When you go in the day of your surgery, one of the first things they do once your IV is hooked up is give you a heparin shot. Heparin is an anticoagulant...in layman's terms, they want to prevent blood clots, so they give you a blood thinner. The kicker is the administer the shots in your belly. Freaky, right? This continues every 8 hours while you're in the hospital.
Once you are discharged, one of your prescriptions is for...you guessed it, another blood thinner. This one is called Lovenox, and is only required once a day. I knew this ahead of time, and asked Goob (my husband) if he would be comfortable giving me the shots. He said sure, he gave shots to cows growing up on the farm, what's the difference. Uh, only that I'm not a cow, jackass...but I digress.
True to his word, he gave me the shots, which was good because there was no way I could have done it to myself. It didn't hurt, but just the thought of a needle in my belly made my heart race and my body stiffen up. We had to do these shots for 5 days. He only hurt me once, and that was the night he was trying to "do it quick". Why, I don't know. But if you go through this, don't be surprised if you bruise in the area of the shots. My belly was a roadmap of bruises, both from the shots and from the incisions.
Now, why am I telling you all of this, you might be asking....well, here's why: if you are going to have the surgery and your doc tells you you need the shots, check with your insurance company beforehand to make sure there is no problem. Come to find out my company needed a preauthorization, and we were told that since we didn't have one, the "request" would have to go before a review board, which would take 2 days or more. I didn't have 2 days to wait. So the next morning I had to call the doc's office, and they took care of it for me. They called the insurance company and got the preauthorization, and it was all back to neat. But to spare yourself the irritation, look into it ahead of time.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Week 2--Let's Hear if for Carbs!
Currently I am in week 2 of the after surgery diet. It has been 10 days since my surgery. This week I was allowed to add light yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, unsweetened applesauce, loose mashed potatoes, and loose oatmeal or cream of wheat into my diet. In other words, carbs. Mmmm....carbs. I was so excited to dive into the mashed potatoes. I make rockin' mashed potatoes.
However, my first batch turned out way soupier than I like. Like a good girl, I ate them anyway. My daughter loved them, and polished them off (since I can't eat much at once, I didn't make much). The next day I made another batch. Just as I was getting ready to add the milk, I realized...I was out of milk. Crap, now what? So I added some of that damn chicken broth instead. They turned out ok, but with a distinct chickeny flavor that I was sick of. So I was sitting on my couch, nibbling away, thinking "what can I add to these to make them better?" Enter the "ah-ha" moment. I added a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and popped it into the microwave to melt. Better, but not great. The next cup I had, I added the parm, but also a smidge of garlic powder and stirred in some cottage cheese. "Cottage cheese?" you might say with disgust...well, if you pop it in the microwave, it melts to give you a little cheesiness. Cheesyness? I don't know how you'd spell that, but you know what I mean. Turns out they were great. Again I will add my disclaimer...if you try it and get sick, it's all on you, not me.
I'm getting sick of peeling and boiling potatoes though, not to mention the dishes it dirties every time. So yesterday at Walmart I decided I'd go with instant. My recommendation to you for instant potatoes: Idahoan. They come in an envelope, they're with all the rest of the instant potatoes, and they taste far more real. There are several kinds: homestyle (plain), butter, garlic and herb, loaded, etc. Just a little tip from me to you. Enjoy! I'm trying to.
However, my first batch turned out way soupier than I like. Like a good girl, I ate them anyway. My daughter loved them, and polished them off (since I can't eat much at once, I didn't make much). The next day I made another batch. Just as I was getting ready to add the milk, I realized...I was out of milk. Crap, now what? So I added some of that damn chicken broth instead. They turned out ok, but with a distinct chickeny flavor that I was sick of. So I was sitting on my couch, nibbling away, thinking "what can I add to these to make them better?" Enter the "ah-ha" moment. I added a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and popped it into the microwave to melt. Better, but not great. The next cup I had, I added the parm, but also a smidge of garlic powder and stirred in some cottage cheese. "Cottage cheese?" you might say with disgust...well, if you pop it in the microwave, it melts to give you a little cheesiness. Cheesyness? I don't know how you'd spell that, but you know what I mean. Turns out they were great. Again I will add my disclaimer...if you try it and get sick, it's all on you, not me.
I'm getting sick of peeling and boiling potatoes though, not to mention the dishes it dirties every time. So yesterday at Walmart I decided I'd go with instant. My recommendation to you for instant potatoes: Idahoan. They come in an envelope, they're with all the rest of the instant potatoes, and they taste far more real. There are several kinds: homestyle (plain), butter, garlic and herb, loaded, etc. Just a little tip from me to you. Enjoy! I'm trying to.
Cheater, Cheater...Steak Eater?
