I really don't know where to begin, so let's just start with my going to the hospital...
My scheduled arrival time was 1130a at IMC--the same hospital where I had my transplant last May. Once in the prep room, I was only in there a short while for IV placement (in my neck, via the external Jugular--my personal venipuncture site preference), and general surgical prep. Within fifteen minutes I was taken to pre-op where I met the anesthesiologist who went over my surgical and med history, and I gave him info on my TMD and jaw, and asked that he be very careful to avoid craning on my jaw during endotracheal tube placement to minimize the chances of an intense TMD headache once I was awake. After that, I was wheeled into the OR.
Within a few minutes I was pre-medicated and swiftly fell asleep.
The surgery lasted about 4.5 hours and left me with two brand new scars. The largest scar goes midline from my sternum to my bladder, and required 37 staples to close. The second scar was angled on the R and went from my pelvic girdle to my bladder. This one required 17 staples to close.
(Midline Triple Hernia Scar 14 Nov 17)
Additionally, the surgeons placed 3 drains in my abdomen; one on the L and two on the R.
(NO, I do NOT have a picture on the lower scar as it was a touch too close to things you just don't want to see! And, we'll leave it at that...) :o)
I got to keep my belly button; thought that now looks more like a small slit in my skin than an actual belly button.
As you can see in the picture above, I now have a totally gnarly scar!
Post-Op recovery was incredibly painful due to the nature of the surgery. Besides the actual incisions, the surgeon had to cut muscles distal to the long scar on both sides of my body that went approximately from the height of the scar and in line with my armpits, down to the top of the pelvis. These cuts were made from the underside of the muscles--yeah...the surgeon had to actually reach into my body, under the tissues and muscles in order to make these cuts!--, and were cut in order to relieve pressure on the muscles surrounding the hernias so that the repair mesh would stay in place on the underside of those muscles and NOT rip away due to any muscular tension pulling from both sides.
The hernia near my bladder was repaired with mesh placed on top of the muscle so as to avoid any contact with the bladder and thereby stopping any chance of the mesh irritating the bladder and any probable infection issues from that contact.
Though I was not aware of it at the time I awoke, the PA had ordered the wrong pain med which ended up causing me far more pain than I should have been in. The med wasn't endangering me in any way, but was ineffective in blocking much pain. My wife discovered the error the next day, and I was switched to the correct pain med that actually worked on the pain and made me more comfortable. Once discovered, the PA came in and actually apologized for me error. That apology was enough, and a lesson was learned. That was the end of it.
The day after the surgery I had to get up and walk...not exactly my favorite thing to do. Plus, with the incorrect pain med still being used, my efforts to log roll into a sitting position were awful. It was around that time that the med error was discovered. A few hours after that first walk, and with the right pain meds in me, getting up, though still terribly painful, was achieved with easier effort. Here's a pic of me on that second walk...
(My second post-op walk 15 Nov 17--tubes and all!)
The tubes I had sticking out of me were a bladder catheter, 3 surgical drains, IV, Oxygen and a Nasogastric (NG) tube. The NG tube is required anytime a surgery involves the manipulation of the intestines, a foot of which had been encapsulated by the largest hernia.
As each day passed, getting up and walking became easier. Unfortunately, my intestines took longer than expected to "wake up," as they say, so my hospital release was delayed a few days. You see, any time a surgery involves the intestines, every patient must pass gas before going home. This is a terrific indicator that the intestines are working normally again, and there is little danger to the patient from an intestinal standpoint.
Anyway, my intestines took about five days to wake up, followed by two more days of observation and eating. A week after surgery I was finally able to go home.
**That is all I am going to do today. I am tired, sore and ready to go relax. I will finish this entry in a day or two...
ScottW
