2 Hour Post Op Update

[manwithnoname]

Well, I am sitting here with my laptop andnot much to do, so I figured I would come and write something quickly.

Flew from Vancouver last night at 11, and arrived in Toronto at about 6:30 this morning. Here is a tip, when they say no foodafter midnight, take into account that they mean their midnight, not yours. That mistake didn't negetively effect methough as I was slated for surgery at 10:45 am.

Once again transportationwas easy, there is literally no excuse for anyone to be spending moneon a cab. You go I think 4 stops past Jane, where you would have gone for Fielding's office, then right as you come to street level, there are the trolley cars to your left. The first one there was mine, the 504 south bound. Got on, the car calls out hte streets, and got off at Marion, whose announcement by the wayalso includes St. Joeseph's Health Center, so there is little left to chance.

Walked west 1 block, again these are per Leslie's instructions, which were great the same as before. Went to the main entrance, then up to the second floor, where a sign will direct you for day of surgery. Go to th eregistration desk, check in, they will aks you some questions, a few related to H1N1, then ask you to fill out a quick form. Then it is through to the surgery waiting room. Since I got there at 8:30, I waited a while, which was actually the worst part, as I can not sleep on planes, so I was on no sleep and pretty uncomfortable/mentally fatigued. They call you in with a nurse for a quick consult, then I was taken to a chair while they determined whether that mis timed meal was going to effect my surgery time. Thankfully it didn't, and next the Annesthitist (sp?) came to talk to me for a second. He was nice, jovial, and just informed me of the basic things you all already know. Next was one of the 3 nurses who assists with the surgery, with a few other questions, then it was off to the OR.

Everyone was nice and friendly, joked a bit and lay down. They put the IV in, and started mebreathing on an oxygen/KO mixture, and next thing you know I groggily woke up in the recovery area, where I stayed for about an hour.

The pain I woke up to isn't really pain, and I wouldn'tdescribe it as a hard work out like some have, but then again, I am currently on leftover knockout juice, and 2 perkacets. When I woke up it felt like a tihgtness, and sort of a bit of an ache. The ache is gone now but I think that is going to be the prodominantfeeling.

Just finished a meal, and my very nice nurse Vicky grabbed me some coffee as I don't wantto sleep all day and be up all night. By the way, hospital food is great. I am always looking for healthy meals when I am out, and can never find anything. Grilled chicken vegetables and soup is just fine by me.

Anyonewith questions, hit me, I will come back anddo a few updates throughout the day and night.

Thanks again to everyone for sharing their experiencesthat got me to this point.

PS: General Anesthetic is the closest to time travel I am ever going to get, so in that respect, I enjoyed it.

[Merangue]

Gratz dude, again I have to repeat the same steps in 2 weeks so it's nice to have your post as a reference.

Also if I were in that position of having accidentally eaten something after the deadline... I would've totally lied. There's no way anyone's keeping me from this surgery a minute longer. I don't care if there's a chance of dying  .

Anyway, keep us posted on the results.

[manwithnoname]

Well just a quick update. I slept on and off until about 630, and have just been on my laptopsince then. I have turned down painkillers twice now, my painreally isn't bad at all,so I think I must have gotten really lucky, as I knowsome have been in a decent amount of pai. Let's hope my luck carries over to results as well. I will say that it is more of an ache like I originally reported, but I can kind of see the hard workout thing people are saying, its just a little different than I expected I guess.

I'll post again in the morning. This is a bit of a surgery blog at this point.

[manwithnoname]

Morning Update: 9:15 am.

Slept very well through the night after a percocet, given to me at about 2 am I think. Woken up once for blood pressure, temperature and heart rate, which they seem to do about every 3 to 4 hours. The fact that the bed adjusts helped a lot, as I usually can not sleep on my back. Hopefully I am able to sleep as well tonight at the hotel.

Dr. Fielding came at about 8:30, and informed me I looked a little rough, which is probably true as I am still not caught up on sleep fully. He said the surgery went well, and told me he removed 350 ml's, or cc's, or something, I forget the unit, of fat. He said he also removed a good amount of gland from both sides. He went through the procedures for the next week, ie not showering, etc, and told me I could remove the pads mself in 7 days. He asked if I had any questions.I asked him about a prescription for percocet, as well as my concern that there appeared to be a good amount of swelling on my left side under my arm[pit. He said not to worry, and it was just there in that spot because o fgravity from lying down, and it was just general swelling. He offered, if I should have any real concerns to see me tomorrow quickly, since he would be at the hospital, but that he thought I would be fine from now on. He told me to feel free to call Leslie at any point with concerns as well, which was nice.

The only update I really have is that my initial assessment of pain was probably understated, as now it is a little more present. I am taking 2 percocets when I take them, and will no longer be holding off on taking them like I did last night, as by the time they took effect, I was pretty uncomfortable. The pain itself is really not so bad, it is its ever presence which makes it hurt, if that makes any sense. It is an all encompassing ache/pressure. I have however, had worse pains in my life, and the guy next to me had a surgery which put him in greater pain than me as well, so it is all about perspective.

That is all I can think for now, I will update  when I feel like I might have anything interesting/useful to say. As always questions welcome, and pardon the typos.

[manwithnoname]

Heyeveryone,justafewminutes beforeI takeofffromthe hotelto the airport,so I thought I would write something.

Firstoff,anyoneworriedabout stayingin acheap hotel, I think the Days Inn West Lakeshore should becomethe official Dr. Fielding hotel. I walked from the hospital to it. Took about 5 minutes. All the reviewsonline areterrible, but these people must have been expecting the Ritz orsomething. It is small, but has a bed, a tv and free internet. That is all I was looking for since I was spending less than 24 hours here, and taxes included it costme 70 bucks.

The swelling I was concerned about on the leftsideis way down this morning, and it seems like things are even on both sides. I took off the vest, to put a shirt over the pads, hopingthat would make it a bit more comfortable, we will see how the flight goes. Already just looking at the sides with the foam still on,it seems like I am going to behappy with the result, only time willtell though.

Sleeping last night wasn't bad either. Percocets make you sleepy, and also take a bit of the ache away, so it was no problem, and I am usually a stomach sleeper. I think atthis point the biggest complaint you could have would be this will be an inconvenience for a week. I could defiantely stand a shower right about now.

Pain is minimal, you just notice it with certain movements/angles, and I have to rememberto not use my chest muscles for anything. Other than that, I am not sure what else to report at the moment.

Off to the airport.

[tired321]

thanks a lot for sharing, can't wait to see some post op pics.

[billygoat21]

I'm also looking forward to some pics, good job by you getting this done! Inspirational.

[Grandpa Bambu]

Congrats dude! 

GB...

[manwithnoname]

Thanks a lot everyone, the support is greatlyappreciated.

[Grandpa Bambu]

You're welcome!!! 

GB...