Sometime during the first week (the days all blend together), I was desperate for some real food. Enough of this clear liquid crap. That happened to be the day my husband fixed steak for dinner...and I love me some steak.
He and the kids were sitting in the dining room, enjoying their dinner, and I was miserably trying to ignore them and the delicious scent from the living room. I went into the kitchen for a refill on my drink, and there sat the steak, taunting me. I thought, what's the harm in just tasting it? I cut a piece. I stabbed it with the fork. I looked at it. And I popped it in my mouth. Who in their right mind sucks on steak?? The eyes of my husband and daughter just about popped out of their head. "Mom," my daughter gasped, "what are you doing?!" I told her not to worry, I was going to spit it out. So I sucked on it, and then I chewed it. I chewed it and chewed it. Then I got a paper towel and spit it out. Oh my God, it was amazing. So I did it a few more times. Now, those of you who are laughing out there, you go ahead and laugh. Yeah, it sounds silly. But it got me through the craving and let me chew for the first time in over a week. Yay for chewing!!
He and the kids were sitting in the dining room, enjoying their dinner, and I was miserably trying to ignore them and the delicious scent from the living room. I went into the kitchen for a refill on my drink, and there sat the steak, taunting me. I thought, what's the harm in just tasting it? I cut a piece. I stabbed it with the fork. I looked at it. And I popped it in my mouth. Who in their right mind sucks on steak?? The eyes of my husband and daughter just about popped out of their head. "Mom," my daughter gasped, "what are you doing?!" I told her not to worry, I was going to spit it out. So I sucked on it, and then I chewed it. I chewed it and chewed it. Then I got a paper towel and spit it out. Oh my God, it was amazing. So I did it a few more times. Now, those of you who are laughing out there, you go ahead and laugh. Yeah, it sounds silly. But it got me through the craving and let me chew for the first time in over a week. Yay for chewing!!
Protein Shake, Shmotein Shake
For the first two weeks following surgery, Dr. Graber's patients are to drink a low-sugar soy or whey protein based supplement (shake) 3 times a day. But wait, don't get excited. They do not want you to have the decent ones, like Carnation Instant Breakfast, Ensure, Boost or the Slim Fast shakes. No sir. The one I chose from the approved list was the Atkins Advantage shakes available at Walmart, in vanilla and strawberry flavors.
The first sip literally almost made me vomit. My kids however, found it quite tasty. How anyone over the age of 6 can find these appetizing is beyond me. The thick substance tasted like vanilla vitamins...and if you take vitamins you know what I'm talking about. It was just terrible. I had high hopes for the strawberry, but alas that let me down also. I made it through two days of the shakes before I said enough is enough. I haven't had anymore since, and I seem to be doing fine. I'm just making sure I take the rest of my vitamins...vitamins I will have to take for the rest of my life.
Again, please do not use me as an example...if you go through the surgery, and your protein supplement doesn't work for you, call your doctor as directed. Me, I'm a bit of a rebel who would rather work through things myself without bothering anyone...and eventually it's going to get me into trouble. But for the time being...is there anyone out there who actually enjoys these shakes that wants them? I have 6 left over!
The first sip literally almost made me vomit. My kids however, found it quite tasty. How anyone over the age of 6 can find these appetizing is beyond me. The thick substance tasted like vanilla vitamins...and if you take vitamins you know what I'm talking about. It was just terrible. I had high hopes for the strawberry, but alas that let me down also. I made it through two days of the shakes before I said enough is enough. I haven't had anymore since, and I seem to be doing fine. I'm just making sure I take the rest of my vitamins...vitamins I will have to take for the rest of my life.
Again, please do not use me as an example...if you go through the surgery, and your protein supplement doesn't work for you, call your doctor as directed. Me, I'm a bit of a rebel who would rather work through things myself without bothering anyone...and eventually it's going to get me into trouble. But for the time being...is there anyone out there who actually enjoys these shakes that wants them? I have 6 left over!
Clear Liquids Suck! Redux
I've said it before and I'll say it again....the clear liquid diet is devised from the pits of hell. There's only so much broth a person can stand. For the first week after surgery, this is the diet you will follow. Clear and sugar-free liquids. So I tried to come up with a way to make it more interesting, more palatable. I don't know if I was supposed to do this or not, but it didn't hurt me....if you try it, don't blame me for anything that might happen!
I couldn't stand the thought of yet another cup of chicken broth. So I bought a can of diced tomatoes, and squeezed the juice from the can into the broth. It was still a clear liquid, right? Then, and this is the probably-naughty part...I added a pinch of oregano. I threw it in the microwave for a minute, and my first taste was like an Italian soup. I was so excited.
