As soon as you open your eyes in this room it's the start of your recovery. When i came round i was in quite a bit of pain. I'd been given morphine in theatre but my high tolerance for opioids meant that they needed to give me more once i was awake. The amazing recovery nurse (i wish i had been awake enough to get her name) explained where i was and reassured me that she was giving me morphine through my cannula straight into my bloodstream but there were some issues with my oxygen levels so she was having to give me some bit by bit whilst she checked my breathing rate and oxygen sats. I Think i had an oxygen mask on to start with which was later swapped for a nasal tube.
I think after where am i and OW! came where's my husband?! i want my husband! i was disorientated and couldn't understand why he wasn't there. i was reassured he was waiting for me on the ward and knew i was out of theatre. Eventually i had come round enough to get my bearings, remember my own name and be able to think thoughts other than OWWW and what the hell have they done to me!? i was wheeled back onto the ward and reunited with my husband and mom who had been climbing the walls. (turns out i had been 4 hours, when i was supposed to only be 1 hour and a half).
I was drowsy on a cocktail of anesthetic and morphine and was fighting to keep my eyes open but the lovely recovery room nurse had positioned pillows under all my joints and wrapped me up all snug. The recovery nurse and the consultant anaesthetist had been quite knowledgeable about EDS and POTS and both were excellent at ensuring my joints were supported and cared for throughout my operation and recovery. I had some time with my family to reassure them i was ok and then i drifted off to sleep.
Before i went down i had been fitted with very sexy compression stockings, two hospital bands and two cannulas, one for fluids and one for pain relief. During surgery i had another cannula placed in my other wrist for the anaesthetist to use. My surgery had to be postponed by an hour as i hadn't been given enough fluids and due to my POTS i needed a litre of saline pumped in before they even started and another 2 litres during surgery.
I woke up a few times during the night and was promptly given more pain relief. My oxygen levels, heart rate and blood pressure were monitored frequently throughout and in the morning i was stable enough to be allowed home, YAY!!
So a bit more awake i waited patiently for my various tubes and cannulas to be removed and my husband and april to take me home.
I left with a souvenir though
*****(if you have a delicate stomach stop reading now)****
As i was being wheeled back to the ward i was given a tube with my Gallstones in, in my groggy state i asked what do i do with these?! The porter informed me there's actually a place in London where they will embed them in your nails?! I really hope he was just messing with my drug addled brain!
Here are the little beasts that caused me all this grief:
There were two larger ones, the biggest been half the size of a 5p. I cant believe something so small can cause so many issues!
Anyway i'm glad to be rid of them! I have five wounds in my stomach, i won't post pictures of these as they have not got dressings, the nurses opting for surgical glue instead due to my allergy to adhesives in most dressings.
Since been home i've needed regular pain relief and haven't been able to walk without assistance as i cant straighten up yet, too much swelling, bruising and fluid around my wounds, instead i've settled for been propped up on the sofa with lots of fluids and snacks.
Once you're moving about a bit you can take your surgical compression socks off. These are to prevent blood clots. It's worth keeping these if you know you're going to be bed bound once you get home. Whilst laid up it's also important to keep moving your legs and feet occasionally to keep the circulation going also minimizing the risk of blood clots. You can't bathe straight after but once you're up to it you can shower. You cant drive for a week or longer depending on how soon you can tolerate wearing a seatbelt and manage an emergency stop. It will be about 2 weeks before you can try lift, bend and stretch, slowly!
I'm just hoping to stand up and move unaided about the house by the end of the week. Leaving the house may take longer. I still feel groggy even though i haven't had any morphine today. Someone told me it takes a week for the anesthetic to leave your body completely. I hope they are wrong as i don't like feeling so out of it.
Laura :)
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