I made it

Hi guys, well I survived.  I start from the beginning.  We arrived at the hopital at 11:30 am and I got checked in.  Paid my crazy $5000 copay and then was taken back.  I had to pee in a cup the I was taken to my room.  There, I was instructed to take all my clothes off and scrub my whole body down with these wet pad things.  Which, since I just shaved prior, make my skin itch like the devil.

Then they put my IV in.  I've never had anyone get it on the first try, but this lady did.  She even numbed it before hand with was nice.


Then they put some stockings on my legs.


 
They brought Mike back after that.  We sat there for a long time.  My surgery was scheduled at 1:30pm and my doctor finally showed up around 2.  He came in and asked me some questions and then said it was going to be about another half hour becasue his wife is out of town and he had to run home and walk his dog real quick.  (are you kidding me??)  Then the anesthesiologist came in and asked more questons and then his resident came in and did the same.  Finally about 2:30pm they came in, put some Versed in my IV and off we went.  Once in the OR, I had to get on a different table and they put a mask tight over my face.  I went to sleep after that.  I woke up around 5:30pm in the recovery room.  I was crying and in the worst pain of my life.  I can't even decribe the pain.  It was HORRIBLE.  My port area hurt and my ribs felt like they had been pride apart and my chest/heart hurt and I couln't take a deep breath.  It was awful.  They told me I could stay if I wanted to so they could help control my pain, but I just wanted to go home.  So Mike dressed me and I got one more shot of pain meds in my iv before they took that out.  They wheeled me to the car and we went home.  I was still in crazy pain, to where I just cried and cried and was shaking.  I took some more meds and went to sleep.  Mike got me up a few times and we walked around the house a bit and I'm finally feeling better.  It still hurts like hell to move, but the feeling that my torso is going to explode and I can't breathe, has subsided.  Thank GOD!  I've never been in pain like that before.  I wasn't expecting that at all, since a few friends of mine who have had it told me they didn't hurt at all.  I think they PACKED my abdomen with gas or something because it was unbearable.  I'm so happy it's getting better.

I have cotten mouth like mad.  Mike bought me some apple juice, and that is just heaven.  My throat is sore too.  I'm not noticing any weird feelings with drinking.  I feel just the same as before in that area.

Now that my pain is finally under control, I'm super stoked I got this and everything went well.

Here's my sore sore bloated tummy.


Not quite sure why I have 6 holes but whatever.   I've been having to pee a lot and when I sit down to go, it just trickles out.  I don't know why that is.  Maybe because I'm all tensed up when I sit down or maybe all the gas in my tummy is doing something to my bladder.

Anyway, I'm going to go lay back down.  I just wanted to give you all an update.

XOXO