It is officially one week post-surgery. My days are pretty good. Though, like other people I know who have had big surgeries, the end of the day is the roughest. I am happy when my head hits the pillow; I feel the best when I get up. Showers are possible and good too.
After surgery, you have chest tubes that drain any fluid from the cavity that houses your heart and lungs. You can imagine there is minor bleeding for example. These three tubes press on your abdomen and diaphragm, making eating unappealing which means pooping is not happening. They are long tubes that take up a lot of space.
Each day, my first activity was a chest xray in my bed. This was to verify that my lungs were expanding and not full of fluid. The second thing was a visit by Chris Burke, U of M grad who was Dr. Verrier’s resident or a fellow. His hand was in a cast. He said he broke it and a bone in his neck and/or back in a motorcycle accident. He might be 30 years old but that’s crazy. Get off the motorcycle. Very nice guy who always called me Mr. Langlois.
I was at my psychological low point on Saturday when he told me that my tubes could not come out. They were still draining too much in two of the three. That meant I was there at least until Monday. It was now obvious that I would need to adapt to hospital a bit more in order to get some rest. Hospitals are not restful places. I knew that I would be better at home for sleeping and eating but that was not possible for another couple days. That sucked the wind out of me.
