Sunday, September 23, 2012

Today was day three and just as they always tell you in the hospital it's this day that tends to be a little rough. Just like before I'm really tired and worn out. Moving around pretty well but going from a lying to a sitting position is really rough. You don't realize how many chest muscles you use to sit upright, you naturally relate abdominal muscles with that. Had some fleeting nausea today but it didn't last. Yesterday I took off the patch because dizziness and blurred vision are side effects and they were really bothering me. It served it's purpose to curtail nausea so off it came.

I feel the pain ball has really helped. This is a photo of the device and the fanny pack I wore to hold it. You can see that the bag is partially collapsed. The medication is in a ball in the center of the bag and as it is used it collapses. It is a pressurized system that slowly releases marcaine, a numbing agent, into the chest. I feel it controlled the sternal area pain very well but didn't really reach to the sides where my two Jackson Pratt (JP) drains are.  That's what the narcotic is for. I have to use it sparingly though as narcotics can cause extreme constipation. If you are a person that struggles with that I would caution you to immediately medicate yourself with stool softener and/or laxative after surgery. If you like prune juice that is a great natural substitute. That pain can be intense and every bit as bad or worse than the surgical pain.

I was not going to post this but Kinsey felt I should so that people could better understand what they may be facing if they needed a pain ball/pump.  I figure if it had a teenagers blessing it wasn't too much. You can see the medial markings on my upper chest. I was full of markings before surgery.  The gauze has tiny bore tubing coiled underneath it and then you can see the two catheters. They are just inserted under my skin and run mid chest to distribute the medication. The ball and tubing all nicely fit in the fanny pack. If you look you can see all the bumps on my belly. Those are the JP drains like I had the last time. They collect the bloody drainage and any fluid build up. Overall it's a lot of tubing to keep in check and not catch on clothing, vanity handles or door knobs as you are up and about. Taking a shower is a bit of a challenge but feels amazing!

We have once again been spoiled with meal deliveries. What a treat!  It's nice to get to see familiar faces when I'm couped up and it is a huge help not to have to worry about fixing meals. I am certainly not up to that yet. Brody has 4 games this week, possibly 5 so it's wonderful for he and Brad to get home and have healthy  food to heat up. Tonight I won't see them until close to 10pm! I have to say though, the homemade French Silk pie my sister-in-law made might win the award for best surprise. Holy cow was that heavenly!!!!  Thanks so much everyone for spoiling us.