Back from surgery
Hello bloggy world. I had my gall bladder removed on Friday so I have been out of the blog loop. I don't have a lap top so I haven't been reading or writing. Surgery went well and today I feel pretty good.
Things I learned:
* Ask where are the holes going to be - one hole went through my belly button EW! that really creeps me out!
*Ask what can I realistically expect to feel like afterward?- the surgeon said everybody feels great in a week, (it still hasn't been a week yet) yes, but what about day 1, 2, 3?
*the sheet of directions they sent me home with said "Return to normal activity"- um I can't even sit up on my own (for the first few days) how "normal" can I be?
*Have somebody STRONG with you at the beginning, they may need to pull you up to a sitting position, or be there for you to pull on
*If you can have lots and lots of pillows to lean on, I was told I looked like a Queen on a pillow throne
*If you can get a recliner do so (I didn't have one but the hospital did) and it was easier to get in and out of initially which can lead to less pain overall
*Stay on the pain meds around the clock it really helps (I magically awoke every 4 hours for mine)
*Drink as much water and juice as you can
Overall I'm doing good but I should of asked more questions. I knew a lot in theory about how they removed the bladder and duct and why surgery was a good option for me. (My stone blocked my common duct and caused backward bile flow which can lead to infection and pancreas problems) But I didn't ask enough about recovery (maybe I just wanted to get it overwith) or long term stuff - I can't lift anything over 10 pounds for 6 weeks.
Good bye laundry, heavy groceries, lugging lots of papers and books around, my work out video, and my big animal work -the smallest apparatus weighs 30 pounds alone :(
Luckily, my PI didn't want to skin me alive, and worked out a schedule.
Things I learned:
* Ask where are the holes going to be - one hole went through my belly button EW! that really creeps me out!
*Ask what can I realistically expect to feel like afterward?- the surgeon said everybody feels great in a week, (it still hasn't been a week yet) yes, but what about day 1, 2, 3?
*the sheet of directions they sent me home with said "Return to normal activity"- um I can't even sit up on my own (for the first few days) how "normal" can I be?
*Have somebody STRONG with you at the beginning, they may need to pull you up to a sitting position, or be there for you to pull on
*If you can have lots and lots of pillows to lean on, I was told I looked like a Queen on a pillow throne
*If you can get a recliner do so (I didn't have one but the hospital did) and it was easier to get in and out of initially which can lead to less pain overall
*Stay on the pain meds around the clock it really helps (I magically awoke every 4 hours for mine)
*Drink as much water and juice as you can
Overall I'm doing good but I should of asked more questions. I knew a lot in theory about how they removed the bladder and duct and why surgery was a good option for me. (My stone blocked my common duct and caused backward bile flow which can lead to infection and pancreas problems) But I didn't ask enough about recovery (maybe I just wanted to get it overwith) or long term stuff - I can't lift anything over 10 pounds for 6 weeks.
Good bye laundry, heavy groceries, lugging lots of papers and books around, my work out video, and my big animal work -the smallest apparatus weighs 30 pounds alone :(
Luckily, my PI didn't want to skin me alive, and worked out a schedule.
posted by B @ Thursday, February 22, 2007
3 Comments:
At 11:05 AM,
Field Notes said…
Woah, I should read your blog more often. Sounds like we both had similar operations. Laparoscopic removal? Mine was for an ovarian cyst, but they put a tube through my belly button too, pumped me full of gas, etc. That was the real pain of it. It took a full week for the gas to go away. I looked and felt 7 months pregnant the whole time. It went away though. You'll probably feel back to yourself soon, but remember the lifting thing. 6 weeks is a long time. My restriction was for 2 weeks, and I know I screwed up at least twice because I felt so normal I forgot I had surgery...
At 2:12 PM,
PG said…
I hope the pain decreases quickly!
At 2:02 PM,
B said…
thanks psychgrad it is!
Holly I know I read aboug you :( I'm glad you are doing better though. My sister has the same problem. I hope everything works out for you.
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