elderwitty (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
elderwitty) wrote2011-04-03 05:08 pm
elderwitty) wrote2011-04-03 05:08 pm
Entry tags:
Holy cow! What a slacker I be!
I forgot to update on my utter uteruslessness. Sorry!
Got scooped out on Thursday, and spent a bit of extra time in Recovery. It seems my BP plummeted when I vomited. I don't remember any of that, so yay for me. About the only things I remember from Recovery are Dr. Yim telling me it was benign, and the nurses giving me ice chips while I uncoordinatedly plucked at my IV line (thus validating nearly every post-surgery h/c I've ever read).
When I was rolled up to my room, my conniving sister was there to greet us. Why conniving? She told the nurses that I snore like the dickens, so they'd put me in a private room. I do snore - but would protest that it's not to quite so high a degree. OTOH, I was on my back for most of my stay and that does lead to my most impressive log-sawing. Morphine pump my friend, nursing staff attentive, daytime tv boring, expected departure date Saturday/Sunday.
Had to go for a CAT scan Friday, as Dr. Yim suspected I had a hematoma because my hemoglobin levels dropped. I figured my liver dinners of the previous week had just worn off. :grin: He was right, of course, so my stay was extended to Sunday/Monday, depending. If my hemoglobin stayed stable, Sunday, and the hematoma would just be resorbed like any other bruise. Back to the room and off the pump. (Pump made getting me to/and onto CT board fun - took two nurses to get all the various tubes, wires, and wheels going in the same direction.)
I had a couple of drains to lug around when they started me walking on Friday. Luckily, that same day they outfitted me with St. Luke's version of Victoria's Secret boy-cut undies, so I could tuck the drains in there. Threw on a backwards gown for the strolls down the hall, as none of my neighbors needed to be shown so much of me. :D Tylenol as needed for pain, but I mostly didn't need it. When I coughed, the pain spiked up to a 2, or 2.5. Other than that, it was only about a 1. Weird. Plenty of output once off the catheter. I was impressed, especially since I wasn't drinking all that much. Oh, wait - IV. Der-her! (In my defense, nurses seemed impressed, too.)
Lather, rinse, repeat for Saturday, except with Ultrasound in place of CAT scan. Hematoma seeming the same, expect departure Sunday ... probably. I'm now firmly in the Rodney McKay camp of liking hospital food - though, unlike him, it has nothing to do with surety of ingredients and everything to do with how damn good it was. Yum! Yankee Pot Roast with mashed taters was especially tasty, as were the biscuits and gravy.
I had washed my hair the morning of the surgery, then braided it loosely from the neck down to keep it out of the way. By Saturday morning, the top had worked itself looser, and the bottom had tightened like a packed down loomcraft, so I took it down. By Saturday night, I had an unbrushable knot at the crown of my head. Picked it out by hand, along with the small one behind my left ear (why?), then Nurse Kelly french-braided it to keep it under control for the rest of my stay. The staff was uniformly awesome - I highly recommend getting whatever surgery you need at St. Luke's.
All along, I've napped/slept when tired, and eaten when hungry. Saturday night I napped from 10pm 'til the 11pm vitals check. Couldn't go back to sleep after, so I read a book. A whole book. Kelly kept checking on me - "Are you sure you're okay?" After I finally remembered to tell her that I'm a night owl, all was well. ... Until Dr. Yim came in Sunday afternoon all worried that I was unable to sleep last night. :D I had to convince him that I'm always up 'til 3-4am, and that with all my naps I've been getting plenty of rest. He confirmed that my hematoma is stable, walked me through my aftercare, and asked if I had any questions. I said it was crazy, but all my family wanted to know the weight of the uterus/mass. Aunt Melba's was 8lbs, and I hope to beat her score. (Dr. Yim is 63, and a fairly serious guy.) He told me to get dressed and call the sister to come get me. Halfway through the phone call, he came back in. "It was 17cm in diameter and 1.4 kilos. You'll be disappointed - that's just over 3 pounds." I had groaned as soon as he said the kilos. Darn - Melba still wears the crown. (17cm is a large canteloupe - 20cm is a volleyball. It was pretty darn big, just not very dense.)
