Before I say anything else, let me thank the members of this board for all the help and advice they've given me. I must especially thank Sherri, Bill, and Linda for countless helpful, supportive e-mails, both on and off-list. And so many others on this list, over the past year or so, have helped me so much as well. To thank them all, I will choose as their representative Fr. Pat , who always offered judicious, on-point advice on innumerable subjects.
My recipient (whom I met for the first time when we went together to match our tissues) and I checked into the hospital last Saturday night, and we were operated on last Sunday. I came home last Wed., and my recipient is due home this Tuesday.
Fortunately, we're both doing well. The morning of the surgery, my creatinine was 0.76; the morning after, 1.04. My recipient is feeling better every day (we were roommates till I was discharged, and we talk each day by phone since then).
When I woke up from surgery, I was conscious of three things. First, somebody was yelling in my ear to open my eyes. Second, they asked me if I felt pain. When I answered, 6-7 out of 10, they said, "Oh, so there is pain; we'll give him some more meds"--which helped a lot. Third, my teeth were literally chattering with cold, which a few blankets readily addressed.
I've been very fortunate. The significant pain seems to have passed me by altogether. After that first time in the recovery room, I refused all painkillers. I had no shoulder pain, no digestive (gas) pains, no overall bad pain at all. However, I did run a bit of fever, mainly in the 99 range, but at one point up to 101. Also, I had enough overall pain that most of my time in-hospital I walked quite stooped over. I also had something of a chest cold (which I'd had already before the surgery, but which probably wasn't improved by the experience). They gave me breathing exercises, and encouraged me to try to walk as straight as I could.
By Tues. night, I finally agreed to a half-dose of painkillers, because the nurse hinted that I'd feel better, and would be walking better, possibly helping clear my chest, shake my fever, and improve my chances of getting sent home on time. And so it was. Whatever else the painkillers did or didn't achieve, they made the fever aches go away, and I did walk more, and straighter...and the docs did discharge me on Wednesday.
Since coming home, I've rested and slept a lot, but have been doing a bit more each day. And, the pain is not bad at all. But neither is it really getting much better. I'm pretty sure most of my problem is the surgical staples in my belly and chest, which are coming out Tues.
I'll probably post more over the next few days, but I at least wanted to get something out now.
Be well, Snoopy
Topic: Post-op day 7 (Read 4703 times)