Surgery and Hospital Stay (Part 5-Leak Test-Second Day)

They woke me up early in the morning...not sure what time it was but it felt really early. My pain and nausea medicine had worn off. I was starting to feel nauseated but I didn't put two and two together. A couple of people came in with a wheel chair and informed us that it was time to do the leak test.

As they wheeled me to a waiting area for patients, with my husband by my side, I started to feel sick. Then a nurse came and got me. As we traveled down this long hallway, I told her that I thought I was going to throw up. I have never seen someone run sooooo fast! lol She left me in the middle of the hall and ran just as fast as she could to get something for me to throw up in. Of course, I don't know what I thought I was going to throw up because I hadn't had anything to eat or drink for about 32 hours. She handed me the container and I coughed and gagged....my mouth watered...then a tiny burp came up. For that moment, I didn't feel like I was going to throw up anymore.

On to the leak test room! I was feeling so weak and shaky. I wasn't sure I could stand up without collapsing. But they made me. There was this huge metal wall that had a metal floor on the end of it. They had me stand on that and took some x-rays. I wanted to sit down so bad. Then the wall started leaning back and I thought I was going to fall but they had a hold of me..thank goodness! It was a really weird and scary feeling.

They took some more x-rays. Then the tilted the table up to were I was at a slight angle. I was given some really nasty stuff to swallow and they ran this scanner thing over my chest and stomach as the liquid went down. I was starting to get sick...I could feel it! I did 2 or 3 more drinks and scans. They said I was good to go. No leaks! Praise the Lord!

They wheeled me back to my room. I thought if I went to the bathroom I would feel better. Nope! I thought if I brushed my teeth because I had an awful taste in my mouth, that I would feel better. No way! It made things worse! 

My husband helped me back in bed and breakfast was brought to me. It was chicken broth and a number of other things but I can't remember. I took one sip of broth and started to panic because I knew I was about to throw up. I was so scared of busting my staple line in my stomach. Then it happened! I threw up 3 times into a container. I was sooooo sick! I cried and was asking my husband if I was going to get through this and be okay. He reassured me even though I think he was scared too. The nurse came in and finally got some nausea and pain medication in me. Off to sleep I went! Thank goodness...knocked out of my own misery! lol

By the way, at some point we decided that the medicine that made me itch all over was what I wanted to take because it worked so well. So, I was put back on the same exact meds as the day before. Oh, how I wish we would have just stuck to it so there would not have been a gap in meds. I think that getting sick would have been avoided entirely.

I, then, woke up sometime in the afternoon and they brought lunch to me. I was feeling much better and was ready to drink my lunch. I had chicken broth again and some other liquids. I drank the whole cup of broth. When my nurse came in, he got on to me and said that that was way too much liquid for my new stomach. That I should have only taken in about half of it. My husband was upset and felt really bad. He said that he was so happy to see me feeling better and finally eating that it just didn't cross his mind that it was too much. The small bowl didn't look like much! And I was so full of drugs that I couldn't feel when my swollen stomach had had enough. Ugh! Lesson learned. We both worried for a while that my stomach was now damaged but as time went on, we realized that everything was okay.

Later that day, they came to draw blood. Oh my goodness! Here we were once again, needles in hand! Nurse after nurse came in trying to find a good vein. The poked and poked until I was in tears. My husband went out into the hall to let someone know that what they were doing wasn't working and it just happened to be the perfect time because there stood my surgeon making his rounds. My husband told him that he couldn't understand why all these people kept poking at me when I had an IV in my left arm that wasn't even being used. Why couldn't they just get the blood from there? My doctor comes in and takes over. He drew the blood from the IV and it was done with no pain in a matter of a minute or so. I just don't understand why no one else thought of that.

Then my surgeon makes me get up out of bed. He tapes my gown...yes, tapes it together. And makes me walk up and down the hall with him. Then he walks off for a minute and I go back and forth with my husband. A few minutes later, I look refuge back in my bed. Not good! My doctor comes right back in and makes me get up again...tape and all....back to the hall to walk some more. That's really hard to do when your so drugged up and sleepy. I know he just wanted me up so that I wouldn't get any blood clots. He also saw that I had pillows under my knees and pulled them out and said that that was a huge no, no. That my legs needed to me as straight as possible to allow the blood to flow freely. 

The doctor also told me that I was free to go home if I wanted but I was too afraid and asked if I could stay a 2nd night. He was totally fine with that. I'm so thankful he let me stay.

The next day, I took a shower and asked for one last shot of pain and nausea meds before I left the hospital. They agreed! Thank goodness! They also gave me an antibiotic shot and a blood thinning shot. I left sometime in the afternoon. I don't remember the drive home. I just remember getting in the truck and then getting out of the truck when I got home. My husband put me to bed. I don't really remember much until the next day.