There are ways to mitigate issues with a little preparation.
Where You Stay After Surgery Can Make A Difference
On May 17th, I underwent laparoscopic surgery to drain an ovarian cyst. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that my right ovary had to be removed in 2010 due to a cyst that had grown inside the ovary, which warranted emergency surgery.
Given this, I did have a little bit of understanding of what I was going to need for this.
The big issue: the location of where the surgery was going to be done was 45-60 minutes away from my home, and this surgery was going to be outpatient, meaning I would be leaving the same day of the surgery for recuperation. And that amount of time didn’t account for rush hour traffic.
Because of this, I went ahead and found a hotel that was not only within 10 minutes from where the surgical center was, but was across a canal from the local main hospital, in case there were complications. I was actually closer to help there than in my own home.
The doctor’s office insisted that I had to go home, but it was a good thing I went ahead with the hotel stay.
This was because I’ve had a perpetual sinus infection for months now, but not a whole lot that could be done about it, given that I’ve already had 3 recent oral surgeries done. Because of the sinus drainage, my stomach was not a happy camper when I awoke from the anesthesia. Warning: grossness ahead. I started getting sick, and it wasn’t stopping. They gave me a zolfram at the surgical center, and while it stopped for a little bit, by the time I was in the car going to back to the hotel, I was using the barf bag again. We got to the hotel and I was continuing to use the barf bag again.
What To Bring For The Hotel Stay
There were a few things that I did right with this hotel stay. One was asking for a room designed for someone who is disabled. I had hoped upon one that would have bars in the bathroom, but, alas, the person at check in gave me a room for someone who is hearing impaired. So while I didn’t get the bars I had wanted, I did get the emergency buttons in the room in case things went south. Thankfully, I didn’t need the buttons.
The other thing that saved me, however, was the fact that I was already pretty nauseous from my hormones going into the surgery, so I had brought a six pack of 16 oz bottled 7up and two long packages of Ritz Crackers. The 7 up did the trick better than the zolfram. My friend called the doctor’s office, because he was on the phone with his office calling for a prescription of Zolfram to be called in for me.
If Possible, Scout Out The Area In Advance
Noting, in particular not only where the hospital is, but also where the local pharmacy is. I use Walgreens, and I saw where the local Walgreens was prior to all of this, and I also drove around on a Sunday (least amount of traffic) and found where the hotel and the outpatient surgery was going to take place, so that at least I would have some idea of where things were located at.
Because of this I was able to give the crossroads to the doctor’s office of where to call in the prescription. My friend looked it up on her phone and confirmed the address so the presecription could be called in.
Wear Comfortable Clothing With No Elastic Around The Waste
It was much easier for the nurses to help me get dressed (they even gave me kudos for what I was wearing there and back). This will help everyone in the long run. I wore what I’ve worn for previous procedures that have been done:
It’s called the Colette by Miss Elaine.
It’s not only comfortable, it zips completely up the front and has two hidden pockets sewn into the side seams. It was a little pricey when I bought it, but it has been so worth the money.
I didn’t bother bringing any kind of shoes, as I figured I would just wear the socks they put on your feet back to the hotel. My tennis shoes that I wore there were just packed in a bag.
Pack It In Wheeled Luggage - No Carrying!
This was all placed in a medium sized Eagle Creek Pack it system cube, along with deodorant. I have a smaller matching one for a toiletries bag that I keep packed for trips.
I also had packed a book, my iPad Pro and a bag of extra food (soup, pudding, yogurt and a smoothie) along with cutlery to eat the food with.
Most of this fit in a rolling backpack that I used to use for working at the school.
This was because I knew I would not be able to lift much after the surgery. Sure enough, I have been placed on a 10 pound limit until the doctor sees me for the post op appointment.
I also brought a few additional bags, that way things that didn’t fit in the back pack could be parted out into smaller groups to be carried out to the car on the day after surgery.
Yes, I did check myself out of the hotel and drove myself home the following day, with only ibuprofen in my system. Once I was home, then I took the prescription pain medicine prescribed by the doctor.
And slept. A lot.
So, there you have it, some of the preparations for this surgery that kept some the bad things from making the whole ordeal much worse than it already was. Had we tried to go it for the one hour drive home after the surgery, I probably would have ended up in the hospital. Besides, because it is summer in Arizona, I got a nice hotel room for a much cheaper price.
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