Some of my faithful followers (or follower as it may be; there may only be one of you 🤪😂), are wondering about the whole surgery and recovery I just went through. I’ve been updating on Facebook, but here it is in one place for those of you who don’t see my posts or are curious on the chronology of events.
Tuesday, June 7. Surgery #1. SURGICAL LAPAROSCOPY WITH PARTIAL COLECTOMY, REMOVAL OF TERMINAL ILEUM, AND ILEOCOLOSTOMY. That’s a long way of saying I had surgery due to a large polyp in my colon. It was not cancerous, thank God! But I was glad we did it. I was in a lot of pain, even to the point of massive belly spasms if I was touched with the slightest feather.
Wednesday, June 8. Surgery #2 (Emergency Surgery). I had a sudden drop in hemoglobin and hypotension overnight. My blood pressure was 70/40 at one point. They started giving me bags of blood. I have O-negative blood, which primarily requires O-negative even though I’m a universal donor. In an emergency I can receive O-positive, which they did at least once due to a blood shortage. Dr. You wrote an exception that said, “Patient O Rh Neg transfused with O Rh Pos blood due to temporary unavailability of Rh compatible units.” People were asking if they could donate blood in my name, but she didn’t think that would matter. I could have sworn I saw an AB bag come through, but I must have dreamed that one. 😂🤪
They gave me about five bags total over night. It didn’t correct the problem, so I went in for a second, emergency surgery. Dr. You told Tim he might want to be here, so he came to the hospital and waited while I was in surgery. Nobody kept him informed as it was an emergency and they didn’t have him on a text string. Surgery was successful, and Dr. You said she was glad she had gone back in. They found a large hematoma with a hemorrhage, in the lining below my belly button. This is likely why I had all the belly pain.
She cauterized the bleed, made a bigger incision to remove the hematoma near the pelvis, and believed she had fixed the problem. I had two more bags after surgery for a total of seven. Plus a bag of plasma. Fortunately they were on top of it. Their quick response prevented what could have been a very serious or even fatal situation. This set my recovery time back a bit because of the back-to-back anesthesia, but we were back on course.
She’s not really sure why I had the hemorrhage. She said there are a lot of tiny blood vessels in that area. I have lots of scarring from my DIEP flap, so that could have contributed.
Thursday. June 9. They moved me to PACU, the step-down unit from ICU. The nurses are so attentive here. The room is small and uncomfortable for Tim as we can’t really talk very easily. I will be here for several days before going to a regular room. I have four incisions on my belly, with the largest being near my pelvis where they removed the hematoma. I’m so thankful there are no drain tubes! Just dissolvable stitches with steristrips.
Friday. June 10. I’m still on a liquid diet. Ice chips are my friend and I’ve been living on popsicles and jello. Honestly if I never see another jello again, I could live with that. I still have a catheter. I can barely move. Tim has come to visit me every day so far. It’s a long drive, and he has to navigate the whole parking system. It’s a pain, but he does it anyway. The nurses are so helpful, as well as the techs. They draw my blood regularly and bring me medicine for the pain. It’s tolerable, but I’m getting hungry for some real food.
Feeling a little down emotionally, due to some family related issues. There is a lot going on with our kids, Tim’s mom, his jobs, and of course … this. Being in the hospital makes it hard, because I can’t really do anything to help. I feel so helpless and Tim is taking on all the burdens. I’m looking forward to getting out.
A very cheerful Physical Therapist came to visit me late in the day. She was way too cheery for me today. I just want to eat 🙄. She had me doing some leg exercises and walked me all around the building. She’s trying to convince me to use a walker, which I did, reluctantly. I didn’t get tired as easily, but I really don’t like the walker. I feel like an old lady using it. It’s hard to listen to someone with a bubbly personality when you just want to crawl in bed and get under the covers. I told my doctor about that when he came by later and he chuckled.
