When we arrive at the hotel the nurses were waiting with cold water, Popsicles and instructions. We were to remove our bandages in the shower and wait for the nurse to come clean and redress our incisions. They also gave us another iv of fluids (you have nothing by mouth on surgery day).

I had (have always had) a problem with my veins. The iv at the hospital was never comfortable and I noticed I wasn't taking fluids like everyone else, or at least not as quickly. So back at the hotel the nurse decided to find a new vein...bless her heart she looked for a long time and tried in my right arm but that didn't work so she got one on my right hand (my dominate hand). The iv was fine but when they tried to administer the antibiotic the next day I almost grabbed the buses arm out of reflex because it hurt so bad. She decided to give me a shot (in the butt) and remove the pic line.....well, it was bent! No wonder it hurt! I napped, walked, and watched my husband eat...that's all I remember about Friday (the day after).

Saturday was the leak test. First you drink this purple stuff, pretty tasteless. Then you go to the clinic to drink the nasty barium for the X-ray. It's gross just as everyone says. One of the ladies in our group got sick afterwards. . You get a copy of the X-ray and are on your way back to the hotel. You shower & remove bandages again for the nurse and the hotel doctor is with her to look at your X-ray and answer any questions. My X-ray looked good, no leaks but lots of dark spots, meaning I still had a lot of gas. So, walk more, farther, less rest, move the gas! Did more walking, and watching my husband eat on Saturday.

Sunday......Sunday was tough. I woke up not feeling as well as the day before and had a long day ahead of me. The shuttles were pretty full so we had to leave the hotel at noon for our 9:45 pm flight. Crossing the border was a little nerve racking but easy. The traffic took the most time, not the inspection. Nestor our driver was very nice, we were the only passengers so he took us by the water for a couple of pictures, the weather is truly beautiful!

We arrived at the airport to begin our wait. We tried to catch an earlier flight but everything was full so the waiting began. Pew found a place for my husband to eat and at this point I felt depleted, I had not been sipping as I should. So my husband got me a Gatorade. Holy cow! What a difference! I pulled a couple of chairs together slept for an hour and was ready to move a bit.

We when through security, my cleaning solutions and water bottles were checked but passed as long as it was for medical use and tested ok.

We headed upstairs to wait some more, I tried to sleep again but was unable. My husband enjoyed a drink while I mixed up broth. Didn't have much but that's ok. We finally boarded our flight to our lay over. I requested a wheelchair for the layover and am glad I did, I was worn out! It was embarrassing but worth it! Then it was our final light home, at last! I felt sure I would be able to sleep but only dozed a couple of times. By the time we landed I was angry tired. So I sleep the hour drive home. When we got home, I took meds, changed bandages, and you guessed it slept! When I woke up I felt soo much better!

Look for a separate blog about tips/things I learned. I hope to post it tomorrow.