Post-Op Post

Here it is, my post-op blog post... yeah say that 10 times fast :) Today it has been exactly two weeks since my surgery and... I only have 12ish more weeks till I'm back to normal whoooooo can I get an Amen?

Thinking back on surgery day I definitely feel like it was all a dream. That morning I woke up, got dressed, put on make-up (for surgery? Of course.) and headed to the hospital with my parents and my sister. I wasn’t feeling nervous, just more anxious then anything, and so ready to get this over with. They did the usual hospital registration, signing of the waivers and deciding who my money would go to if I died… luckily I don’t have any money so that was easy. We waited in the waiting room and they called me back for prep. They prepped me, I said my I love yous and then they wheeled me away. By this time I was supposed to be feeling this lovely cocktail that the nurse gave me but I felt nothing. I started to panic and kept telling her I couldn’t feel anything. We got to the operating room and they moved me over to the table and strapped my arms down. By this point I was in full on panic mode and the tears started pouring. I couldn’t see a thing because they made me give my mom my glasses but I could see the blur of a nurse over me and I could feel her wiping my tears and saying it was going to be ok.

The next thing I know I was waking up in the recovery room. It was 5 hours later and my chest literally felt like I had done 1 million bench presses. I couldn’t lift my head or arms. My throat was so dry. I couldn’t talk, only whisper because it hurt. The nurse fed me ice chips but it was never enough. What I would have given to down an ice cold glass of water at that point… Honestly, that time in recovery was the WORST. I kept asking when I could see my family, that’s all I could think about. I wondered if they knew I was ok. I wondered if they were here waiting for me. It seemed like eternity waiting to get to my room. After about an hour or so they finally brought me to my room and let me say, getting moved over to the hospital bed from the rolling one was absolute horror. Awful. My chest hurt soooo bad. And then I met my new best friend, morphine. I clicked that thing every 6 minutes for 2 days straight.

During my stay I got lots of flowers and edible arrangements and cupcakes and visitors and I felt and still feel extremely blessed for all of the support I have in my life. Hospital stays aren’t fun so I couldn’t be more thankful for all of the wonderful people who came to visit me. I think at one point we had about 11 people in my room. I got to see some very special people and even got a surprise visit that I was ecstatic about :) Thank God I got my own room and it was so nice and spacious! My family took turns staying with me. I felt so bad waking them up every single hour needing something or another, but they were so great and helpful. There was never a time in those 3 days that I was alone in my room. It made things so much easier always having someone there.

Now that I’m home things are getting easier. The first couple of days were rough. There is no way to be completely comfortable. As a tummy sleeper I had a really hard time sleeping on my back let alone sitting up! Now I can actually lay down on my back so it’s a bit easier but still a struggle. The drains SUCK and are so gross. I can't look at them. Doctor George has been cleaning them for me and fixing me up real nice y'all. Can't wait to get them out, 3 more days!!!

My arm muscles were completely out of commission for at least 5 days after surgery. I couldn’t do a thing with them it was the weirdest thing. Every day things get better. My first bath was a huge milestone. It’s amazing what a bath can do. Shout out to my wonderful mom who bathed and clothed me. We both just laughed through the awkwardness. I don’t think I have any shame left after my hospital stay. My dad had to help me put on underwear one day and I had like 4 different nurses wipe me after I peed. No shame here.

So it’s two weeks later and things are good. My chest still hurts and my back HURTS all the time. Now that the swelling has gone down a ton I can actually feel the expanders inside my chest and it’s uncomfortable. When I lay down I can feel them putting pressure on my lungs for the first couple of seconds and then I’m good, it's weird.

I drove today WHOO. It was hard and turns hurt and I probably won’t do it again for a while but my hair hadn’t been washed since surgery and I was itching… literally to get it washed and styled.

Anyway, thank you for all the prayers and thoughts and words y’all have sent my way for the past couple of weeks. It has meant the world to me. The hardest part is over!

-Eryn