FINALLY! What should have really been one night in the hospital turned into three full days and three nights and I have never wanted to leave somewhere so badly before. I went 72+ hours without seeing R and hated every minute of it. Here's a brief summary of what went down:
Monday: I decided that there was no reason for my mom to watch R because I was very sure that I'd only be having an overnight stay, and I thought I'd be able to handle everything on my own. However she was there when N dropped me off at the hospital (he then took R home for awhile and to his mom's house for the day) to wait with me in pre-op, and she also waited during my surgery to see how everything went.
At first the procedures looked like they'd been successful. I came out of the anesthesia just fine but had to wait a while for a room to open on the recovery floor. When I finally made it up there the nurses put diloted and nausea meds in my IV, and I was pretty out if it all night. But I was eating and able to maneuver out of bed myself- I thought I was doing well. N had come by to be with me but he had to leave around 9pm to pick R up from his mom's house.
I thought I'd be fine at night on my own, and the nurses were all great, but after this random guy walked into my room at 2am- he told me he was blind, which the nurse later said he wasn't- I got really freaked out and started having a panic attack. Even though I have a prescription for Ativan nobody would give me any. I begged N to drop off R at my mom's as soon as possible so he could come be with me. He showed up around 6am, and by this time my nausea was out of control, and I needed his presence more than ever!
Tuesday: A few hours after N showed up I started getting the most intense reflux feeling I've ever had. I can always feel my reflux, but this was different, and I knew that I needed to get to a toilet ASAP. I had about 5 episodes of extremely violent vomiting, and was throwing up mostly bile, and then blood, and then some stuff from my intestines. The nurses would give me IV nausea meds between episodes but the meds didn't do anything. It was at this point I knew there was something wrong with the stent and I wanted to see my doctor immediately.
Unfortunately he had the day off and his partner was supposed to make the rounds but he never came to see me. The nurses ended up giving me what's called a "GI cocktail" which is made up of antacids, pain meds, and nausea meds and I stopped throwing up. That was the only time I had pain meds after Monday. My mom kept R overnight so N could stay with me and I was very thankful. I was a mess all night and the IV nausea meds weren't doing much.
Wednesday: I had the nurses page my doctor as soon as I woke up for the day, and I told them there was something wrong with my stent- I just knew it. I was wheeled down for an x-ray and it did now that my stent was out of place. My stomach was basically like GTFO. Before my doctor came to see me he wanted me to have another x-Ray done; this time where I'd swallow fluid so he could see if it'd pass the shunt. I was wheeled down to radiology again, crying hysterically and shaking. I basically cried hysterically all day. When the x-Ray techs brought me the stuff to drink I couldn't barely take more than a few sips because it was so nasty. I know I was being a pain, but I really didn't want to vomit bile all over their nice machines. Luckily my doctor had come to the x-Ray room and I told him I wanted the stent out ASAP. He said that'd be fine and would take it out after his next operation.
I went back up to my room while I waited for a pre-op nurse to get me, and N was allowed to stay in the pre-op room with me. By this point I was just a hot mess. Crying, shaking, panicking, and literally looking like a "Meth: Not even once" commercial. After what felt like forever, I was put back under and they took the stent out. My doctor said my stomach was trying to push it out or something, which is actually good news because it means my stomach isn't super paralyzed.
I spent an hour and a half recovering from the anesthesia (which I came out of just fine) before I was wheeled back up to my room. I definitely felt some instant relief after having the stent out, and I even had a little bit to eat, and showered (which I DESPERATELY needed!) I tried to soldier through the night with no nausea meds, so they'd know I was ok to go home in the morning, but I ended up breaking down around 2am, after hearing the guy in the room next to me get violently ill. I asked for something for anxiety too and they still wouldn't give me Ativan they gave me some Benadryl which knocked me out for a couple hours. After I looked it up I saw that I should have NEVER been given Benadryl because it interacts with the anti-depressant I'm taking, but I didn't die so that was good. My mom watched R overnight again so N could stay with me and I was very thankful again.
Thursday: As soon as I woke up I told the new morning nurse I wanted to be discharged as quickly as possible. She said we'd have to wait for my doctor to come by and see me which made me worried (I had no idea when he'd show up) but luckily he came by early and gave me the green light to go. I didn't even wait for them to find me a wheelchair, we just booked it out of there.
I have never been so excited to see my home, my bed, or my baby. I'm actually in bed rig now typing this, and I'm still feeling pretty woozy and nauseous, but at least I'm home. I haven't eaten much in this past week so I need to recover some strength, and of course my incisions are still very sore and itchy.
My doctor told me he turned up my stimulator relatively high so that I shouldn't need an adjustment for awhile. I'm not feeling it doing anything yet but I'm not going to jump to any conclusions just three days after it was put in. I am definitely anxious to feel better though.