Saturday, June 11. Day five in the hospital. We got up early, changed my gown, and moved me to the chair. Wow. We take so much for granted, like a simple move from the bed to the chair. It’s much harder than it looks. I had some trouble getting deep breaths due to the belly pain and it’s restricting. I’m doing my breathing exercises, and I ordered breakfast. Hot tea and a popsicle. Still on a clear liquid diet and waiting for the 
. My face is super puffy from all the weight gain. I’m hoping it comes off!
Tim came to the room and we worked on our research project for about an hour. There was a fire drill that lasted for at least ten or fifteen minutes, and had us wondering whether we would need to leave the building. Crazy…
Did my breathing treatment, meds, took another walk, then they finally moved me to a regular room. At least the window is bigger and I can see more than a parking garage. I see the blue sky and a rooftop of another MD Anderson building that has some type of garden up there. Intriguing. I’m walking better but still very tender in the belly. I’ll be watching church online tomorrow.
I am having difficulty breathing, so they did a chest x-ray. The tech came to my room and did it right there in my bed. It was done in 2 minutes. Amazing technology. Result: “The bilateral basilar atelectasis or pneumonia and small pleural effusions.” I saw the picture when he took it, and I thought it looked like half of my lung was missing. Basically I was full of fluid. My lungs were concerning, so I’m trying to do the breathing exercises more regularly. They want me to do ten per hour, but I sleep a lot so I know I’m not doing nearly enough. So. Tired. Fluid. Everywhere. I was gaining weight and it wasn’t coming off. So hard to breathe. So hard to stay positive. So hard to stay motivated to do the breathing exercises. They want me up and moving, so I’m walking around the nurse’s station 5-6 times per day. It takes a LOT of effort, but I know the adage, “no pain, no gain.”
Sunday, June 12. Wish I could go to church, but online will have to suffice. They removed my catheter which was a huge help. (They did that right about the time Tim started preaching Shh don’t tell him 
). Still having trouble breathing, and my belly is swollen with so much fluid. So they did a CT scan of my abdomen. That’s the worse one I’ve ever experienced. Drinking the contrast nearly made me sick, and I had trouble laying flat and breathing. I could not hold my breath for the whole ten count, but they said it was okay. They did find lots of inflammation, including my gall bladder. At this point they are thinking it will settle down as the fluid begins to pass.
Tim came to visit me after church. He came bearing gifts and cards from the church family. A beautiful prayer blanket was knitted by Mrs. Gonzalez, who prays over every stitch as she makes them. It’s beautiful and meaningful as well. I am reminded I am covered in prayer whenever it is near me.
By the end of the day, I was passing liquid poop. Tim gave me a high five at five. 
I’ve never been so happy to poop. 
Then they let me take a shower 
and wash my hair. Yes, I did it myself with just a little help from hubby. He does deserve much credit. He is such a trooper. I love him and appreciate him so much. It’s not easy getting in and out of the buildings here. Amazing how much more human you feel after a shower.
I was up walking six times today including the CT adventure. I’m still on a clear liquid diet until tomorrow at least. I’m hoping I get some soft food like mashed potatoes or oatmeal sometime tomorrow. That would make my day. 
I haven’t been extremely hungry because of the the inflammation, but mashed potatoes sound really good right now.
Monday, June 13. Day 7 in the hospital. I did not feel well today, so I wasn’t feeling like posting. I was disappointed when the doctor said the poop was only one step. I still needed to pass gas. Still on a clear liquid diet for another day. Just a general overall yucky feeling. Smells, alcohol prep, even lovely perfumes were upsetting. I think I just need some real food in my belly. It’s been more than one week since I’ve had any real food.
The nurses change shifts every 12 hours, at 7:00 AM and PM. They always look at my incisions and share a report with the next nurse at the shift change. Most of the nurses are pretty good, attentive and helpful, but one nurse has a very thick dialect and I can’t understand most of what she says. I’m sure it is frustrating for her, but just as much for me. I was glad when her shift was up. The nurses and techs come in a variety of ages, ethnicities, and levels of experience.