Got dressed, got wheeled out, stopped at Schnuck's and did some shopping, got home. What? I needed those glazed croissants. :grin: Sat in the lazyboy chatting with the sister and brother, eating up the rotisserie chicken and planning out the week. They left, and after some tv watching I started to get ready for bed, which included clogging up the toilet. Grrr. I can't really bend, so I snagged the power plunger with my prehensile toes, then - oh, so carefully, hanging on to the shower safety bar - plunged with the other hand. No joy. Whatever. Maybe it'll resolve before I need it again in the morning. Rinse plunger in tub and leave to drain.
Awakened by bladder and friends, go in to find toilet still clogged, but at a much lower level than the night before. Yay! No need for backup options (climb stairs to brother's apartment/pee in tub) as it won't overflow even if the water doesn't clear it out. Water doesn't clear it out. Water level very, very high. Sister (who is dotting) expected for lunch and will need facilities first thing, so I call her with a warning. She offers to bring Liquid PlumbR while out running office errands. Yay! She does, which means no visit at lunch, as time must be made up. I go in to apply product to clog, only to find that water was entered from somewhere, and there's a bit of overflowing effluent going on. Fabulous.
Water level too high to add anything. Now I have to bail. What tupperware/cup/bowl do I want to use one last time and pitch forever? Wait a minute!!! I think I have saved a Cool Whip container! I have! Yay! Get the mop bucket ... it's got cleaning supplies wedged in. One hand on door frame to allow squatting leaves one to remove items. Nope. Nope. GRRRRR!! Okay, then. One hand on door frame to allow squatting leaves one to turn bucket upside down and shake vigorously. Yep. Bailing done ... wait. Now the water's low enough to plunge again (and instructions for Liquid PlumbR only mention sinks, not instilling confidence), so let's try that. One-handed. Nope. Two-handed, locking frame and using arms only. Yes!!! I am woman, see me do what the fuck needs doing!
I'm pretty sure that most gynecological oncologists recommend a course of rest and light plumbing to hasten healing. ... Right?
I feel it's just a coincidence (or perhaps the result of a rather intense cough attack later that day) that a tiny bit at the bottom of my incision popped open. The doctor said it's very common, when I saw him on Wednesday. He steri-stripped me back together and sent me on my way. (It's right where the belly bulge goes back into the body wall, so I think that was a factor, as well.)
I've been mostly hanging around, watching game shows and home improvement shows, berating the contestants for their complete lack of logic. (On Lingo, if it isn't R E A D S, then it's not R E A D Y either. C'mon, people!)
I'm now allowed to go down the basement stairs, so I'm doing laundry and am back to feeding the cats myself (thanks, Kirk!). I'll be allowed to drive starting on Wednesday, which is very convenient, as that's when my next appointment with Dr. Yim is. My appetite is good (which comes as a surprise to NOBODY in my family - our appetites are unkillable) and all the internal workings seem to be moving along right on schedule. Ooh, check it out. I have staples holding my incision together, but they won't need removing. They're absorbable! Isn't that the coolest thing?
Thanks again for all your good wishes and interest in my recovery. It all helps. :D
Got scooped out on Thursday, and spent a bit of extra time in Recovery. It seems my BP plummeted when I vomited. I don't remember any of that, so yay for me. About the only things I remember from Recovery are Dr. Yim telling me it was benign, and the nurses giving me ice chips while I uncoordinatedly plucked at my IV line (thus validating nearly every post-surgery h/c I've ever read).
When I was rolled up to my room, my conniving sister was there to greet us. Why conniving? She told the nurses that I snore like the dickens, so they'd put me in a private room. I do snore - but would protest that it's not to quite so high a degree. OTOH, I was on my back for most of my stay and that does lead to my most impressive log-sawing. Morphine pump my friend, nursing staff attentive, daytime tv boring, expected departure date Saturday/Sunday.
