Surgery Day: 5’8 - 200 lbs

The staff at Baylor Scott & White Grapevine made this a very relaxed process. They wheeled me to the operating room, put a mask on me and I woke up 3 hours later in recovery. They did put a catheter in which I wasn’t crazy about but, once I got to my room and realized how much my abdomen muscles hurt to move, I was so glad I had it. Especially with all the fluids I received. Dr Rumalla personally came and got me out of bed for a short walk that evening. Getting in and out of bed was the worst part because you have to use your arms and legs to prevent severe pain in your abdomen and there just wasn’t anything to leverage yourself with. Aside from that, coughing was like daggers going through me. I can’t imagine sneezing or vomiting. Luckily I don’t have issues with anesthesia.

My drains are still in so no shower yet but, I have sponged and even shaved my legs (with a little help). We put a chair by the bathtub and I dangled my legs in the tub. I found washing my hair in the sink to be the easiest since the sink is higher. I've been able to skip some of my pain meds but, then got a little to confident and over did it. This seems to increase my drain output. My back hurts more than anything due to walking bent over.