I'm Home!!
Posted: Wed Aug 18, 2004 1:34 am
I got here last night. I am just so darned tired, that it is hard for me to sit in a comfortable position to post. My stitches were done very, very low so that I can wear a bikini with no scar showing. Yes, I have no staples, just stitches that will dissolve on their own. Doesn't mean they don't get itchy though!!
I could answer a lot of questions. I just don't know where to begin right now. I lost a lot of blood in the operation and they were going to do a transfusion, but didn't. I think my Hg right now is about 6. They flooded me with fluid, I mean, 7 kilos! Which I am still trying to get rid of. I could not even stand, but was forced to. My weight went from 40.5 to 47.8 kilos overnight. They do this to make the kidney work, and also, at first I was just absorbing all the fluids post-op. I was not happy with that part. And I think due to my small size, they over did it a bit. It was so painful that I needed oxygen to breathe because of the fluid in there. My right side is the most swollen, due to where the kidney was placed. It's going down slowly, but seems to make recovery harder.
The clinic visits start tomorrow. I was in the hospital for six days, but it was supposed to be five.I had to go a day early because my potassium was too high. So, although I had never done dialysis before, I had to do one session with a groin catheter. It was rather unpleasant to say the least.
In any case, just wanted to say, that it WAS a wonderful unit. Every single person was fantastic, supportive, smiling, patient, kind, and attentive. There was not one person who was not fabulous. And that was a wonderful thing. My donor and I were on the same unit. He was two doors away. Went home on Sat. (surgery on Thursday) and could have gone home on Friday if he wanted. He has no pain, he's fine, walking, working and eating. Completely unfazed.
I am a little less good at the moment. Tired, itchy (I think from the thymo or from the Bactrim, we are not sure which), had a Foley for four days (well it came out on the fifth, again standard protocol there) and it was un- comfortable. And as an interesting laugh for you all, how many of you women get your period the day after major surgery, and an infection on top of it??
I was an absolute mess.
I'll be back here soon. Just post with whatever I am leaving out. I am not too fuzzy, just very tired. It's in it's own way, a wonderful experience. A true gift.
I could answer a lot of questions. I just don't know where to begin right now. I lost a lot of blood in the operation and they were going to do a transfusion, but didn't. I think my Hg right now is about 6. They flooded me with fluid, I mean, 7 kilos! Which I am still trying to get rid of. I could not even stand, but was forced to. My weight went from 40.5 to 47.8 kilos overnight. They do this to make the kidney work, and also, at first I was just absorbing all the fluids post-op. I was not happy with that part. And I think due to my small size, they over did it a bit. It was so painful that I needed oxygen to breathe because of the fluid in there. My right side is the most swollen, due to where the kidney was placed. It's going down slowly, but seems to make recovery harder.
The clinic visits start tomorrow. I was in the hospital for six days, but it was supposed to be five.I had to go a day early because my potassium was too high. So, although I had never done dialysis before, I had to do one session with a groin catheter. It was rather unpleasant to say the least.
In any case, just wanted to say, that it WAS a wonderful unit. Every single person was fantastic, supportive, smiling, patient, kind, and attentive. There was not one person who was not fabulous. And that was a wonderful thing. My donor and I were on the same unit. He was two doors away. Went home on Sat. (surgery on Thursday) and could have gone home on Friday if he wanted. He has no pain, he's fine, walking, working and eating. Completely unfazed.
I am a little less good at the moment. Tired, itchy (I think from the thymo or from the Bactrim, we are not sure which), had a Foley for four days (well it came out on the fifth, again standard protocol there) and it was un- comfortable. And as an interesting laugh for you all, how many of you women get your period the day after major surgery, and an infection on top of it??
I was an absolute mess.I'll be back here soon. Just post with whatever I am leaving out. I am not too fuzzy, just very tired. It's in it's own way, a wonderful experience. A true gift.
A couple of times I was having mine when I went into surgery. It's something the guys don't have to worry about and they should be glad...and to have that Foley and an infection too-I'll bet you were not a happy camper!
.... I went in for my transplant slap bang in the middle of my first period in a long time!