Hi all. I had my surgery on October 11th at Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Kansas City under the care of Stan Hoehn.

Day of surgery: Surgery at 10:30 am. I woke up in a lot of pain in my abdomen. The original recovery room pain meds didn’t help. The next meds they tried caused an allergic reaction - rash, trouble breathing, inability to focus, nausea. It took hours to convince the nurse that the Dilaudid was a problem. In retrospect, as I am allergic to morphine, I can’t believe they gave me a morphine derivative and then denied I was having a reaction, but that is having a bad nurse vs. a good nurse, I suppose. For the record, all of my other nurses and CAs were the best and truly a great group of healthcare professionals. The Demerol that they finally put me on (about 7:30 pm) gave me a bit of itching around my eyes and nose, but was far more tolerable. I was able to suck on ice chips, take a walk around the unit, and sleep pretty comfortably.

Day 1 Post-op: Felt great, was doing great with all tests and measurements. Able to start clear liquids. Every bite felt like I was filling my stomach with air – uncomfortable but not painful. Started taking Lortab Elixir. It tastes terrible, but it was nice to get away from the powerful drugs. Went home moving well and optimistic. Took my everyday meds (Wellbutrin,Kariva, and Zantac) and went to bed around 10 pm. Woke around 12:30 am feeling crazy nauseous and vomited repeatedly – very painful. Woke again at 3:30 am for another round. I was in so much pain and so nauseous that I could not get the Loratab down.

Day 2 Post-op: Spent entire day in bed. It was almost too painful to get up to use the restroom. Too scared to take Loratab in case itmade me vomit again. Too nauseous to eat or drink, though I forced myself toget in 25 oz of water before bed. A frightening, dismal day. Realized that I was not supposed to begin taking the Kariva or Zantac right away, so that was probably the cause.

Day 3 Post-op: Called the doctor because I was so sick thatI was barely able to get anything down, including water. They prescribed an anti-nausea medication that dissolves on your tongue – took one and haven’t been sick to my stomach since! Still sore from vomiting, but feeling 100% better after getting the script filled and taken. Easily get my water and protein minimums met. Took a 15 minute walk around the neighborhood and then took a nap.

Day 4-6 Post-op: Energy is great and pain management is easy with liquid ibuprofen or Tylenol. Having soreness in my back, but probably due to too much sitting around. Was able to do household shopping and light cleaning around the house. Able to bend easily to scoop litter boxes, vacuum,and any other task that doesn’t require heavy lifting or pulling. Eating hasbeen an adventure. Protein shakes and liquids in general are no trouble. More solid things are hit and miss – pureed shrimp was okay, but salmon caused sliming. And sliming is no fun, but not painful, thank goodness. String cheese was fine once but not tonight. Hummus, eggs, avocado/yogurt soup, and refried beans have been no trouble. I find I am able to take one biteof just about anything and I am fine as long as I chew, chew, chew. And, ofcourse, I’m not trying anything outside of my nutritional guidelines. On the downside, I can’t tell when I am full, so I have been tying to keep all portions at about ¼ cup, as that seems to work without making me slime. Starting tomorrow, I need to really up my protein and water intake, so that might be a challenge as I feel like I have something in my mouth all the time already. LOL

Hunger is mostly gone, but head hunger is alive and well.

Dr. Hoehn prescribes a self-injected medicine called arixtra to help prevent blood clots. We must inject ourselves once a day for seven days following surgery. I was dreading this and was pleased to find that it is so easy and painless. Swab some tummy fat with an alcohol prep pad, pinch, and jab. The needle is so fine that I haven't felt it even a little. Believe me, super, duper easy.

I see my doctor tomorrow to have the staples removed. I’m hoping to be cleared for a bath as I dearly love soaking in the tub. I've been showering, of course. I just miss my bathtub. Otherwise, I feel very much on track.

I’m using myfitnesspal.com to keep track of every bite and that is so helpful. I am “hswelch” there if anyone would like to find me there.