This week marks my 6-month anniversary of my transplants. I'm doing very well physically...about 85% & much more comfortable than pre-surgery. Praise God!!
Let me tell you about waking from my 12-hour nap that took place 6 months ago on June 18...
I can't believe that I can remember this because I was told that it happened while I was still in the operating room. I remember starting to wake from anesthesia & realizing that my prayer was answered--the medical team was asking me to cough because they were going to remove the tube in my throat. It was uncomfortable but I told myself "wow this isn't too bad...why was I afraid of this?" So, God answered my prayer before I even left the O.R.--amazing!! Another thing I remember as I was waking were 2 comments: "Her blood sugars are in the 600's." That alarmed me, but I knew that they had it under control. Nobody else seemed worried because they broadcasted it with all of the other vitals & blood levels so I guessed it was a normal part of post-surgery.
The other comment was: "Look, she's peeing!!" That meant that my new kidney was joining his new friends (my old kidneys). We later learned that my original kidneys weren't removed. Once Meg was removed & the surgeons could actually see my kidneys, they decided to keep them because they weren't too large. Also, their function is decreasing but they are still working well. So, now I have 3 kidneys!
The other comment was: "Look, she's peeing!!" That meant that my new kidney was joining his new friends (my old kidneys). We later learned that my original kidneys weren't removed. Once Meg was removed & the surgeons could actually see my kidneys, they decided to keep them because they weren't too large. Also, their function is decreasing but they are still working well. So, now I have 3 kidneys!
I headed to the 1st stage of recovery in the ICU. The next several hours were really busy. I had 2 nurses dedicated to my care & they were constantly doing something to or for me. After I was stable enough, Todd was able to join me in the ICU. At first, I was hesitant to have him with me because I didn't know how he would handle seeing me in this amount of pain. He didn't like to see me in pain before surgery. But this time it was different--I needed to go through this pain as part of the recovery process. He handled everything well & I was really thankful that he could be there.
This is me at 7am.
I had tubes coming out of almost everywhere! I remember asking for lollipops (swabs with water). You'll see one in my hand. I still wasn't allowed to swallow any water so they had a small tube in my throat going to my stomach. My mouth & throat were uncomfortably dry. I was awake & able to talk. Looking back, I can't believe how coherent I was so soon after surgery. The pain meds were given very frequently & kept it pretty well under control. By the time I would start to sleep, it was time for pain med. It reminded me of labor contractions...just as I would start to relax, another wave of pain came.
Around
3pm--Dr. Cameron made me happy when he removed the tube from my nose to
stomach & also removed 1 of the tubes in my neck. Ahhhh--what a
relief!! I'm not a big fan of really cold drinks with ice so I never
thought I would get so excited about being advanced to tiny sips of cold water & an occasional ice chip.
Late in the afternoon (about 24 hours after surgery had started), I was transferred to a chair. It exhausted me to be vertical--wow, was I weak! I quickly befriended a pillow. The abdominal pain was really starting to kick in so every hiccup or cough or even sniff was a major ordeal. I was encouraged to try to cough to loosen any fluid that may have settled in my chest.
Before surgery, we had been told that I could be in the ICU for a few days & may even have to go back into the OR if there were complications. Because of God's provision of healing & amazing caregivers (including my husband), I left the ICU within 24 hours of surgery!
As I was being transferred from ICU to the next stage, the transporter asked how I was feeling. I said "I guess I'm as good as I can be just 24 hours after a surgery". He said "do you realize that you just had 1 of the largest surgeries that we do here at Hopkins?" That really struck me because I hadn't looked at it that way before. I was grateful because I knew that I was really ahead of the recovery schedule & I could feel God watching over me.
I was about to face my worst night while in the hospital. Talk to you on the next post.....
Belinda
This is me at 7am.
I had tubes coming out of almost everywhere! I remember asking for lollipops (swabs with water). You'll see one in my hand. I still wasn't allowed to swallow any water so they had a small tube in my throat going to my stomach. My mouth & throat were uncomfortably dry. I was awake & able to talk. Looking back, I can't believe how coherent I was so soon after surgery. The pain meds were given very frequently & kept it pretty well under control. By the time I would start to sleep, it was time for pain med. It reminded me of labor contractions...just as I would start to relax, another wave of pain came.
Late in the afternoon (about 24 hours after surgery had started), I was transferred to a chair. It exhausted me to be vertical--wow, was I weak! I quickly befriended a pillow. The abdominal pain was really starting to kick in so every hiccup or cough or even sniff was a major ordeal. I was encouraged to try to cough to loosen any fluid that may have settled in my chest.
Before surgery, we had been told that I could be in the ICU for a few days & may even have to go back into the OR if there were complications. Because of God's provision of healing & amazing caregivers (including my husband), I left the ICU within 24 hours of surgery!
As I was being transferred from ICU to the next stage, the transporter asked how I was feeling. I said "I guess I'm as good as I can be just 24 hours after a surgery". He said "do you realize that you just had 1 of the largest surgeries that we do here at Hopkins?" That really struck me because I hadn't looked at it that way before. I was grateful because I knew that I was really ahead of the recovery schedule & I could feel God watching over me.
I was about to face my worst night while in the hospital. Talk to you on the next post.....
Belinda
Amazing! "His compassions! They fail not!" Thanks for sharing your story. Thinking of you and hugs!
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