Everyone who comes in wants to look at my belly. I’m thinking of charging admission. 😂
Tim wasn’t able to visit me today because of multiple meetings and work commitments, so I was not only feeling yucky physically, but a little emotionally drained as well. I was “tucked in” by my night nurse, who is older than some of the others. I have her had for a few days now. She cradled my head in her hands, kissed me on the forehead, and said, “I love you.” She will never know how much that meant to me, to hear those words just before going to bed. Nurses do not get enough credit for all they do.
Tuesday, June 14. Today is much better! I woke up before the sun when the lady from vascular access came to work on my port. She was interesting, with a spiked hairdo and fun conversation. We had a nice chat about Hall & Oates, amongst other bands from my era which she has seen. She knew who Charle DeChant was, also known as “Mr. Casual,” which was impressive to me. He plays saxophone for Hall & Oates, and I got to know him when he played in our band in Orlando from time to time. Love to hear him play!
Anyway, she was here because they are having trouble getting blood return from my port. It flushes fine, meaning it can receive fluids, but it must go both ways or there is probably a clot preventing the return. The needle was scheduled for removal tomorrow anyway, so she removed the needle from my port and inserted a new one. Still no blood return. TPA (medicine) was inserted to break down any potential blood clots or fibrous something or other. Wait three hours and try again.
Used the bathroom (this is becoming a regular occurrence now) then went for a walk. Three laps this time. I am very slow but I keep my head up and so far no falls.
My doctor came in around 5:00 AM and said he was bumping up my diet…FINALLY!! He had to staff it with the team to write the order, so I waited and waited. I could envision eggs, oatmeal, toast, and maybe even a banana. It took three hours for the order to go through, but I finally got to order my real food. Starting slow. Just a few bites of each. Just a flavor change. Even though the eggs were cold, it was a nice change of pace. If I do well on this diet, I might get to go home tomorrow.
So the Hall & Oates lady went home for the day, and another vascular access specialist came up and tried again. Still no blood return. Second dose of TPA was inserted, then we waited another three hours. No blood draws or medicine in the port during TPA. My port has had a beating this week. I think it is starting to rebel. In the meantime, I got flowers 
delivered to my room from the Parkgate Church family, and I talked to some friends. That cheered me up.
But the BEST news of the day came when I learned that our #6 Jedi was born at 8:14 AM! His birthday is June 14, 2022, exactly 13 months to the day after his big sister Mikayla. Jaxson weighs 5 lbs 11 oz, is 17 3/4in and head is 13in. She was 36 weeks, 4 days. He’s a tiny thing! Mommy and baby are doing well, and I can’t wait to see them both. This was taken right after birth, at the beginning of the “golden hour.”
Wednesday, June 15.
I managed to do well on a full diet for a day, so they discharged me today. Funny, I only had two meals really. Breakfast and then spaghetti for a late lunch. I only ate a few bites as I still feel very, very full.
We are staying at the RV for about a week, as I have some follow-up appointments downtown and we didn’t want to go too far away from the hospital for a few days. Just the drive to the RV made me sick to my stomach. I threw up, but once that was over, I started feeling much better.
Our RV looks like a hospital, with a wedge on my bed, breathing treatments on my nightstand, and multiple bottles of pain killers on the bathroom sink. I’m only taking them as needed. Fortunately my pain is under control.
Watermelon tastes really good. I’m trying to keep my fluids up, but my belly still feels really full. I have yet to pass gas, but I still have several bouts of diarrhea per day. Slowly feeling better, day by day. I slept 12 hours after I got home, without any pokes or prods in between.
Thursday, June 16. Today was a full day. I started a class called “Active Living After Cancer.” I thought this would be a good time to do it since I need to start getting active again after my surgery. It’s a virtual class on Zoom, and they are sending a package with all kinds of goodies in it. They wanted us to “walk” for 2 minutes in class, but when they turned on the video it was more like Zumba. 🤪😳 I couldn’t even do 2 minutes. I have a goal to work up to.
Our son and daughter-in-law surprised us with a quick visit to introduce us to our newest grand baby, Jaxson Timothy West. They have been waiting to make the announcement because they wanted Tim to hear firsthand that they named the baby after him. What an honor and a blessing!