Had to go for a CAT scan Friday, as Dr. Yim suspected I had a hematoma because my hemoglobin levels dropped. I figured my liver dinners of the previous week had just worn off. :grin: He was right, of course, so my stay was extended to Sunday/Monday, depending. If my hemoglobin stayed stable, Sunday, and the hematoma would just be resorbed like any other bruise. Back to the room and off the pump. (Pump made getting me to/and onto CT board fun - took two nurses to get all the various tubes, wires, and wheels going in the same direction.)
I had a couple of drains to lug around when they started me walking on Friday. Luckily, that same day they outfitted me with St. Luke's version of Victoria's Secret boy-cut undies, so I could tuck the drains in there. Threw on a backwards gown for the strolls down the hall, as none of my neighbors needed to be shown so much of me. :D Tylenol as needed for pain, but I mostly didn't need it. When I coughed, the pain spiked up to a 2, or 2.5. Other than that, it was only about a 1. Weird. Plenty of output once off the catheter. I was impressed, especially since I wasn't drinking all that much. Oh, wait - IV. Der-her! (In my defense, nurses seemed impressed, too.)
Lather, rinse, repeat for Saturday, except with Ultrasound in place of CAT scan. Hematoma seeming the same, expect departure Sunday ... probably. I'm now firmly in the Rodney McKay camp of liking hospital food - though, unlike him, it has nothing to do with surety of ingredients and everything to do with how damn good it was. Yum! Yankee Pot Roast with mashed taters was especially tasty, as were the biscuits and gravy.
I had washed my hair the morning of the surgery, then braided it loosely from the neck down to keep it out of the way. By Saturday morning, the top had worked itself looser, and the bottom had tightened like a packed down loomcraft, so I took it down. By Saturday night, I had an unbrushable knot at the crown of my head. Picked it out by hand, along with the small one behind my left ear (why?), then Nurse Kelly french-braided it to keep it under control for the rest of my stay. The staff was uniformly awesome - I highly recommend getting whatever surgery you need at St. Luke's.
All along, I've napped/slept when tired, and eaten when hungry. Saturday night I napped from 10pm 'til the 11pm vitals check. Couldn't go back to sleep after, so I read a book. A whole book. Kelly kept checking on me - "Are you sure you're okay?" After I finally remembered to tell her that I'm a night owl, all was well. ... Until Dr. Yim came in Sunday afternoon all worried that I was unable to sleep last night. :D I had to convince him that I'm always up 'til 3-4am, and that with all my naps I've been getting plenty of rest. He confirmed that my hematoma is stable, walked me through my aftercare, and asked if I had any questions. I said it was crazy, but all my family wanted to know the weight of the uterus/mass. Aunt Melba's was 8lbs, and I hope to beat her score. (Dr. Yim is 63, and a fairly serious guy.) He told me to get dressed and call the sister to come get me. Halfway through the phone call, he came back in. "It was 17cm in diameter and 1.4 kilos. You'll be disappointed - that's just over 3 pounds." I had groaned as soon as he said the kilos. Darn - Melba still wears the crown. (17cm is a large canteloupe - 20cm is a volleyball. It was pretty darn big, just not very dense.)
Got dressed, got wheeled out, stopped at Schnuck's and did some shopping, got home. What? I needed those glazed croissants. :grin: Sat in the lazyboy chatting with the sister and brother, eating up the rotisserie chicken and planning out the week. They left, and after some tv watching I started to get ready for bed, which included clogging up the toilet. Grrr. I can't really bend, so I snagged the power plunger with my prehensile toes, then - oh, so carefully, hanging on to the shower safety bar - plunged with the other hand. No joy. Whatever. Maybe it'll resolve before I need it again in the morning. Rinse plunger in tub and leave to drain.
Awakened by bladder and friends, go in to find toilet still clogged, but at a much lower level than the night before. Yay! No need for backup options (climb stairs to brother's apartment/pee in tub) as it won't overflow even if the water doesn't clear it out. Water doesn't clear it out. Water level very, very high. Sister (who is dotting) expected for lunch and will need facilities first thing, so I call her with a warning. She offers to bring Liquid PlumbR while out running office errands. Yay! She does, which means no visit at lunch, as time must be made up. I go in to apply product to clog, only to find that water was entered from somewhere, and there's a bit of overflowing effluent going on. Fabulous.
