Sunday 30 June 2013

Day 3

Not sure if it's the tramadol, GA, or just plain old surgery trauma, but I woke up feeling pretty rough this morning. Had to lie down down twice when the world starting getting hazy! Food helped - had some oatmeal and tea. More discomfort after eating, specifically a painful upward push that sort of echoes all the way up the esophagus. No pain on the way down though. That painful upward feeling happened after every meal today, and sort of felt like a burp that wouldn't come, except I felt it high up in the esophagus at the throat too. I think that either something is pushing up against the LINX, in which case I'm happy it's working, or it's some kind of mild spasm that's related to the surgery. I'd be interested to know which it is, but it's too early on to be worried about any symptom really.

Managed more food today -- appetite returning slowly. Lunch was pre-made potato bake with veggies and small pieces of chicken (thank you, Tesco), and I decided to try more bread again for dinner with one of my trigger foods, peanut butter. Foods with high water content and density are easier, though one measly grape nearly got the better of me!

I managed a slow walk down the end of the street and back. Because my surgery was late in the evening, this is really day 2 rather than 3, so I'm happy with recovery still. Shoulder pain still there but not as insistent. I was able to lie down on my side for a nap in the afternoon (I'm a tummy sleeper, so side-sleeping is my best bet with 6 holes in the abdominal wall!), which I couldn't do last night.

I've spent the last two days solo in the house, and for those of you who are considering the LINX and live alone, I'd recommend getting a friend or family member to come and stay with you for the first day or so. Nothing is unmanageable, but mobility limitations (i.e. reaching for something off the shelf or on the floor), possible woozy patches, and the need for distraction from the pain would all be helped by having someone around.

Also, I would recommend taking a stool softener from day 1, as constipation makes bloating worse anyway - and I think the bloating is a big part of the pain I'm experiencing in my stomach, when taking a deep breath etc. 

2 comments:

  1. Hi Jen, you sound like you are doing just fine.
    The anaesthetic slows everything in your body down so constipation can be a killer! Eat and take what ever you can to keep things going. For the shoulder pain drink lots of mint tea, it helps alot.

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  2. Thanks Simon. Mint tea is a great tip...good thing I love it anyway!

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