, hairspray, deodorant (Yuck) basically, come as God made you cause they can't have it on the OR.
FRIDAY is the day.
After waiting for so long its hard to believe its almost here. I hope these last few days go rather quickly because I'm just ready to get it over with. It is true what they say that waiting is the hardest part. The imagination can be cruel.
The Cleveland Clinic surgical center is like an airport.
Not kidding. The family waiting area is huge and it has big flat screen monitors on the walls. Each family gets a little beeper-type device. Like they give you at restaurants to let you know your table is ready. The family gets paged when there is a change in your status. And every patient has a code that the family can look up on the monitors and it tells them whats happening. For instance it can say something like HK102CR (Harsh, Kathryn 102 ColoRectal) and then my location Preop, in transit, Surgery, Recovery.... Delayed - see what I mean about the airport??
Once you get checked in and they call you to the pre-op area you head into another building and that's where the fun begins. Once I'm gowned and prepped for surgery my family can come back and stay with me until they take me away. We usually just look at each other and pray. What is there to talk about at that point?
Then they come get me and I get wheeled into yet another building. And at this point I don't have my glasses so there isn't much to tell you cause I can't see it very well! I know there is at least 30 operating rooms and they park me outside of mine until they're ready to bring me in. The anesthesiologist will come out and talk to me and then my surgeon will come say hi and "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you"
Lets just get it over with.
My schedule?
9:45 Lab
10:15 Internal Medicine nurse
10:30 Internal Medicine Doctor
12:10 Pace Clinic Preoperative Clearance
1:00 Pace Clinic Admitting Interview
2:00 Dr Remzi - Colorectal surgery
2:40 Stoma Therapy
3:00 Nurse Patient Education
The lab work will be fun, they'll draw something like 4 vials of blood - here's hoping they get a good vein on the first stick. The internal medicine nurse and doctor is basically to make sure I'm healthy enough for major surgery. Funny huh? At some point, you have to be sick enough and yet on the other hand.... The Pace clinic stuff is to get all the paperwork out of the way. Then I go see my surgeon then I have to meet with the stoma nurses as I'll be getting a new stoma so they'll talk with me about placement and how to care for it. The last bit is all the rundown you get before surgery, nothing to eat or drink after midnight (thankfully because I'm already without a colon I won't have any nasty bowel prep to drink), no jewelry, makeup, hairspray, deodorant (Yuck) basically, come as God made you cause they can't have it on the OR.
FRIDAY is the day.
After waiting for so long its hard to believe its almost here. I hope these last few days go rather quickly because I'm just ready to get it over with. It is true what they say that waiting is the hardest part. The imagination can be cruel.
The Cleveland Clinic surgical center is like an airport.
Not kidding. The family waiting area is huge and it has big flat screen monitors on the walls. Each family gets a little beeper-type device. Like they give you at restaurants to let you know your table is ready. The family gets paged when there is a change in your status. And every patient has a code that the family can look up on the monitors and it tells them whats happening. For instance it can say something like HK102CR (Harsh, Kathryn 102 ColoRectal) and then my location Preop, in transit, Surgery, Recovery.... Delayed - see what I mean about the airport??
Once you get checked in and they call you to the pre-op area you head into another building and that's where the fun begins. Once I'm gowned and prepped for surgery my family can come back and stay with me until they take me away. We usually just look at each other and pray. What is there to talk about at that point?
Then they come get me and I get wheeled into yet another building. And at this point I don't have my glasses so there isn't much to tell you cause I can't see it very well! I know there is at least 30 operating rooms and they park me outside of mine until they're ready to bring me in. The anesthesiologist will come out and talk to me and then my surgeon will come say hi and "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you"
Lets just get it over with.
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