1/15 and 1/16: Days after surgery

1/15: Day after surgery

The first hours the day after surgery are a blur. I kept asking for more nausea medication. Since I get motion sick, they'd told me ahead of time the anesthesia was very likely to cause nausea — but they treated me proactively. I wore a patch behind my ear, and they gave me more medication in my IV. The operation itself can cause nausea, too, so I was seriously slammed. I kept fading in and out, drifting into sleep. 

The interruptions felt constant — my IV alarm going off, someone coming to check my vital signs, a nurse giving me Heparin shots twice a day, needing to get up for the bathroom, and then all those things for my roommate, too. Still, I couldn't stay awake for long. It was a blessing. 

At some point in the middle of the morning, I walked with help into the hallway and got in a wheelchair. They wheeled me down to radiology, where they did a swallow test. I took two or three big gulps of some concoction, and they watched it go through my system to make sure my new stomach wasn't leaking. Good news: no leaks. Bad news: the test caused more nausea. Back to bed. 

At some point, I went for a walk in the hall that day, dragging my IV pole with me, and was pretty good at getting up and getting myself to the bathroom. I needed help; someone had to unplug my IV from the wall, and also unplug my leg booties. They were wrapped around my calves and plugged in; they'd fill with air and compress my legs, keeping circulation going and reducing the risk of blood clots. 

The staff kept telling me to use my pain button — but some people said the pain med could be causing nausea. I later found out I could have pressed the pain button every 6 minutes; instead, I pressed it once or twice an hour. (Stubborn? Me?) 

I'd told Paul to go to work that day, and he did, but he left early. I was so damn happy to see him when he showed up. I could tell he was worried about me, but there wasn't anything I could do.

1/16: Two days after surgery

I'd hoped to go home on the 16th, but that morning, it was abundantly clear that wasn't happening. I think that was the day they finally had me start sipping water. My new stomach is so much smaller that I have to take very small sips. They poured water into a little 1-oz. plastic medicine cup, and told me to drink it over the course of 15 minutes. Tiny, tiny constant sips. That was stage 1 of my post-surgery plan. 

The nausea was easing a little, and I found it best if I sat up in bed as much as possible. Having an adjustable bed was so helpful, and I was able to pull myself up using the rails. I was finally starting to feel like myself again, and Paul was so relieved.