Post-Op Report

HYSTERICAL!!! I’m leaving the typos in so you can see what the pain medication did to my brain!  HA HA HA HA HA

 

Here’s your post-op report on on my gallbladder removal surgery yesterday afternoon.

 

I was in the hospital 8 hours total starting at noon for pre-op tests and prep to be sure my INR rate was low enough for surgery–it was a little too low so they gave me a shot of heparin to protect against blood clots during surgery; surgery from 3 to 5, recovery from 5 to 7:30.

 

Great medical team!!! All is well! ZERO pain, very little soreness, but I’m on pain medICATION for 24 hours, so that might be the reason.

 

Was hurting pretty seriously (about 7 or 8) until my heart rate came up enough post op (from 38-40 beats per minute to 58)–that took a while so I got a shot to help raise it the first time when I was slow getting my groove back–but as soon as my heart rate came up and I got a little pain reliever on board, the pain disappeared and sequed to easy-peasy tolerable soreness.

 

I have a drainage tube in for a week. I was a little worried about having it taken out (ow-ee?) but Linda Owen wrote to le tm eknow that when they took hers out, it tickled and she laughed and laughed–so there goes that concern!  (I had a feeding tube after my intestinal bypass surgery in 1977, and that tickled when it came out, too. I had forgotten that; sure was happy for the reminder, Linda!)

 

I’ve felt fine ever since. Minimal drainage.

 

YUGE Public thank you to my champion and BFF Lisa Twining Taylor, who drove me both ways and swayed for the duration, took me to Rite Aid to fill a prescription and brought me home afterward.

 

I went to bed and fell asleep almost immediately and have slept soundly for the past two hours; feel peachy keen enough to want to get up and file my report to you!

 

No dizziness; minimal drainage since surgery. No nausea, no unwelcome side effects. Doc found lots of scar tissue inside that he had to maneuver around to get to my gallbladder (from the earlier intestinal bypass surgery in ’77.

 

The gallbladder is off to the races for follow up–Lisa tells me the doctor told her it was very inflamed (but it never did hurt!!! Hallelujah!) so they’re covering all bases to be sure there are no additional issues that need following up on. (A small percentage of porcelain gallbladders become cancerous, but they didn’t even mention the possibility post-surgery, so I anticipate a clean bill of health.)

 

My orders: no lifting of more than 25 pounds for six weeks, get up and walk several times a day, no strenuous activity until my follow up on the 17th…and keep track of drainage amounts.

 

Eat low fat and add fats into diet slowly to see how well tolerated it is. So no pizza parties anytime soon, looks like!

 

All in all, as so many of you expressed to me: piece of cake! Great thanks for the many well wishes I received beforehand and thank you for your continuing prayers and well-wishes!!!

 

Next Day Update. More sore, so took one pain pill just so I can breathe more deeply to offset the possibility of pneumonia. I expect my next pill will just need to be a Tylenol–not this heaving duty one they gave me in prescription form…