I'm home. I'm so happy to be home! No more tubes up my nose, no more "soft food" unless I want it, no more scratchy blankies. Though I do miss the adjustable bed and having someone on call for my any whim 24/7 ;) Actually I only called a nurse in once and that was to lay down the law (very kindly) about them not allowing me to take my regular meds because a doctor hadn't approved them yet. I wasn't about to go through withdrawals again because they didn't want to bother a doctor. They were very nice about it and I got my meds within an hour or so. And my daughters and sweet husband have been fantastic about helping me with absolutely anything any time, so I'm as spoiled as a girl could wish. Mostly I guess I miss the adjustable bed.
So often I hear people complain about the service they get at a busy hospital such as UVRMC in Provo. I have to say, I have been there MANY times and I love that place. As much as anyone could love a medical institution, lol. Any hospital will have bummer nurses, doctors, etc., but overall we have had wonderful care there. I haven't felt like I was lost in the shuffle or forgotten or treated like an assembly line patient. I have benefited from the experience of the practitioners and availability of medical equipment. I didn't have to wait for someone to haul in a portable CT scanner -- they had one right down the hall! I had wonderful, caring nurses and fantastic doctors. Kudos to the hospital!
(I'm going to spare you a picture of body parts this time :) )
The surgeon went over my procedure with me yesterday morning when I was finally conscious enough to know what he was saying. Apparently the "slightly prominent" appendix wasn't hugely enlarged because it was leaking the bacterial secretions right through its wall into my abdomen. Fortunately they were able to thoroughly flush out the area and it wasn't so severe that they needed to place a drain. If I'd had a drain I would have spent a lot more time in the hospital. The usual method is to pull out the appendix, give a dose or two of antibiotics via IV, keep the patient overnight to make sure the infection is under control, then send them on their merry way. I fell between "usual" and "extreme". That's great news, in my estimation, considering how often I land in the "extreme" category. I got several doses of antibiotics via IV and will spend the next several days on oral antibiotics to make sure the infection doesn't attack the whole abdominal cavity. That would be bad.
The pain isn't fantastic. What pain is?! But as long as I take it fairly easy and do some walking from time to time (they inflate the abdomen during a laparoscopic procedure and that trapped air moves around and can be quite painful, but movement helps work it out) and stay on the percocet I'm doing pretty well. Despite a bad headache-free migraine yesterday afternoon on the way home (lost vision on my right, vomiting, dizziness, etc. Nasty.) it has, in general, been not too bad. I'm limited to lifting no more than 15 lbs until after my check up next week so no mega body building exercises today ;)
I'm really grateful I was in the right place at the right time yet again. I feel very blessed. Yes, I feel blessed even with two surgeries on my record within 6 1/2 weeks! I'm feeling positive and happy (though some of that might be the percocet talking, LOL) and well taken care of. I am so grateful for the help we've had from friends and family members. I'm glad I had the laundry and dishes under control before this all happened so hopefully we can muddle through without having to spend the next month getting the household back in order again.
I am overwhelmed by love for my husband and my daughters. To have a husband who drops whatever he has to help me out at times like this and truly worry more about me than about anything else. It is something every woman should have, but sadly not all do. I hope someday (in the FAR distant future, lol) our daughters are able to find their own angels like their daddy. These girls have been so patient. The run across the room to pick up something I"ve dropped, they run up and down the stairs to fetch things I've left behind. Lizzie just accidentally bumped Sabrina's head and she ran upstairs to get some frozen coconut out of the freezer to put on the bump (she couldn't find the proper ice pack, lol). Sabrina told her it was okay and she was okay so Lizzie gave her a kiss on the bump and put away the coconut. It's all these little things together that overwhelm me by the love of my little family. I couldn't manage through all this without them.
Okay, I'm going to give you a reprieve now and stop writing. Percocet always makes me quite loquacious and right now the blogging world (well, both of you who read this, lol) is at the noisy end of my chattiness. Lots of love to those who have been so helpful whether they're here or far away sending kind thoughts or prayers. Thank you. <3
2 comments:
I'm glad that you are home and doing better. Thank goodness for the help you get from your little fam! I hope you recover quickly.
Hey, at least it didn't happen on Michael's birthday. I've had that joy! :) It is always nice to remember how blessed we are, especially during the challenges. Happy day for you that it wasn't worse and that you have a great little fam. Hope you get better soon.
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