Nights in the ICU

The barium swallow test happened on day 2.  They give you this cup of disgusting ass stuff that you...the person who is puking everywhere, whose mouth ALREADY feels disgusting, and who just had surgery so you can hardly eat or drink anything...are supposed to drink.  Drink ENOUGH to get a good picture.  Which is more than you can REALLY ACTUALLY drink.  They were kind and patient with me but damn that shit is nasty.  I was so weak and in pain at this point I needed help standing to get the pictures, but got them they did.  The first thing I did when we got back up to my room in ICU was go back down because they needed 2 more pictures.  SERIOUSLY!?!? 
Finally, I passed the swallow and the first thing I did after it was confirmed without a doubt I didn't need to swallow that stuff again was brush my teeth and swish my mouth out.  The Doc walked in on me and said I was the first person he'd ever seen to put "brush their teeth" as a priority at this point.  I just don't think he has ever paid much attention.  If you had that horrible cotton mouth and THEN had to swallow that barium, trust me, you'd be brushing your teeth too!

The pain was still unbearable.  I was put on the liquid diet and the crystal light was a blessing!!!   You don't drink much of it though and I was still exhausted and reeling from the pain.  A lot of people are up moving and dancing around by Day 2 and on their way home.  They are posting on facebook and talking coherently.  This was NOT me.  (Once again I say...EVERYONE's experience is soooo unique and different, this is only mine because this is the only one I personally went through ;)  ) I attempted one facebook post and reading it back later it made NO sense. 
It read :

 

 "I'm so fucking miserable. I can't get the pain and naseaous under control my mouth feels like   the sahara and I'm still locked away in the icu. I'm doing what I can. I'm pushing ,yself to walk as much as I can but it is making it worse. The gas bubbles are so painful. I'm prauing in the end hst it  istruly worth all thismiery"  

As you can see I started to fall asleep about half way through the post LOL. 

The gas bubbles I mentioned...they are HORRIBLE.  It's all the gas they pumped in your body during the surgery working themselves out and it is NOT comfortable.  They really encourage you to walk, walk, walk, walk, and then walk some more!  It helps start getting you moving and feeling better, and it also helps work the gas out...and it does work at getting the gas out.  Out all ends.

Every time that I woke up the first thing I did was hit my nurse button, hit my pain button, pee, walk.  That way I could get my required laps in so they would let me leave.  If only I could get the pain under control.  The plus to walking, like I said, was helping move the gas bubbles out which REALLY helps!!

This continued on and on, day and night until the 4th.  (2 days later)  I was still in SOOOO much pain but I was getting to the point of some bad depression because I missed my family, the bed was uncomfortable, hospital "liquids" are just as bad as hospital food, and I was sick of peeing on a chair in the corner of the ICU.  The doctors were all STAUNCHLY opposed to me going home because of my pain level, but it got to the general conclusion it was that or I was going to stab someone and I promised to be in contact and come to the ER right away in case anything happened.