Yesterday I had my pre-surgical appointment. I learned about what to expect when I wake up from surgery, and had bloodwork and an EKG done. The one thing they did that completely caught me off guard was the nurse had to tattoo the mark for my ileostomy for my surgeon. I have a small tattoo on my shoulder, and told my husband I will never get another tattoo again because for me, it hurt too bad to want another one. I'm a wimp and me and pain aren't BFFs. So when the nurse brought in the needle and ink and told me she had to tattoo me, my eyes shot open wide and before I could even think I blurted out "No, you're not." lol.
They told me that for a few days after surgery, that I will have an epidural in place to help minimize the pain. Because of the epidural, I will have a catheter because obviously I won't be able to walk to use the toilet because I will have no feeling in my legs, which is fine by me. She said to expect to have an NG tube to keep my stomach empty. Usually the NG tube is used for feedings and putting liquid into the stomach by those who can't eat. In my case, it's going to be sucking out any stomach acid and should also keep my nausea to a minimum. I'm a little scared by this because I've never had one before. As long as that's in place, I won't be seeing my girls because I don't want to freak them out. They also said that it's possible I could wake up with an IV in my neck if they run into some problems and I need alot of medicines. For the first few days, I won't be allowed anything by mouth, not even water. But they also told me that I won't want anything by mouth. Not happy with that statement either because that implies a lot of pain. I know surgery=pain, but was kind of under the impression that an epidural would take that away for me.
It will be a minimum of a 7 day stay, if I don't run into complications like an infection. Which means, earliest I will be home is March 4th. My oldest's birthday is March 8th so I hope I'm home in time for that. We actually celebrated both of my girls birthday yesterday (their birthdays are 6 days apart)because we dont know how I am going to be feeling. Instead of them having a party, we took them to Build-A-Bear and they loved it. <3
I can't believe my surgery is in only 9 days. The appointment yesterday just made it seem more real. I look at the tattoo on my stomach where the ileostomy will be and the bracelet that I have to wear to match my number to the bags of blood I will be receiving during the surgery...it freaks me out.
I still haven't totally come to terms with getting an ileostomy and having the colon removed and I probably won't be able to accept it until I actually have it. It's a life changing thing. But, I have amazing and supportive friends and family who have helped encourage me and pick me up whenever I need it. God has blessed me with an amazing husband who has seen me suffer with my problem the whole time we have been together and who has pushed me to find out answers. I am ready to move forward with my life and am done letting my stomach and bowel prevent me from enjoying my life, my family and my friends...but that doesn't mean I'm not scared shitless about the journey that lies ahead of me. But, I've been through my share of hardships and got through all of them stronger, I know I will get through this.
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