I remember someone shaking me "Mary, wake up it's all over now". I didn't open my eyes. "Mary, open your eyes love". I remember thinking I wish you would bugger off! The recovery nurse was insistent that I had to open my eyes so I compromised and opened one. She laughed and told me that Sandra had gone off duty and would come and see me on the ward later. I asked what the time was and they told me it was 9pm! She said my surgery had lasted 6 and a half hours and I had been in recovery since 19:30 as I wouldn't wake up.
I felt so so sick and just wanted to be left alone. No chance. I had nurses checking my stomach, shining torches in my eyes, blood pressure machine going up and down on my arm, heart monitor bleeping.
Eventually they wheeled me out of the recovery room. I don't remember anything until I was wheeled onto the ward. I looked at the clock and it was 21:30. I thought "Where's Dylan?" then went back to sleep. I woke up again and Dylan was holding my hand. He had really cold hands so I put one on my forehead. I still felt sick and couldn't speak without heaving. It seemed like 5 minutes, but after a hour Dylan told me he was going to let me rest and go home. I said "I feel sick", so he got me a bowl. I was dramactically sick everywhere, which hurt my stomach and looked to see my vomit was bright green. The nurse told Dylan it was bile. Of course it wasn't it was the Sentinel dye I had been injected with.
I started crying as I hate being sick and didn't want Dylan to leave. Eventually he went and I slept on and off having very strange dreams and feeling very poorly.
I couldn't move my head from side to side as the CVP line in my neck had been stuck down with tape which was stuck to my jaw and neck restricting my movement. So I just tried to lay still and relax, which was easier said than done.
The next morning and I realised just how many tubes there were! I had 3 drains in my stomach, a drip in my arm which filtered off into 3 separate lines with antibiotics, fluids and pain relief, a drip into my neck and a catheter leading to a urine collection bag full of bright green wee (again from the Sentinel dye). Moving wasn't really an option as it felt like someone had literally ripped out my stomach. I still felt sick and was itchy as hell from the diamorphine i had been given in theatre.
A nurse came to check on me and said I could have some water and a cup of tea if I wanted. I had some sips of water, but the tea really made me heave so I left that. Another nurse came to take a blood gas sample from the line in my neck. I remember she had really strong perfume on - note to health care professionals strong aftershave and perfume is not good when you feel sick!
Another few hours passed and daylight came. I am still alive, I feel like absolute crap, but I am still alive. The Ward Sister came over and told me Dylan was on the phone. She asked me what I wanted her to tell him. I said "Tell him I am ok but I feel like shit!" She asked if she could actually say that to him, I said yes he will laugh. She came back and told me he had said that sounded like me and to tell me he loved me and the shed roof had blown off! Fabulous.
A nurse came over and told me it was time to have a wash. I had to get out of bed and stand up straight. Yeah right love! She helped me wash my face and top half and advised me to keep a clean gown on rather then my own nightie as I still had drains in etc. She washed my front and back and then my legs. She asked if I had any cream to moisturise my legs as this would help circulation as I had had lymph nodes removed - 29 in total - in my groin and upper legs. I told my Mum in law had got me some Champneys stuff so she went to my locker to find it. She put it on my legs and then told me I had to stand up. Bloody hell. I was dizzy as hell, felt sick, was in pain and they wanted to get me out of bed.
So legs off the edge and up I got. I managed to stand up straight and then sat in the chair. The nurse changed my bed and I was allowed back into it.
I fell asleep again and woke up absolutely covered in sweat, feeling as though I was on fire. This was the immediate effect of the removal of my ovaries and was awful. The nurse brought over a fan and I went back to sleep again.
About a hour later I woke up again covered in blood. There were clots over me and blood soaking through the sheets. I rang my bell. The nurse came over and said "Oh dear". My drain had come loose and where they had injected me with Heparin to thin my blood it had gone everywhere. Panic ensued and the bed was stripped and pressure put on my wound. The drain was fixed into place again and I went back to sleep!
About 20 minutes later I woke up again and was covered in blood again. I rang the bell and this time the Registrar was called. He removed the drain which felt like someone pulling a 10 foot hose out of my belly. He then had to stitch the wound. There was blood everywhere and I began to feel very faint. The other Doctor was brilliant. he held my hand and kept me talking while the Registrar worked to stem the bleeding. I had oxygen and just kept taking deep breaths. Eventually it was all done. And I went back to sleep LOL.
Mark the anaesthetist came to see me to check on my pain relief. I told him I had been sick and I still felt sick. He laughed and apologised and told me that I had been under for about 6 hours so it was no wonder. He prescribed some Piriton for the itching and more anti-sickness medication. The nurse came to give me some Cyclizene through my drip for the sickness. It is awful stuff and makes you feel like you are floating and spaced out. The nurse put it in really slowly, but it still made me feel awful. The Piriton however was lovely and knocked me out.
I tried some tea again and the nurse brought me some toast. It was quite nice. For the rest of the day I mostly slept on and off.
Dylan and Glen came to see me along with my brother James and my brother in law Justin. They went to get a coffee and Glen stayed with me. He held my hand and told me about his science GCSE. I snoozed off and on through their visit! Dylan told me that I didn't look too bad. I felt like absolute crap!!
They left and I slept again.
My next visitors were my Mum & Dad inlaw. Mum sat and held my hand and chatted to me. My friends Elaine & Cathy also came. They had brought me flowers, which they had to take away again as they weren't allowed on the ward, chocolate and a huge chocolate muffin, which I made my dad inlaw take as it made me want to upchuck just looking at it!
That night I had really broken uncomfortable sleep. I still had tubes and drips etc poking out of here, there and everywhere. But I was still alive so onwards and upwards.
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