For right now I'm just glad to be home. All things considered what I went through wasn't so bad, but if feel physically and emotionally drained right now. Hopefully all goes well with the stimulator so I don't need surgery again for a long, LONG time!
I thought I'd be fine at night on my own, and the nurses were all great, but after this random guy walked into my room at 2am- he told me he was blind, which the nurse later said he wasn't- I got really freaked out and started having a panic attack. Even though I have a prescription for Ativan nobody would give me any. I begged N to drop off R at my mom's as soon as possible so he could come be with me. He showed up around 6am, and by this time my nausea was out of control, and I needed his presence more than ever!
Tuesday: A few hours after N showed up I started getting the most intense reflux feeling I've ever had. I can always feel my reflux, but this was different, and I knew that I needed to get to a toilet ASAP. I had about 5 episodes of extremely violent vomiting, and was throwing up mostly bile, and then blood, and then some stuff from my intestines. The nurses would give me IV nausea meds between episodes but the meds didn't do anything. It was at this point I knew there was something wrong with the stent and I wanted to see my doctor immediately.
Unfortunately he had the day off and his partner was supposed to make the rounds but he never came to see me. The nurses ended up giving me what's called a "GI cocktail" which is made up of antacids, pain meds, and nausea meds and I stopped throwing up. That was the only time I had pain meds after Monday. My mom kept R overnight so N could stay with me and I was very thankful. I was a mess all night and the IV nausea meds weren't doing much.
Wednesday: I had the nurses page my doctor as soon as I woke up for the day, and I told them there was something wrong with my stent- I just knew it. I was wheeled down for an x-ray and it did now that my stent was out of place. My stomach was basically like GTFO. Before my doctor came to see me he wanted me to have another x-Ray done; this time where I'd swallow fluid so he could see if it'd pass the shunt. I was wheeled down to radiology again, crying hysterically and shaking. I basically cried hysterically all day. When the x-Ray techs brought me the stuff to drink I couldn't barely take more than a few sips because it was so nasty. I know I was being a pain, but I really didn't want to vomit bile all over their nice machines. Luckily my doctor had come to the x-Ray room and I told him I wanted the stent out ASAP. He said that'd be fine and would take it out after his next operation.
I went back up to my room while I waited for a pre-op nurse to get me, and N was allowed to stay in the pre-op room with me. By this point I was just a hot mess. Crying, shaking, panicking, and literally looking like a "Meth: Not even once" commercial. After what felt like forever, I was put back under and they took the stent out. My doctor said my stomach was trying to push it out or something, which is actually good news because it means my stomach isn't super paralyzed.
I spent an hour and a half recovering from the anesthesia (which I came out of just fine) before I was wheeled back up to my room. I definitely felt some instant relief after having the stent out, and I even had a little bit to eat, and showered (which I DESPERATELY needed!) I tried to soldier through the night with no nausea meds, so they'd know I was ok to go home in the morning, but I ended up breaking down around 2am, after hearing the guy in the room next to me get violently ill. I asked for something for anxiety too and they still wouldn't give me Ativan they gave me some Benadryl which knocked me out for a couple hours. After I looked it up I saw that I should have NEVER been given Benadryl because it interacts with the anti-depressant I'm taking, but I didn't die so that was good. My mom watched R overnight again so N could stay with me and I was very thankful again.
Thursday: As soon as I woke up I told the new morning nurse I wanted to be discharged as quickly as possible. She said we'd have to wait for my doctor to come by and see me which made me worried (I had no idea when he'd show up) but luckily he came by early and gave me the green light to go. I didn't even wait for them to find me a wheelchair, we just booked it out of there.
I have never been so excited to see my home, my bed, or my baby. I'm actually in bed rig now typing this, and I'm still feeling pretty woozy and nauseous, but at least I'm home. I haven't eaten much in this past week so I need to recover some strength, and of course my incisions are still very sore and itchy.
My doctor told me he turned up my stimulator relatively high so that I shouldn't need an adjustment for awhile. I'm not feeling it doing anything yet but I'm not going to jump to any conclusions just three days after it was put in. I am definitely anxious to feel better though.
For right now I'm just glad to be home. All things considered what I went through wasn't so bad, but if feel physically and emotionally drained right now. Hopefully all goes well with the stimulator so I don't need surgery again for a long, LONG time!
Ugh, this whole entire thing sounds awful! But thank goodness you're finally home!
ReplyDeleteI agree!
DeleteAww I can just picture you running out of the hospital! I'm sorry that it was all so traumatic, but yay for no more stent and for it being over with :).
ReplyDelete.. I woulda FREAKED out about the guy coming into my room too.... did you ever find out what his deal was??
Jen
Jen.amileamemory@gmail.com
I didn't! I think he was just hopped up on a TON of pain meds and/ or was still loopy from anesthesia, or maybe was just insane. Looking back freaks me out even more!
Delete