Hi again, a quick thank you to everyone taking the time to read, hopefully this will help someone else going through a similar situation. I left off with having my gallbladder taken out, check out Part 1 if you haven’t. This is all about how this has not been the easy process I was led to believe it would be, and how I have continued to struggle through it.
My gallbladder came out April 5, 2016, I was sent home hours after the procedure, this was not a good thing. It is an outpatient procedure, or it should be provided they can control your pain, which they did not do. I spent about 2 – 2 1/2 hours in recovery after my surgery, much longer than the average person from my understanding. This is when you wake up, they give you some medication to control the pain, and then you are sent to see your family, or whomever is waiting (there are two places you go after surgery, one where they observe you right after, and it is just hospital personnel, then another area where they continue observing you, but you are able to be with your family). The problem, they could not control my pain. I remember being extremely uncomfortable, and just feeling horrible. But I know they kept giving me medication, I was watching them. I finally asked, when I became aware enough to have sense, and learned they were giving me Dilaudid, which apparently is very strong, but it does not work for me. I learned this in one of my many hospital visits, but by the time I realized, it was too late, I was maxed out, there was nothing I could do.
They finally wheeled me to post-op, so I could see my family, and well, because they wanted to go home I gather, as I was one of the last ones. I was still uncomfortable, complaining of pain, and told at that point to take my pain medication when I got home. Mind you, they did not require I eat, drink or use the bathroom. I insisted on all because I knew better, I wanted to make sure I was going to be okay. Also, they give you your prescription for the pain medicine the day of your surgery, so how was I supposed to take it when I arrived home. What if I did not have someone who could take me to pick it up? I finally left, made it home, and immediately tried to smoke a little marijuana to help give me an appetite to take my pain medicine. That ended up not working, so I went to sleep. Woke up early in pain, could not eat, or sleep, or take meds, was on a downward spiral fast, and ended up back in the ER, not even 24 hours after my surgery. I was throwing up at that point, I just had major abdominal surgery, the worst thing I could do was throw up, it was basically like just opening my mouth and let it come out, I could not heave my stomach at all, or the pain just intensified, and I could risk a hernia.
The ER was another terrible experience, as I guess my whole time at this hospital was. I repeatedly requested anti-nausea medication to help curb the throwing up, from the Nurse Practitioner, who was too busy cleaning her office to help me. I kid you not, I was actually watching her clean her office, telling me to just sit and wait, while I was throwing up, after having surgery, um something is very wrong with this picture. The nurses who decided how quickly patients make it back luckily were empathetic, and they got me things as quickly as they could, while doing pretty much everything else. They were great. I was finally called back, and they were quick to get me more anti-nausea medication, and pain meds, but what did they bring me, Dilaudid. I quickly told them it does not help me, and let them know what did. I was told that Dilaudid was actually a stronger medication then the others, maybe stronger in making your head high, but not in actually helping to ease the pain, I was not looking for a high, I wanted the pain to be less. My nurse was amazing though, I really was fond of her. After about 8 hours in the ER I was finally comfortable enough to go home, be able to eat, and get on my own regiment.
Now, why all of the pain you might be asking yourself, it is a simple outpatient procedure. One reason for sure was the gas they load into you, oh man, talk about uncomfortable. I hope I never have to have surgery again, but if I do, definitely no more gas, horrible. The other reason, and mind you I could be absolutely wrong, but I feel like it makes sense, and that is my core, or abdominal muscles. I have a very strong core, from all of the Pilates I was doing. This is the example I give, think about cutting through a piece of meat with a butter knife, or even a sharp blade, it often takes some doing, effort. Think of cutting through a piece of fat, you can usually just slide right on through, even with a butter knife. I really feel like my strong abdominal wall might have been a downfall in this case. My surgeon actually told me post-op that I had great abs, and ended up taking me out for 6 weeks, the week after my surgery because she knew I used them for a living (being a trainer). For her to say that, I wondered if it was a challenge to cut through them.
I am now a week post op, it has been a slow process, and everything I am reading says I should be good about a week after, what is wrong with me then. I went back to that over and over, there must be something wrong with me, as I was having a really hard time getting around. Here is my incision point the day after, then me and my incision about 4 days post-op:
So I was healing, but it did not feel quick. Now, here is the kind of stupid thing I did, well, in hindsight I am so glad I did it, but at the time, no bueno. I jumped on a plane one week post-op to head to Jamaica to recover. Mind you, I did not lift any of my baggage, I had porters, and I did not do ANY lifting, or anything really while I was in Jamaica, but still probably was not the best idea. I thought I would be fine though, everyone said I would be, that I had spoken to that had the surgery. I actually spent almost the whole time in a house laying down on a bed. It was not until it was time to leave that I was actually feeling good enough to go out. Yeah, I am crazy, but I know that did not complicate anything, the complications I was feeling were due to something else, I just did not know what.
I was back to see my surgeon at the end of my 6 weeks, to see about being released to go back to work, but I was still not feeling great. She released me, told me to still take it easy, but I was cleared. I was still smoking quite a bit of marijuana at the time, to help me eat, and with the pain, I was still lacking of an appetite, and I still did not feel great about my bowels, but what could I do, go back to my primary care, that is what. What a mistake that was, because I have had depression before he just figured that was my issue and threw me on an anti-depressant. Are you kidding me, fine you are the doctor, I know you are on your way out, but you are the doctor. That did not help, and after 2 weeks of nothing but diarrhea, and more weight loss, I stopped taking them. Oh yes, mind you, I am still losing weight, I did not really have weight to lose, never in my life have I been known as thin, but here I am weighing about 123 pounds. I am no longer comfortable in my own body, I make an appointment to see my new primary care doctor, she immediately refers me to a GI specialist (which should have happened from the get go). Now I have to wait, another month before I can get in to see him, meaning I will be almost 4 months post-op, still losing weight still not feeling well, what is wrong with me, I hope he can give me some answers….
Be Your Authentic You 