words and thoughts from mom.

Mom’s own words—A look into POST OP Day 1 & 2

 

Post Op starts the day after your surgery, so my first Post op Day was Tuesday April 14, 2009.

 

Post Op Day One:

I was in the ICU until evening….

Kicked me out pretty early, but they were slow, and the nurse, Elizabeth, was so kind, she said she was going to keep me, until they got another patient so she could spoil me more.

I had a good time, No pain (lots of Morphine juice up there) and was situated right by the Nurses Break Room. I said hi and waived to everyone and tried to remember their names when they went in and out. By mid morning, they had a Birthday Party for their supervisor and I told one of the nurses to tell her Happy Birthday for me...since I heard them singing. The birthday nurse came out and offered me a piece of cake. YUM... no I did not take it, but was complimented I was included in the party.

 

Had an ice pack for headache and pressure, - it dripped - freaked me out, I thought it was the big bad CFS (Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension (SIH) is a condition where a patient gets postural headaches due to a leak of the Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) in the spinal membrane) leak you have to watch out for, but then passed out before I could figure out how to call Elizabeth.

My blood pressure went crazy twice, and Elizabeth just kept on it until medicine worked. I was kinda freakin' about that. I did not want to die of a stroke, when i had lived through all the other. UGH.

 

Got to go to my room. They really went above and beyond and gave me a private room. Of course I said, PLEASE don't charge me for one. They said they try and do that for the folks out of town. Had a pretty bad evening and night, but was doing good by the next day.

 

5:00am on Post Op Day Two

Took a photo with my phone to Text Everyone with my comb-over hair do. Extremely board and awake- I am sure due to all the pain medication. I got up and bathed a little in the bathroom by myself. Felt very daring... changed out of gown into some sweats, then tried to eat some food.

Went downhill the rest of that day. I was trying to get off of medicine and probably should have gone with the flow. I could not get up or move without getting sick. By evening was really cruddy. Got pain meds, IV back and decided to chill and go with all the drugs I could get through that night.

 

 

I think it worked.