#19 Sep 19th

Surgery is never wonderful, but I have to admit that I’m not feeling as tough as I thought I would.  Don’t get me wrong here, my body hurts, I can’t sit up by myself, I need help to do almost anything, but the pain is bearable.  There’s a morphine pump attached to my I.V. but I haven’t hit it- yet.  I’m holding that in reserve for when they get me up, because I’ve been warned that it’ll be this morning. 

There is no breakfast, no morning coffee, but I really don’t feel hungry at all, just thirsty.  When the nurses change shifts at 7 a.m. I get bold and ask if I can have some water.  “Yes, I’ll get some.”  That ice cold water tastes like a gift but when it hits bottom it reminds me that I haven’t had any solid food since Monday night’s dinner and it’s now Thursday.  A word of advice here, don’t drink a lot of ice cold water on an empty stomach.  It hurts!

When my nurse comes by to check my stats again I ask, “Why am I in a semi-private room and will I be moved into a ward?”  She assures me that there are no wards for women on this floor and I won’t be moved. That’s good!  By mid-morning I’ve dozed a few times but remain in my bed with those air pillow pants massaging my legs.  I decide to take inventory.

 

My swollen midsection is covered in purple and blue blotches.  Every incision has a bruise either right at the site or surrounding it and at the bottom left there’s a huge deep dark bruise that is very sensitive to the touch.  It must be at least 4 inches across and so dark it looks like a Hollywood makeup mess.  Before I get through touching all the sore places on my belly, two ladies come in to get me out of bed.  Massage pant legs are removed and the head of my bed is raised until I’m almost sitting upright. Trying to get into position on the side of the bed is nasty.  Pain shoots through me when I try to use muscles that have just been cut, so I decide now is a good time for a shot of that morphine.  The nurse agrees and hands me the button to push.  In what seems no time at all the hurting has decreased and I lift myself off the bed and stand on my own two feet.