5/30. Wednesday. Pre-op on Tuesday. Fly out on Monday. Man. Of course, all of this is dependent upon the nano-knife being available and we will be touching base during the week of the 14th to make sure that we can move forward.
Surgery scares me this time. I have had three other laparotomies and understand the basic concept and the recovery but this one makes me more uncomfortable. My first surgery was 2hrs, the second was 3, the third was about 5 and this next one will probably be as long as all of those put together and then some.
The doctors put their patients in the ICU for the first two days after surgery, probably because they want to have additional monitoring. After that, I move to the more pleasant rooms at the hospital but probably with one or more drains to handle the results of the surgery. The surgeons use internal sutures that will dissolve and then use glue to connect the external tissue which is nice because they won't need to take out staples.
I stress over the idea of getting a colostomy. I know that many people are able to continue relatively active lives with a a colostomy and there a number of options such as a colostomy with irrigation which may make general life a bit nicer in some respects but... Ugh.
The rest of recovery should be mostly normal. I will spend another 5 days or so in the hospital after I leave the ICU, waiting for my bowels to wake up. I will spend a couple of days walking the halls with a number of tubes attached and I hope that I will be able to get rid of the TPN bag soon after I move out of the ICU!
Then I will get to come home. The nurses suggest another 12 weeks for recovery at home. That is longer than I have ever spent for recovery but they suggest planning for 12 and being excited when it is less.
Of course, I need this. Surgery is unquestioned now and we don't have a real choice. Sometimes I just wish I had good choices. Sorry for the downer.
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