The Morning After

I woke around 7:30, which means I slept for about two hours, maybe a little less. I pressed the pain button, and waited.

Someone came in with a tray of food. Well, clear liquids. Chicken broth, fruit juice, coffee. I thought I should try to make some effort, so I sipped the broth. Very salty. I sipped some water to wash it down. That was enough effort. I pushed the tray away.

Dr. Paddy came in, all smiles. He told me about the problems with the robot. Too much scar tissue from my appendectomy, apparently around the whole right side of the colon. I guess the operation took about 4 hours. Dr. Paddy listened to my belly, and seemed pleased with the bowel sounds. He asked about bowel movements or passing gas. No to both. I was feeling some rumbling, once in a while, but that was all. He said not to worry about eating if I wasn't hungry.

Maybe and hour later, a woman came in, and introduced herself as a nurse practitioner from Dr. Paddy's office. She listed to my bowel sounds, and pronounced them quiet and minimal. Then she ripped off the dressing. Ouch. She didn't seem to even try to be gentle. She noticed some seeping from the incision, and said she would order a light dressing over the large one, and then she left.

After another hour, I noticed that there was seeping blood, or pinkish stuff, on the sheet and hospital gown. And I got a sudden rush of nausea, and tossed my breakfast into the waiting basin. A lot more fluid came up than I had swallowed.

I pushed my call button, and told them I had thrown up again. I tried to settle in for another rest. I don't think I'd have made it to noon without that pain button.