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Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Never thought I would be happy to have the flu!

So, the nausea came back today with a vengeance. And I started freaking out. "I am finally getting my life back. Please don't do this. Not another set back!" This is a continuous loop going on in my head all day. And today really wasn't the day for this to happen, I was so busy with getting Gabriel's things settled.


By the time I get home for the day I am feeling horrible: nausea, sharp pains in my tummy area (where they are supposed to be by the way, not way up by my heart!) and body aches. So now I am really freaking out. 


Gabe comes home shortly after I got home and he gives me a kiss on my forehead and he looks at me with concern on his face. And he says "Mom, are you ok? You are burning up!" So I take my temperature and sure enough, I've got a fever of 101.6. 


What a relief, it's only the flu!


Is this how it's going to be for the next year? That I freak out over every little thing? They told me that  have to be extra careful for the year following my surgery. I am going to drive myself nuts!

Friday, April 6, 2012

I know...It's been a while. :(

I had my repair surgery November 28, 2011.



Getting checked in went so smooth. Everyone was so kind and reassuring. Sherri and Michelle were at the hospital with me. They let Sherri come back and spend some time with me before they took me back to start the surgery.



It did not go as planned. There were a few complications. The surgery ended up being 10 hours instead of 8 hours. My body had started to give signs that it was not tolerating the surgery so the surgeons took a "break" to give me a chance to rest. Then my stomach would not move down to where it was supposed to be, so they ended up having to open me up. They got my stomach, intestines, colon and pancreas back into place. They placed a mesh where my diaphragm muscle should have been. They also did the Roux-N-Y to repair my stomach and to bypass my esophagus. I was supposed to be in the ICU for 24 hours, but I ended up being in the ICU for over 48 hours.



After the ICU I was moved to a private room. The original plan was a stay of 5 to 7 days with a small chance of up to 14 days. It turned into a 21 day stay due to complications. those complications were fluid on the lungs twice, an infection they could not locate the source for, a reaction to the Heprin shots to keep me from forming blood clots, could not get my blood counts to level out, could not get the vomiting under control, my feeding tube was leaking stomach bile so bad that my left side was burnt from under my breast to my groin area, and the swelling in my legs and feet was extreme.


It was tough being away from my family and friends for so long. Being away from Gabe for the long was so hard for me. I missed him so much. He got to come visit me twice. But, I was too far away for him to come more often.



I finally got to go home to Sherri's. They wouldn't let me go to my house until the home nurses were sure that I could take care of Gabe and myself. I made it home in time for Christmas!  Michelle came and picked me and took me home.



Sherri and family were a great support and comfort. Sherri and Anza took really good care of me. And my Goddaughter Jordan was my protector. She had to make sure that nobody hurt me and she checked my surgery site several times a day. She's all of three years old! lol Then shortly after New Years I got to go home. It wasn't until March 26, 2012 that I was released from home nursing. And I can now go grocery shopping without using the electric wheelchair and I can take longer walks. I can now eat more things than I was able to just after surgery. Recovery is slow, but it is recovery! At the moment I am struggling with depression, anxiety and lingering pain in the surgical site, mainly the skin. But, this is normal and I will work through it. I have come too far to let these side affects beat me. There is still some swelling in the stomach area and the mesh area. But given all the set backs, these seem so very minor I do not worry about them. lol



And Gabe is very happy to have his Mom feeling better and getting back to "normal".