He was released early from the hospital because there was a gas leak outside the building. Fortunately, he had already passed his hearing test and car seat test. Apparently the moms were all gathering in the lobby because they could smell propane. They started discharging them all, including little Jaxson and Bree.
I am still providing supervision for a couple of LMFTs who are working toward licensure, so I had two sessions this afternoon. They were very accommodating and understanding of my surgery and recovery. I was pretty tired after that, but it felt good to do something productive and helpful. What a full day!
The church has decided to bring us meals for a few days. That was such a blessing! We had kids meals from Olive Garden tonight. I was a little concerned about the spaghetti after yesterday’s fiasco, but I mostly ate the noodles and only a little sauce. I ate one shrimp. Only about three or four bites and I was finished. No problems keeping it down. I’m sure the other day was due to transporting home, and of course Olive Garden has much better food anyway. The kids meals were the perfect size. Tim ate the rest of mine and we had grapes left over for a snack.
Friday, June 17. The picture captioned above says it all. 😂😂😂 I finally started passing gas, and while there was no “plop, plop, fizz, fizz,” it was such a relief! My system is taking a while to figure out the new structure, but it’s finally getting it. Our church friends brought us caprese chicken with rice, fruit salad, bagged salad, and homemade focaccia bread. It was nice to have company and chat for a few minutes. This was the first time I ate more than just a few bites. Nearly a whole meal!
Saturday, June 18. Getting stronger every day. But it’s slow going. I feel like I’m about 5% better each day, on a scale of 100%. I still haven’t left the RV, so my walking consists of walking from the living room to the bedroom and back (about 20 steps). We’ll get there! Tim turned on the golf, which is always good for a nice nap. 😂
We had a wonderful meal of comfort food brought to us for dinner, including potato soup and club crackers. Again, nice to hang out with friends for a few minutes as well. Those crackers lasted me a few days, and they came in handy whenever I started feeling a little hungry or queasy on a long drive. They also brought a small carrot cake. Oh my! Let me say this was absolutely delicious, although I still can’t handle a lot of sweets.
Sunday, June 19. Father’s Day! Typically we would have a day out, and enjoy some time together as a couple, maybe even with some kids. Today would not be a typical Father’s Day. I would stay in bed and watch church online while Tim was preaching. We did finally venture out of the RV together and went for a dinner at Panera Bread. We didn’t want to go anywhere that would take too much effort to walk in. I had mac and cheese, with plenty left over for dinner tomorrow. I thought I had bought him a card, but honestly I couldn’t find it anywhere. Oh well, there’s always next year. OR, we can celebrate the Australian Father’s Day in September. 🥰😁
Well, that’s the update from surgery to my first meal out. The following week I continued to get stronger. We finally got to move back to our home in Conroe on Wednesday. I weighed myself on my home scale, and I’m down about ten pounds from what I was prior to surgery. I can see it in my face. I’ll take it!
Tim left on Thursday for Arkansas to visit his mom who has been ill, and then on to Kansas City to a friend’s wedding. I couldn’t go, but I’m okay. I had several doctor’s appointments which various people drove me to until I could drive myself, in addition to treatment. I had my follow-up with my surgeon (Dr. You) on Friday June 24th, and she discharged me from surgery! Yay! I’m officially free, just continuing with recovery. No restrictions, except I can’t lift for another 4 weeks. She said by July 4th I should be feeling pretty normal.
I drove myself for the first time, to run some errands yesterday (Saturday), and the steristrips finally fell off later today as well. The incisions look really good. I think they should be fairly invisible within a few months.
That brings us to today, and the end of this very lengthy blog. Tim drove all the way home from Kansas City last night. He stopped a couple of times to sleep, so we will probably go to bed early. We watched church online and we are going to go see an Elvis movie this afternoon.
I know I’ve said it a bunch of times, but I am so thankful for all the prayers, cards, texts, calls, messages, and gifts from my friends and family. I have a great prayer support network, who prayed for me even when I didn’t have the strength to pray for myself. I am looking forward to continuing to grow stronger, to the point that at the end of July we have a bike trip planned. More on that later!
À la prochaine…until next time!
