Post Surgery - days 3 and 4

Saturday (day 3)I got out of bed, washed myself, dressed in real pajamas and had a short walk around the corridor. How nice not to have to have hospital gowns floating around me! Was served "breakfast" and couldn't face the jello. PASSED WIND!!!

The doctor came around and pronounced me ready for real food, and I lay waiting for lunch to arrive for the next couple of hours. My first real meal was a creamy soup (yum!) and a dry egg salad sandwich. I ate the inside bit of a half sandwich, then drank my milk. Most of the afternoon I lay in bed feeling digestion taking place, new pressures in my gut, getting up, and passing wind. Our room was full of my family and the other Anne's, and there was much cheering going on from both camps when there were audible digestive changes. I was feeling a bit worse than yesterday, probably because they were reducing my pain meds prior to dismissal. They dismantled and took away my drip station, but kept my lines in, in case I became nauseous.

Supper was sausages and instant mashed potatoes, covered in brown gravy, along with steamed carrot strips. You have to wonder if they know who they are feeding when they fill the trays, but my meal was different from my roommate's, so I guess that there is someone at the helm. All my nurses were saying that I would be dismissed in the morning - not soon enough.

Sunday (day 4). Washed, dressed in civilian clothes, had my first bowel movement (apologies to the squeamish), and felt like I had won an Olympic Gold Medal. The doctor on call came round and pronounced me good to go. Nurses removed my lines, and JP and Cathy came to collect me. I was moving less well today, and got my pain meds a little off schedule. Seems that these regular interruptions by nurses night and day serve some purpose after all.

We arrived home to a clean, bright house, a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, and a wonderful meal. My challenge now is to eat less than I want in order to keep the pressure in my bowels down and pain at a minimum. I took one narcotic pill (oxycodone HCL), but didn't feel a whole lot of difference. The risk of constipation from it helped me decide that I would rather just depend on the anti inflammatory (naproxen) and extra strength Tylenol for pain control for the next week.

I am sleeping wonderfully, have no trouble negotiating the stairs, and am reasonably pain free. I wish I had snagged me one of those hospital gowns though - I cannot wear anything around my waist because of risk of snagging one of my 31 staples, but think I have found a solution by wearing a long tee shirt under a shift dress.