This morning I woke up feeling much better. I am still uncomfortable but the pain in my back has subsided substantially. I can even find positions in bed where I feel almost no pain. It’s such a relief. And, I was able to get down nearly a cup of chicken broth! Over the course of 2 hours, of course.
My stomach is still very irritable, which is to be expected, and I don’t actually enjoy sipping water or chicken broth, but I know it’s important to stay hydrated. They have taken away my PCA pump and now I’m on oxycodone pills every 4 hours. At first I would gag and feel nauseas when I swallowed the pills but now I can keep them down okay.
Walking around feels great. On surgery day I could only walk to the end of the hall and back. Today I’m doing laps to the end of my hall and the hall for the other recovery wing. I’m really looking forward to being home, with some privacy, though. My roommate has been a little challenging and the nurses are constantly in and out. Although I haven’t done much the past few days, I still feel like I really need to sleep.
I was discharged around 11:30AM and the car ride home was very uncomfortable. I got pretty nauseas with all the turning and although my husband drives well, we have a stick shift, which isn’t always the smoothest ride. I was glad to have my pillow with me to press against my tummy.
When I got home I immediately crawled into the guest bed to try to overcome the nausea. Eventually I felt well enough to use the restroom and take a shower. The shower was one of the most wonderful things I have ever experienced. I stood under the hot water and finally felt relaxed for the first time in days.
After showering I put on some clean clothes, filled up a little 16oz bottle with Crystal Light, and climbed back into the guest bed. I am now very grateful that we went the extra mile on the guest bed and got a quality memory foam mattress. I took my prescribed dose of oxy and got genuinely comfortable before passing out for 5 hours.
Today my stomach is still very sensitive and it is still difficult to drink enough, but I feel immensely better than yesterday. And I don’t feel as much regret or depression. My intestines are making all kinds of noises fairly constantly but for the most part I think I’m going to survive this crazy experience! I’m going to go do laps around the living room and then head back to bed.