2/27/25 (Part 2) POD #0 > The Jelly to my Jelly

Surgery lasted longer than expected. 7.5 hours to be exact.

I recall waking up in the PACU with extreme discomfort under the compression bra. 
I just felt searing, burning pain all under my breasts (or where they used to reside).
I felt chest pain which transitioned into feeling like indigestion, which then always causes anxiety. 

Efforts were made by the team to decrease the discomfort, however, obviously pain was to be expected.

I was brought up to the general med surg floor around 5:30-6 (?). I immediately asked to get up out of the bed - I needed to pee and wanted nothing to do with a bed pan.

"Um, no. You are not allowed to get up."

Ugh. The number of people I have cared for, assisted on/off bed pans, commodes, toilets, dressed, changed, wiped...yet here I was needing help and dreading it. 

I did my damnedest to clean myself but Lord Jesus I could not reach for the life of me - the pain, the lack of mobility - so I HAD to ask the PCA for help. She was professional. I survived. But I hated it.

The dietary team came up to take my dinner order.

"No thank you. I really have no appetite."

"Well you should order, you need to eat."

"I just got out of surgery, I really don't want anything."

"You need to order. I guess I can put down you will call to order. OK, what do you want for breakfast? Yogurt, banana?"

I turned green. "Really nothing, thank you. I don't care to order anything."

She FINALLY left, annoyed, marking in my chart I would call to order. 

My hubby came up shortly after and we both lost it. So MANY emotions. I was SO glad he was there. I needed him. He needed me. I also needed to get back on the bedpan and he was up. 

He is such a good sport and has helped me however I needed it. He was a huge support system after having both boys - I will always remember when after having Logan, my bloody pad fell into the toilet (sorry for the visual) and this man who hates germs, doesn't like to share because of germs, would shower 20x/day, without hesitation put on a glove and fished it right out so he could finish taking care of me. 

Although I just had surgery, and emotionally he was drained, he was in a good spot as now he knew he could and NEEDED to help me but more importantly, I had to let him. 

Fast forward to the end of visiting hours - only one person could stay - I had told Steve to go to work Friday so he needed to go home - my sis pleaded with my mom to be able to stay as she had to leave Sunday and she informed my mom I was allowing her to stay through the week to which my mom literally jumped up and down. 

THANK GOD SHE STAYED. 
Here are some of the MAIN reasons why:

1. She is my sister. We have an unspoken bond. She knows what I need even when I don't. She is a fierce advocate. I can coerce her to turn off the bed alarm, and help me get out of bed and to the bathroom so the incompetent nursing team does not have to be bothered. We easily devised a way to "put my crack in the crack" without yanking me in the bed. 

2. I am pretty sure the overnight nurse and the PCA thought I had elective reconstructive  surgery (until I informed them of my diagnosis, my surgery, and all my precautions).

"Oh that lama is so soft! Did you buy it after you CHOSE to have this surgery?"

3. Multiple staff members attempted to "help" me by going to pull up on my arms. I truly think they thought I was being lazy as they otherwise did not touch me while I was visibly struggling getting out of the middle of the taco. 

4. She was my medication manager. She was the one who made sure the nurse was in the room at the time my medication could be dispensed. But even with all her managing, she couldn't help when the nurse screwed up...

"My sister is in a lot of pain. Can she have the tylenol or Dilaudid for break through pain until it is time for the oxy?"

"I'd recommend the Dilaudid as it is faster acting and then we can give her the oxy when it is time."

"I really don't like how it makes me feel, however, I will take it to get through and then I'm done with it."

I immediately felt icky, it really gave me no pain control and I confirmed I was done with Dilaudid.

The time came for the oxy...or so we thought.

"Yeah so I'm sorry, I can't give you the oxy because I gave you the Dilaudid. We have to wait another hour. Is that ok?"

I thought my sister was going to lose it. No indeed it wasn't ok but here we were. 

I was SO frustrated as we were finally on a good path to moderating the pain and now essentially I was going to be 2 hours behind...

Alas, I survived the night. We napped perhaps 1/2 hour, woke up, ate chips, she fed me apples, we laughed, we cried, we laughed some more. 

That whole situation would have gone an entirely different direction if it had not been for my sister. My other half. 

LUMI sis. You are the Jelly to my Jelly.