The next night my husband made ziti for him and the kids, using jarred sauce. Now, if you know me, you know even having the jar in my house insults my Italian heritage, but I figured it was something he could easily do himself. I had run out of my canned tomatoes, so I instead added a tiny bit of the sauce to my broth. That was even better than the first night. I just made sure I didn't get any chunks of anything in my cup. If I closed my eyes, I could almost pretend I was having ziti with them....almost.
I couldn't stand the thought of yet another cup of chicken broth. So I bought a can of diced tomatoes, and squeezed the juice from the can into the broth. It was still a clear liquid, right? Then, and this is the probably-naughty part...I added a pinch of oregano. I threw it in the microwave for a minute, and my first taste was like an Italian soup. I was so excited.
The next night my husband made ziti for him and the kids, using jarred sauce. Now, if you know me, you know even having the jar in my house insults my Italian heritage, but I figured it was something he could easily do himself. I had run out of my canned tomatoes, so I instead added a tiny bit of the sauce to my broth. That was even better than the first night. I just made sure I didn't get any chunks of anything in my cup. If I closed my eyes, I could almost pretend I was having ziti with them....almost.
Hydrate...or Suffer the Consequences!
Did I mention how important it is to drink? Staying hydrated is the #1 thing that is going to help you recover. I learned this the hard way.
First, with your new pouch, it's important to take in a lot of fluids, but only at sips at a time. This is difficult, when you're used to gulping. If you drink too much too fast, it feels like someone punched you in the gut. It hurts. So don't do it. They give you a medicine cup to drink out of at the hospital. You know, the ones that come with your liquid medicines? Those. And you sip, sip, sip diluted juice or water from them. Me being me, if I don't like what I'm drinking, I'm not going to drink. In the hospital I had diluted grape juice, diluted cranberry juice, and diluted apple juice. They all tasted the same to me, and they all tasted gross. Same when I got home. So I didn't drink much.
You know you're dehydrated when you're shaky, exhausted, and lightheaded. Also when you call the doctor's office to see when you're going to feel better, and the nurse gives you hell for not drinking and for not calling earlier in the day so you could have gone to their office and been hooked up to an IV for a short. Oops. From that point on I started drinking iced tea with lemon, iced tea mixed with cranberry juice (thanks for that idea, Red Lobster!) and water. If I was awake, I had a cup in my hand. Once I got rehydrated, I started to feel much better. I even went for a walk around the yard with my daughter...water in hand.
First, with your new pouch, it's important to take in a lot of fluids, but only at sips at a time. This is difficult, when you're used to gulping. If you drink too much too fast, it feels like someone punched you in the gut. It hurts. So don't do it. They give you a medicine cup to drink out of at the hospital. You know, the ones that come with your liquid medicines? Those. And you sip, sip, sip diluted juice or water from them. Me being me, if I don't like what I'm drinking, I'm not going to drink. In the hospital I had diluted grape juice, diluted cranberry juice, and diluted apple juice. They all tasted the same to me, and they all tasted gross. Same when I got home. So I didn't drink much.
You know you're dehydrated when you're shaky, exhausted, and lightheaded. Also when you call the doctor's office to see when you're going to feel better, and the nurse gives you hell for not drinking and for not calling earlier in the day so you could have gone to their office and been hooked up to an IV for a short. Oops. From that point on I started drinking iced tea with lemon, iced tea mixed with cranberry juice (thanks for that idea, Red Lobster!) and water. If I was awake, I had a cup in my hand. Once I got rehydrated, I started to feel much better. I even went for a walk around the yard with my daughter...water in hand.
The Day Arrives, Part 2
The first thing I remember after surgery is trying to open my eyes, and having the realization that something was on my face. I immediately felt claustrophobic. Then I was suddenly aware that my back ached something fierce. Turns out that thing on my face was the mask from a C-PAP machine, you know, those used for sleep apnea. Great, but I don't have sleep apnea. I just wanted it off. Finally someone came over and took it off.
The day is mostly blurry, but I remember bits and pieces. They didn't have a room for me, so they kept me in recovery until they did, which was sometime between 1 and 1:30 pm. My poor husband waited alone for me that whole time. The staff did keep him up to date on what was going on, but still. That had to have been the longest day ever. I got moved up to my room, and was immediately disappointed that I had a roommate (Neither she nor her husband even looked in my direction, much less said hello as they passed by my bed at any point during my stay. Rude much?)
