Hospital Experiences

Just got discharged from the hospital this morning. My boyfriend came and we went home in a taxi together. My boyfriend's mother and sister came by. His sister decorated the Christmas Tree and arranged the gifts under the tree. The tree looks really beautiful and she made sure I could see it all from the couch. I slipped on the floor in the bathroom after my shower but my boyfriend was there to catch me. He put a towel down on the floor. Everything is down where I can reach without having to bend down or reach up high which is good. My boyfriend's sister and mother and going to pick up my pain medication. My surgeon took out half my rectum and half my sigmoid colon.

As for my experiences there is a lot to tell some good and some bad. I wasn't too nervous before surgery, not until the surgical nurse came to get me to walk to the OR. My boyfriend took the day off of work so he was there with me. I decided to get an epidural to have pain relief after the surgery. I was terrified getting the epidural put in my back. My back was exposed as I leaned forward while hugging a pillow. They were monitoring my pulse and oxygen while putting the epidural in. A nurse was gently gripping the tops of my shoulders. She explained everything the anesthesiologist was doing. He found the right spot, cleaned my back three times with antiseptic and then stuck in a needle that burned with a numbing agent. There was a lot of painful pressure as he put the catheter in my back. The nurse asked if I was ok as it sounded like my heart rate was going all over the place. I said I was lightheaded. Afterward they taped it up really well. They put an iv in my hand, I heard them counting the instruments and saw some of them but looked away. They put a mask on my face, something in my iv and I don't remember anything else really. The recovery room is a blur!

My boyfriend stayed a long while but he said I was really out of it falling asleep and slurring my words. An iv drip was started and I realized I had a catheter in my bladder. That catheter was a real pain making sure my leg wasn't on it and it would get clogged a lot causing pain. They tried to take the catheter out on Saturday but there was just congealed blood when I tried to urinate and intense pain! They had a scanner that showed that I had lots of urine in my bladder that I couldn't release! It took them three tries with different catheters because the blood kept pushing them out. Finally the catheter was back in and there was relief. One night I needed a breathing treatment because my chest felt tight. I did walks around the surgical ward a few times but it was really tiring. Getting up to the bathroom was really difficult because of the iv line, the epidural line, and the catheter with the bag. At first I was really nauseous and one night I was retching violently which hurt a lot. They gave me medication for nausea. It was a long time before I could eat any solid food. I think I started eating solid food sometime Monday. I haven't had any restrictions food-wise. My bowels were working but it was diarrhea. They were working for a while but they stopped. They took out the catheter and I was able to urinate on my own again. They unhooked me from the iv drip but kept the iv in just in case. I took all my medications while in the hospital. The pain was really hard to deal with me when they took the epidural out. They took it out at 9am and by 9pm I was in agony! They would give me warm blankets to help with the spasms, the pulling and other pain. They used to give me tylenol in between dilaudid doses but I started getting cold sweats where my hair would be soaked and so would some of my bedding and my johnny shirt. I still get cold sweats even after not taking the tylenol. My incision is closed with staples and go from the bottom of my bellybutton to a little below my pantyline.  http://www.walgreens.com/marketing/library/graphics/images/en/10055.jpg  That image shows where my incision is located. I'm not male but you get the idea.

I feel so tired and weak right now and sore. It's hard to still upright for too long because of the incision. It's hard to bend down or reach up. Also walking or standing for too long. I get out of breath and weaker really easily. I have everything where I can reach. My boyfriend, his mother and sister made sure of that. My boyfriend is at work all day. His mother and sister can only stay so long then they will have to go back home as they live two hours away. The seatbelt in the taxi and the bumps were painful. I had to hold the seatbelt so it wouldn't touch my abdomen. I see my doctor to get the staples out on December 2nd. The pathology results take two weeks from the date of surgery so they won't be back until after my staples are out.