..continued from Cystectomy Surgery Recapped
I woke up to a nurse calling my name and telling me that the surgery was done and asking if I was in pain. Since I was in extreme pain I told her so and without me even realizing it I started to cry. The nurses were all very kind and understanding and didn’t scold me for crying at all. In fact they consoled me and asked me to slowly breath in and out as they more administered more painkiller. They also advised me to stop crying as it may cause disturbance to my breathing and cause me to choke. They then asked if I wanted them to call someone and I asked them to call my mom.
Once the painkiller (I believe must be morphin or something) kicked in, I was calm once again. I was high and I was smiling and I even managed to laugh. The nurses all laughed with me and even teased about my crying earlier saying that now they can see me with my dimples once again.. lol!
When I was wheeled into my ward, my mom, my aunt and her husband were there. Apparently mom stayed on after I was brought to the OT and my aunt and her hubby accompanied mommy all the while.
It was 9pm when the nurses wheeled me into my ward. I remembered hearing the announcement for visitors to leave as visiting hours was over and I remember my mom and my aunt kissing me on my forehead before they left for the day. I believed the surgery started at around 5pm and probably ended sometime at 8pm. The extra hour was spent in the recovery room while they waited for the anesthetic to wear off and for me to wake up.
I was woken up at 1am by a doctor checking to see how my condition was after the surgery. She told me the surgery went fine and that the surgeons manage to keep the surgery limited to a keyhole one. I was so relieved for sure. She asked me if I was in pain and I told her no but that I’m starting to feel a little hearburn and that I suspect it was the onset of gastric. She told me that I would not be to take anything until there is a bowel or stomach movement and upon checking my tummy with her stethoscope she mentioned that there was only very limited movement and so she is prescribing only fluid in the morning. In the meantime, still nothing by mouth. She asked if I had peed and I said no. She counted the hours since the last time I peed which was at 4pm and said that if I didn’t pee in the next hour or so she would have to put in a pee tube. She also increased my drip dosage to force me to pee.
At around 3am, a nurse came to my bedside and asked if I feel like peeing. I said I can try but I probably can’t do it in a bedpan. She told me she brought the portable commode and helped me up. Since I didn’t want the urine bag, I forced myself up and sat on the portable commode and push. It didn’t come immediately but after relaxing and breathing in and out, it eventually came. I felt so relieved that she didn’t need to put in any tube into me.
I was awaken at 5am by some nurses doing their blood pressure and temperature rounds. At 8am, a nurse woke me up and gave me a sponge bath, helped me changed my clothes and gave me glass of Milo. By this time my gastric pain was in full bloom. When I tried to walk to go to the bathroom to pee, I had to lie back down immediately as the pain was shooting through each nerve and I almost collapse from the pain. When they brought a bedpan and ask me to try to pee lying down I cried out loud at the pain again. I again insisted I wanted to see the doctor as this pain is more me more distress than the actual surgical pain. While waiting for the doctor to come, the nurses gave me a miserly antacid and after I complained again, a doctor on duty came and gave me something for the pain via drip. That sort of made the pain subside a bit and I was able to relax again.
When the nurses switched shift at around 1pm, I insisted that I wanted to see the doctor again, any doctor for that matter. As I mentioned in my post here, I managed to convinced him to let me have biscuit or porridge with milo. Pheeww…
.. to be continued
Next Entry : The Next 48hrs
Cheerio…