Water level too high to add anything. Now I have to bail. What tupperware/cup/bowl do I want to use one last time and pitch forever? Wait a minute!!! I think I have saved a Cool Whip container! I have! Yay! Get the mop bucket ... it's got cleaning supplies wedged in. One hand on door frame to allow squatting leaves one to remove items. Nope. Nope. GRRRRR!! Okay, then. One hand on door frame to allow squatting leaves one to turn bucket upside down and shake vigorously. Yep. Bailing done ... wait. Now the water's low enough to plunge again (and instructions for Liquid PlumbR only mention sinks, not instilling confidence), so let's try that. One-handed. Nope. Two-handed, locking frame and using arms only. Yes!!! I am woman, see me do what the fuck needs doing!
I'm pretty sure that most gynecological oncologists recommend a course of rest and light plumbing to hasten healing. ... Right?
I feel it's just a coincidence (or perhaps the result of a rather intense cough attack later that day) that a tiny bit at the bottom of my incision popped open. The doctor said it's very common, when I saw him on Wednesday. He steri-stripped me back together and sent me on my way. (It's right where the belly bulge goes back into the body wall, so I think that was a factor, as well.)
I've been mostly hanging around, watching game shows and home improvement shows, berating the contestants for their complete lack of logic. (On Lingo, if it isn't R E A D S, then it's not R E A D Y either. C'mon, people!)
I'm now allowed to go down the basement stairs, so I'm doing laundry and am back to feeding the cats myself (thanks, Kirk!). I'll be allowed to drive starting on Wednesday, which is very convenient, as that's when my next appointment with Dr. Yim is. My appetite is good (which comes as a surprise to NOBODY in my family - our appetites are unkillable) and all the internal workings seem to be moving along right on schedule. Ooh, check it out. I have staples holding my incision together, but they won't need removing. They're absorbable! Isn't that the coolest thing?
Thanks again for all your good wishes and interest in my recovery. It all helps. :D
no subject
Holy cow!
I am taking it soooooo easy. I snoozed in the chair for three hours Thursday (possibly due to the non-drowsy anti-histimine), then went to bed and slept for nine more. Friday I cut out the middle man and just fell deep asleep in the chair. Finally toddled off, rolled into bed and slept for four more hours fully dressed, bra and all. :grin:
no subject
Holy cow!
Thanks for the kind words and good thoughts. It is nice to have people it would never have occurred to me not to rely on in this situation. Ya know? It's a gift to not once have doubted that people would be willing to help. *is blessed*
no subject
Thank you for sharing your story. I'm having my own encounter at St. Luke's right now so I'm glad to hear that you have positive things to say about them. My own initial encounter was very positive, and I'm going to have more. So it's nice to hear that other people have positive things to say about them.
Holy cow!
The very worst thing I can say about my stay there was that one patient tech wore a little too much perfume. Once she realized it, she stayed away. Coming from me - that's high high praise. I can find the silver lining in any cloud, BUT the reverse is also true.
I hope your issue goes as smoothly as mine did, and now I'm sending positive thoughts streaming back in your direction. Good luck!
Re: Holy cow!
(Anonymous) 2011-04-04 02:29 am (UTC)(link)I'm sure I'll be posting about my issues in LJ. It's not clear what's up with me yet so I haven't said much. I do feel much more confident about St. Lukes now after my own initial meeting and what you've had to say.
Re: Holy cow!
You can probably tell from the context, but the above message was from me ;-) LJ chooses the oddest moments to time us out.
Re: Holy cow!
And, you're right about LJ. It counts itself as 'quirky', I think. :D
no subject
Holy cow!
Thanks! I'm feelin' much better!
*hugs back*
GSN
The only drawbacks are:
A) contestants sometimes so stupid you can't imagine how they are alive, and
B) unfortunate fashions from the past. (Though I might have to switch that to the "Bonus" column, as they are HI-larious!)
Re: GSN
Yes! It doesn't work at all, as they're too stupid to listen. :grin:
(Card Sharks was on last night. An episode from 1978 with the worst/best hair and costumes yet.)