Post 15: Third Day After Surgery

Doctors have said that Meredith is looking good! She was moved to a regular diet and can eat solid food again, but getting back in the swing of eating solids takes a little bit of time. Usually after a meal Meredith experiences some pain that seems to be caused by digestion and any gas causes quite a bit of discomfort. I also tried helping her empty her bag for the first time and I ended up making a mess! Fortunately the stoma nurse stopped by a little later in the day and educated us some more on the bag and we are starting to feel a little more confident about using it now.

Meredith also was able to have her catheter removed today. Each one of these small steps is really a blessing because between the oxygen, catheter, IV, pressure socks, painkiller PC, drain and ostomy bag all on top of a serious surgery you can get tangled up / claustrophobic and getting up to move around can really become a production. Today while trying to get Meredith up for a bit her drain got caught in the covers and I accidentally gave it a tug... I felt absolutely terrible and it really hurt Meredith. On top of that Meredith has also still been experiencing some of that diaphragm and shoulder pain that we think was caused by her surgery CO2. Despite the setbacks we still managed to get up and walk the "block" tonight.

Meredith's mom and sister brought Elise so we got to see our little girl Elise today and it really brightened my day, she really helped me recharge. Meredith really enjoyed getting to see her too, she really got us to refocus and we are excited as ever about getting home. They said that if everything keeps going well that we can expect to go home Sunday.