Five Days after Surgery

I have been recovering from the anesthesia for the last five days.  I have been too woozy to post.  I had expected to be in better shape earlier.

Back to the surgery itself.  At 7:40 am I was wheeled into the operating room.  To my right I saw Dr. Nosan the surgeon, a resident and one other person.  On my left I saw the anesthesiogist and about three others.  I am awed by the number of persons who carry out surgery.  The last time I was under general anesthesia was 1982.  I remember watching the anesthesiologist inject the anesthesia into the IV.  This time I must have been distracted because the next thing I remember is waking up in recovery.

I could feel myself “coming back” by the minute.  I remember catching a glance of Dr. Nosan as he left the recovery room.  I was offered ice chips and pudding.  I noticed I had not lost my sense of taste.  I also had no pain, which pleased me.  The head band aid and O2 tube were really the only things I noticed.

Fast forward to the next morning.  Dr. Nosan kept me in the hospital overnight as a precautionary measure.  I was up surfing on my laptop when the resident came in and removed my head band aid.  It was good the get that thing off.  Dr. Nosan came in a half an hour later and examined the wound.  No bleeding had occurred since he put the band aid on 20 hours earlier.

So what have I been experiencing these 5 days?  An occasional dull throb rather than pain.  I noticed however, this interfered with my getting to sleep, so I took a couple of pain pills (Hydrocodone) which allowed me to drift off into some quality sleep.

I slept only one afternoon.  The rest of the time I surfed the web and watch Dexter DVDs.  I fixed my own meals and generally walked around the house without assistance.  It was good that I had shopped for food prior to surgery but I was too cautious with my food selection.  I simply did not need yogurt.

I noticed my bean with bacon soup tasted slightly off, but I would not have noticed if I had not thought about it.  Several people commented they lost their sense of taste for a few days after surgery so I made an effort to notice. Also I experienced no nausea at any time.

Next up….post op with Dr. Nosan Tuesday to remove the sutures.

Dr. Nosan examining me a few hours after surgery

Nurse Teresa and Dr. Nosan

Next morning as the resident removes my band aid

My incision