Surgery

I'm going to post the best I can. I'm really tired so this might not make sense. I'll go back and update this or write a new post once I'm feeling like myself again.

I had to be at the hospital to check in on Thursday at 8:15. I got checked in and then taken to a room to change into a hospital gown and wait for my turn.
They had me stay in a bed and wheeled me to pre-op. We met with a nurse, the anesthesiologist, and Dr. Waldron. The surgery would be between 2-3 hours. We asked Dr. Waldron few questions while the anesthesiologist hooked up my IV. He then gave me something to help me start to relax. They wheeled me down the hall, Jon went left, and I went right. I was out by the time we got in the operation room.

2 1/2 hours later I was done and Dr. Waldron went to talk to Jon to tell him how everything went. Everything went great, I was in recovery and he'd see me when I was awake and brought to my room.

It takes forever for me to wake up from anesthesia. I woke up in the recovery room, glanced around the room, and fell back asleep. This happened again and again for an hour, and then one of the nurses started taking with me. She said they'd take me to a room as soon as one was ready. The hospital was remodeling so they were a bit behind. When they finally had a room for me they called Jon to tell him what room I'd be in. She handed me the phone so I could talk to Jon and let him know I was ok.

They wheeled me to my room (I was still trying to stay awake)  and tried to put me in someone else's room when Jon saw me and said I was supposed to be in this other room.

I was trying to stay awake but I kept falling asleep. I told Jon to turn on the tv so he wasn't bored and I was also hoping it would wake me up.
My parents, my sister, and Jon's mom stopped by to see how I was. They didn't stay to long because I couldn't stay awake. Just long enough to hear what the doctor had said.

Jon spent the night with me, sleeping in the not-so-comfortable reclining chair next to my bed. We didn't get much sleep because they kept coming in to check my vitals every few hours. And the bags and things I was hooked up to kept emptying or getting air in them so the machine kept beeping. It was a long night and we were both exhausted. I finally fell asleep around 6:00 in the morning and slept for about an hour and a half.

Breakfast was liquids: jello, juice, and chicken broth. ( So was lunch and dinner, just a different flavor jello and different broth).

Then the physical therapist came to get me out of bed and walking. It really hurt and I was dizzy from laying down for so long. I barely made it half way around my walk when I told them I needed a bucket because I was sick. They sat me down, handed me a bowl and a cold wet cloth, and waited. I eventually felt better and we walked back to my room. I was supposed to get up and walk or at least sit in a chair for 3 hours that day, I had only done 15 minutes.
I kept trying to eat and to sit up so I could go sit in a chair or go on a walk, but every time I did I would throw up. It wasn't until about 6 or 7 that I started keeping jello down, and then I started working on the broth.

I'm finally starting to feel normal again, except for the fact that my stomach hurts and I'm sore.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and sending good thoughts and vibes my way. I know they helped.

I continue to post my progress.
We will get the results of the mass back late next week.

-Gillian

Feel free to come visit me while I'm in the hospital or after I'm home.