My mom and my sister Crystal came--or maybe they were already there? I don't know. I remember seeing them, anyway. I remember Mom stroking my head and Crystal fluffing my pillows. I remember my husband and sister trying to get my laptop set up with the hospital's wi-fi. I remember Mom and Crystal leaving for lunch or something, then returning with the trash tabloids from the supermarket, and having Crystal reading me the headlines. My back was still killing me. At some point everyone left, and I slept. I slept until the nurse came in, either for me or my oh-so-pleasant roomie. I slept until said roomie called for the nurse to help her get on the "commode" on her side of the curtain, at which point she passed gas and exploded all over the pot. Yeah, nice. And of course every single time I was awakened, I had to pee. So I had to drag myself into the bathroom with my IV stand while trying to be quiet, because hey, I'm a courteous person and didn't want to disturb the roomie, who's name turned out to be Brenda (not everyone is as courteous as I; she and her visitors spoke as though they were alone in the room). This went on all night. My back continued to hurt.
Bright and early at 6 am, my lovely new friend Brenda turned on her tv and had the nurse open the shades. I wanted to kill that bitch. Sorry, but I did. Her husband showed up shortly thereafter. All I wanted was a little sleep.
I had a few visitors. My friend Kim, another friend's mom, and Crystal. Kim stayed with me all day. She is a Godsend. She really made the day bearable. Then Dr. Graber came in the afternoon, and told me I could go home. Halleluja baby, I was outta there! I called my mom, and an hour and half later I was on my way to home sweet home. Kim stayed with me til Mom got there, and even carried my stuff out for me. She's a sweetie!
On the way home I had a decision to make: go to my parents' house for the night, away from the kids, in the quiet, being taken care of...or go to my house. I decided to go to my own house, as going to my parents' meant another 20 minutes in the car. I didn't think I could stand it. I called my husband and we planned that the kids could stay the night at his parents' house and spend the next day with them, with my husband picking them up on his way home from work. This worked out extremely well....but my daughter was furious. The day I was released was her birthday, and she was counting on her dad bringing her to see me in the hospital. Now for her to not see me at all? That was unacceptable. We told her she could come home and see me, but she had to stay the night at Grandma's. She told her father in no uncertain terms she would not leave once she got home, and if he dared leave her at Grandma's she would cry and never stop. Well, he did leave and she did stop, and she survived.
The day is mostly blurry, but I remember bits and pieces. They didn't have a room for me, so they kept me in recovery until they did, which was sometime between 1 and 1:30 pm. My poor husband waited alone for me that whole time. The staff did keep him up to date on what was going on, but still. That had to have been the longest day ever. I got moved up to my room, and was immediately disappointed that I had a roommate (Neither she nor her husband even looked in my direction, much less said hello as they passed by my bed at any point during my stay. Rude much?)
My mom and my sister Crystal came--or maybe they were already there? I don't know. I remember seeing them, anyway. I remember Mom stroking my head and Crystal fluffing my pillows. I remember my husband and sister trying to get my laptop set up with the hospital's wi-fi. I remember Mom and Crystal leaving for lunch or something, then returning with the trash tabloids from the supermarket, and having Crystal reading me the headlines. My back was still killing me. At some point everyone left, and I slept. I slept until the nurse came in, either for me or my oh-so-pleasant roomie. I slept until said roomie called for the nurse to help her get on the "commode" on her side of the curtain, at which point she passed gas and exploded all over the pot. Yeah, nice. And of course every single time I was awakened, I had to pee. So I had to drag myself into the bathroom with my IV stand while trying to be quiet, because hey, I'm a courteous person and didn't want to disturb the roomie, who's name turned out to be Brenda (not everyone is as courteous as I; she and her visitors spoke as though they were alone in the room). This went on all night. My back continued to hurt.
Bright and early at 6 am, my lovely new friend Brenda turned on her tv and had the nurse open the shades. I wanted to kill that bitch. Sorry, but I did. Her husband showed up shortly thereafter. All I wanted was a little sleep.
I had a few visitors. My friend Kim, another friend's mom, and Crystal. Kim stayed with me all day. She is a Godsend. She really made the day bearable. Then Dr. Graber came in the afternoon, and told me I could go home. Halleluja baby, I was outta there! I called my mom, and an hour and half later I was on my way to home sweet home. Kim stayed with me til Mom got there, and even carried my stuff out for me. She's a sweetie!
On the way home I had a decision to make: go to my parents' house for the night, away from the kids, in the quiet, being taken care of...or go to my house. I decided to go to my own house, as going to my parents' meant another 20 minutes in the car. I didn't think I could stand it. I called my husband and we planned that the kids could stay the night at his parents' house and spend the next day with them, with my husband picking them up on his way home from work. This worked out extremely well....but my daughter was furious. The day I was released was her birthday, and she was counting on her dad bringing her to see me in the hospital. Now for her to not see me at all? That was unacceptable. We told her she could come home and see me, but she had to stay the night at Grandma's. She told her father in no uncertain terms she would not leave once she got home, and if he dared leave her at Grandma's she would cry and never stop. Well, he did leave and she did stop, and she survived.
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