Seven and a half weeks after surgery

It has been a while since I have blogged. I’m writing this not only to provide status but also some tips for those that might also be going though this process.

1. Naso-Gasto (NG) tube with suction was uncomfortable. Because I could not drink anything for 2-3 days after surgery my throat was dry and the tube really hurt when I swallowed. It also laid on the area where the ear drains so I felt like I had an ear infection. The pain swallowing went away quickly and was well managed. The issue gets to be that they had me on a pain pump and when I would sleep I would not use it. This lead to me swallowing and waking up with a sharp pain. For me the last two days with the tube were me just waiting to have it out.
2. They will be reducing the amount of pain medication over time that you get when you press the pain button. So, if you feel more pain, you may not be getting worse, just not having as much pain.
3. Walk as much as you can in the hospital and when you get home. When doing so try to stand up straight. This stretching will be good in the long run. Make it a game. It also gives you and guests something to do. At first, it was a lot of effort as I had 5 tubes in me to start so getting ready took a while. It will feel freeing at each tube removal.
4. I was given barium x-ray to make sure that there were no leaks. The radiologist is going to apologize for the taste. To be honest, this will be one of the best tasting milk-shakes of your life. So if you are suffering with the NG tube, just remember that soon you are going to have a great shake.
5. Taking the NG tube out does not hurt. It is longer than you think. In my case the tube came out easy and the residual soreness was gone in about a day or two.
6. Clear liquid diet: Its great to be able to drink again. Take it easy as in my case I had a smaller stomach and I was figuring out how much I could eat.
7. I needed drain tubes in both lungs. These did not hurt, just kinda in the way when you would get up to walk. It is nice to have them out. It was not painful to have them removed and like all things, you will be amazed at how much in in your body.
8. Load up some videos on a tablet. The hospital wi-fi is not good enough for streaming so having a tablet where you can download some videos for viewing later will let you watch some streaming shows.
9. Bring something to read. This will also help you pass the time as fighting boredom and dealing with low energy levels will be a constant battle.
10. For me, I went into the surgery with some anemia. It is good to see that my resting heart rate went from 90 to 70 over the last couple weeks.
11. Setting a sleep schedule for me was crucial. By getting 7 hours at night and a one hour nap during the day only, this really seemed to manage insomnia. So has activity like walking.
12. For me, my nuroapathy worsened when I got home after surgery. For me it was in my hands and feet. For my hands, not only were they numb and tingly but I would drop things and not have grip strength. Also typing is not only painful but due to a lack of dexterity, my typing was worse. Even though my feet were numb, I still walked and this was crucial to getting better. Also, I had to wear gloves when walking as cold weather made my neuropathy worse. Be prepared to look odd by shambling around while wearing jackets while being passed by runners in shorts. It is near the end of May and my fingers are back almost to pre-surgery neuropathy. This is going to take a while. I also went to acupuncture once a week to help with the neuropathy.
13. For me, there was swelling and soreness on my right side. I was told by others that my swelling reduced daily. I’m still a bit sore after almost 2 months. Even after 7 weeks, I don’ t have the core strength to do a sit-up or a push-up, these will take time. Also for me the ab muscles are tight on my right side. I’m still doing stretches to stretch them out. This will be one of the five major things that will bother you after surgery (for me it was also neuropathy, eating, the feeding tube and energy)
14. The feeding tube is both great and annoying. It is great as it takes all of the pressure off of eating at first and helps you ease into eating more per day. It is annoying as it will get caught on things and for me, I hated setting it up. At the hospital, they gave me a tube extension. Keeping his on and taping it down provided more stability and would prevent the stitches from being pulled on when caught. The more activity I did with my abs the more the tube would weep. The last couple days it looked like puss but it was not infected. Removing it was not painful, it was disturbing. The tube was at least two feet into my intestine. I did feel the tube missing in my intestine for the rest of the day. It is supposed to weep for 2-3 days. In my case it looks like it may not weep much on the next day. Having this out is really freeing.
15. Managing eating is really a challenge. I learned late that drinking water when eating and eating sugar causes stomach dumping. This lead to a lot of cramping. Once I managed this and ate some oatmeal for fiber, my intestines felt so much better. I would also burp and fart a lot so you might experience this also. If you do, please take Gas-X it helps a lot. At first, there was a fine line between not emptying ones stomach and feeling nauseated and dumping too fast and feeling cramping. This took me at least 7 weeks to figure out. As someone who had a cast iron stomach, I felt that this was the hardest thing to manage. Timing mixed with restrictive soft food diet leading to fatigue is one of the major reasons why I could not work. Figuring out how to eat properly at work is going to be work
16. when dealing with all of this one has fatigue. I had to build up my energy level slowly. At first a ½ mile walk was exhausting. Also, what happened is that out of the blue my energy level would crash. One day I walked to pick up my daughter and I was doing great but at the end of the walk there I ran out of energy. I had to have my wife pick me up. If you live in a place with Uber and Lift I would get the app on you phone so that if you get stuck somewhere you can get a lift home.
17. I was told that some form of PTSD was normal from this process. Please see psychologists and manage it. I would have anxiety some mornings and cry out of no-where. My body did not know that the damage it took was planned, just that it was pretty beat up. Also, there is a bit of a loss both temporary and the permanent changes that I have to my body. I may never run a triathlon again as I may not be able to eat enough calories to train like I did. At one point, I was eating about 5,000 calories a day and loosing 2 lbs a week. Also, for me fears about “how in the hell am I going to go back to work when I can’t do much now” pop-up. For me, this is why I’m on disability, I’m unable to work. I know I will be able to do more each week, it just has been very frustrating to not be able to go full speed. Also, for me not being able to do as much as a dad has been tough.
18. Recovery is hard work. This is both physically and mentally. Everything needs to be done in baby-steps and the steps are hard. Also, expect to go backwards for 2-3 days occasionally. This is going to be disappointing but it is part of the process. At 6 weeks after surgery I hired a trainer to help me work out. While the workouts are currently simple, these have helped a lot. I’m also trying to simulate some work at home (reading complex papers and typing things like this blog) so that I’m not entering work without practice.