Sorry for the long ass post - just wanted to give a report on my experience so far.

Friday I got to the hospital a little before 8:30. I was sent to OR registration, where they took my name, gave my parents a beeper-type thing (so they would know when I was done), and I waited for someone to take me back. About five minutes later I went back, got weighed, and was led to my pre-op room. I got changed (fully) into my gown after I wiped my arms, legs, torso, and back off with the special wipes the hospital gave me. The pre-op nurse came in and did my vitals, started my IV, etc. They even had to shave some fuzz off my belly (TMI? lol)! They had me pee in a cup for a pregnancy test (hahaha...no), and finally let my parents come back to see me. We sat and talked for a while and about a half hour before I was scheduled for surgery my doctor came in to talk to me - to go over everything one last time, and to answer any last minute questions. A few minutes later, the anesthesiologist came in to administer some Versed to calm me down (think about how you are after two glasses of wine), my parents gave me kisses and wished me good luck, and I was off to the OR! I was in the OR for maybe five minutes before I was totally knocked out. The next thing I remember was waking up post op in a shit ton of pain and not knowing what the hell was going on. I'm not going to sugar coat it, I was hurting and very nauseous right after surgery. My mom was scared to see me like I was - but once I got up to my room and settled I was a little better. I don't remember much of the first few hours in my room - I was in and out of sleep, very loopy. I remember getting text messages of well wishes from friends and people checking on me but I wasn't able to reply until much later. I remember pain, and nausea, my mouth being very dry. A few hours later I was finally able to get up and go to the bathroom. But the first night for me was not fun. They did a vitals check every hour until about midnight, then every four hours. I was awake and asleep, awake and asleep all night. The best sleep I got was about two hours' worth between 6 and 8 am.

The next morning, I went down to the radiology department and had the leak test. It was fairly simple - you stand on a platform with your back to the table and drink this slightly sweet syrupy contrast (yuck). It was over in less than five minutes, but I was worried about keeping the contrast down - it seemed like so much to drink! After the test I went back to my room and rested a little more. I was reluctant to do much, I was so tired and still in some pain, and after that drink had more nausea. I got a tray with some chicken broth and jell-o but didn't eat more than three bites of either. During the course of the day I started to feel better - I was up and moving around more, walking the hallways and such. My parents came late in the afternoon and I told my nurse I was ready to go. I got dressed, got my discharge instructions, and went home. We dropped off my prescriptions on the way. After a bit, my parents went back out to pick up my meds and grab dinner for themselves. While they were gone, some pain and a bad bit of nausea hit, and I actually threw up (ouch). Lesson learned - don't wait to take your meds! I took a quick shower to freshen up, put pajamas on, and sat on the couch for a bit. After a while, I just wanted to sleep, so I took all my meds upstairs with me and went to bed. My dad gave me a sugar free ice pop and I sucked on that for a while before I drifted off -- it was the first thing that actually tasted good to me.

I woke up a few times during that night (Saturday), mostly to pee and take meds. I woke up yesterday feeling a lot better. I took a full shower - washed my hair, etc - and put on fresh pi's and a robe. I had some hot tea and some jell-o a little later. I didn't get much water in yesterday, but I did drink at least a quarter cup of broth for lunch. I sent my parents home around 4 - after much arguing and grumbling. I had more jell-o (about three bites) later and another ice pop when I went to bed. I had some soreness, but I think that was more related to gas than anything -- lots of itchiness on my back too.

This morning I woke up feeling even better - I slept through the night without waking up for meds, and am a lot less sore. I'm hoping to get more fluids in and walking around done today.

My emotions through this all have been fine - I've been so excited and happy since Friday. Even through all the pain Friday night, all I could think was, "Finally!!" I'm worried about getting all my fluids in, but I'm just doing what I can for now. I'm so *not* hungry right now that I don't miss anything. The food my parents had here the other night actually turned my stomach! I did step on the scale and had a loss but I'm *trying* not to focus on that right now. I'll keep you posted on the rest! Off to sip, sip, sip...!!