Surgery, Round 2!

Well, I made it through round 2 and am recovering well at home now! My ileostomy reversal was on Wednesday, and I came home today (Friday), which was literally half the time of the first surgery! I'm already feeling pretty good and ready to get recovery mode in full swing. Here's a little recap of the surgery and hospital stay:

The Night Before Surgery:

The day before surgery, I was on a clear, liquid only diet (I cheated a little and ate some apple sauce first thing in the morning... I was STARVING when I woke up!). I drank mostly Powerade throughout the day and luckily made it through school (yes I worked the day before surgery) without too much trouble or a headache. I figured that since I was drinking only liquids, I would be emptying the pouch more often, however, I rarely had to empty all day (just peed a lot!). I guess your body starts processing liquids differently without food?

When I got home from school, I had a fun little surprise in my garage... my water heater went out! Exactly the thing I needed the day before surgery! I spent most of my evening on the phone with plumbers and my parents trying to figure out what to do. Most of the companies wouldn't be able to come out until Wednesday (surgery day), so I was super stressed about what to do. Finally, I had a breakthrough! One of our Middle School Band Director's husband is a plumber for the school system and she basically volunteered him to come out and fix it for me (for about 1/3 the cost the other people wanted to charge me). To make a long story short, he came the next day (surgery day) and fixed the water heater. I am FOREVER in his debt!

In order to prep for surgery, I had to do 2 things. First I had to drink a 10oz bottle of magnesium citrate (a saline laxative). It truly did not taste too bad, however, I don't think I would drink it again if I didn't have to. Only having to drink 10 oz was also AWESOME, compared to the half gallon I've had to drink during colonoscopies and surgery number 1. After things got moving, I did have to empty the bag very frequently, and since I was drinking only colorful liquids, it was quite a show (sorry... TMI right?).

The last thing I had to do was wash with a special antibacterial soap called hibiclens. This is supposed to reduce the number of bacteria on your skin before surgery. Luckily, I still had enough hot water in the water heater to take a warm shower (not so lucky the next morning... I had to wash with the soap again and it was VERY cold!).

Surgery Day

On the day of surgery, I woke up with a rockin' headache (dehydration and no food!) and had to take an ice cold shower to wash with the hibiclens again. My mom came to pick me up and we were out the door at around 9:30 AM (surgery wasn't until noon so my report time was 10:00am). We arrived at the hospital on time and had a very short wait in the the surgery waiting room. They called me back, and as we were walking down the hall toward the pre-op area, I had my first twinge of nervousness. I was ready and excited to be done, but at the same time, it's still surgery and still a little nerve-wracking! I got to my pre-op area and disrobed, putting on the glorious hospital gown and slip-resistant socks. This time, they hooked me up to this machine that blew warm air into the gown to keep me warm. It was AWESOME!

The nurse came in to start my IV and she was hilarious! She tried to get the IV in my hand, but couldn't because the veins were so small from being dehydrated (when she started the fluid, it went under the skin and formed a big bubble... it kinda hurt and is still a little bruised). Next, she started the IV in my forearm and had no trouble getting it in one of the larger veins. After taping it to my arm, I was all set. Another nurse, Sally, came in to ask more questions and finish prepping me for surgery. Sally was the same nurse that I had last time, so it was nice to see a familiar face (this would be a really cool trend that would continue during my stay).

Wheeling me to the OR

My "Party Hat"
Let's do this!

Unfortunately, the OR got a little backed up, so I was a tad late going into surgery. The cool thing is that this time, I remember EVERYTHING about going into the OR. After kissing my mom and sister (and her friend) goodbye, they wheeled me back to OR #11 (I didn't realize there were so many Ors, but I shouldn't be surprised... that hospital is HUGE!). Once in the OR, they introduced everyone again (again, a weird ritual to me!) and had me slide over to the operating table. Since I didn't have the epidural this time, this was a lot easier. They strapped me down with a strap across my thighs, began putting on heart monitors, and started to wrap these plastic cuffs around my legs (for post-op when laying in bed, they squeeze your legs to keep blood flowing). Finally, the anesthesiologist came in and had me breathe in oxygen through a mask. Then, they informed me that I would be out shortly, so I said "Goodbye!" in a weird voice and was OUT!

Next, I woke up in recovery, where I was in a little pain, but nothing compared to last time. I was very groggy and began to respond to the nurses who were asking about my pain and how I was feeling. They gave me ice chips to chew on and let me recover. At one point, they must have been looking over my chart because they were trying to pronounce Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (my liver disease). In my drugged up, hungover state, somehow I was able to pronounce it for them and even gave a little (painful) chuckle. I was even able to ask how long surgery was (about an hour and 30 minutes). I'm not sure how long I was in recovery, but I don't think it was long. They wheeled me out, where I met up with my entourage. I gave a thumbs up and they were surprised at how alert I already was (especially compared to last time). Finally, I made it to my room, which was actually on the same exact floor I was on last time! After getting me in and settled in bed, the nurses let my family in and recovery was officially underway!