Thursday July 9, 2009 – Day #1 of recovery

I did not nap at all during the day yesterday. I am just not a napper, so by the time I finally went to bed last night at 10pm, I had quite a headache despite the narcotic pain killers. I was able to brush my teeth fine, although, of course, I could not reach all the way to my back teeth, but I managed as well as I could. The toothpaste did not hurt or burn as I have heard others complain about. I guess my uvula is not as swollen as many of the poor souls in the blogs I have read, and I had no trouble laying flat on my bed with only one pillow. I did not really expect to sleep well, although I did hope to. I am a sleeper, and since I do not nap during the day, when I do not get my sleep at night I tend to be quite miserable. I had to set my alarm for 1:10am, and 5:10am to take my regular doses of Hycet. The doctors and nurses all warned me to not ever skip a dose in the beginning, and believe me, there was no way I was going to. I was counting down the minutes until I could take my next dose during the night. I only dozed until 1:10am, by which time my throat was quite painful and I winced whenever I had to swallow. Every time I looked at the clock during the night, I tried to take a few sips of the water that I had on my bedside table. When my alarm went off, I got up and went to the bathroom, got more ice water, and took my dose of pain medicine. I also should note that I had a vaporizer going next to my bed the whole night. Anything to keep the throat moist is essential. By the time 5:10am rolled around, I was definitely ready for my pain meds, but the pain was not as severe as it had been at 1:10am. After the 5:10am dose, I actually (blessedly!) fell asleep until my mom came in at 9:10am to tell me it was time for more medicine.

At that point, I got up for the day, and after taking my medicine, I sat down to eat breakfast: two eggs and half a piece of toast. After a few bites, I unfortunately started feeling light-headed and nauseated. I was half-expecting it, because I have a tendency toward hypoglycemia anyways, and I knew from past experience that, for me, narcotic drugs and an empty stomach equal a low blood sugar attack. I managed to tell my mom what was going on and as I layed my head down on the table, she got me a can of Slimfast and some straight sugar water. I supped on those with my head still on the table as I waited it out. If any of you have ever had a low blood sugar attack, you know there is not much else to do than close your eyes and wait it out. Definitely do NOT try to get up, or you may pass out. Get sugar in your system as soon as possible, and lay down until your system equalizes itself. From now on, I think I will make sure I have a sugary drink before I even get out of the bed in the morning, and that should prevent another attack. After the light-headedness and nausea passed and I felt strong again, I ate the rest of my breakfast, and continued pushing the ice water as I settled on the couch to read a book.

The Surgery Center called at 12:30pm and asked how I was feeling. I had just finished eating a Del Monte Fruit Chillers snack, which is basically pureed fruit that you can freeze. It tastes like sorbet. I bought it on recommendation in Sofi29’s blog “Chronicles of a Coblation Tonsillectomy” about her experience. I suggest that you read her story, it is informative and quite funny, and it helped me to prepare for my own surgery. I had the mango flavor of the Fruit Chillers, and it was soothing to my throat, so I was able to talk to the nurse on the phone when she called. She asked me how I would rate the service I got at the Surgery Center (Very good), how I was feeling (In pain, but otherwise okay), was I drinking a lot of water (Yes), was the pain medicine helping (Yes). I told her about how difficult it was to find a pharmacy that carried the sufficient amount of the Hycet, and how nice it would be if we could have been told ahead of time which Rx it was so that we could call around to find it before the surgery. She understood, and asked me to include that information on the satisfaction survey that they will e-mail to me, and to inform my surgeon at my follow-up appointment, so that they can have it on file and talk to the doctor about it. I told her I would definitely do that.

For lunch, I had some mashed up spaghetti, the Fruit Chillers, and of course, lots of ice water. It all went down fine. Interestingly enough, my throat does not hurt unless I am swallowing, eating, or talking. When my throat is at rest, I do not have any real pain to speak of. Only a thick feeling and little discomfort.

I took a shower, then spent most of the afternoon on the computer or reading. I was able to eat the dinner my mom cooked for the family: Rice with stir-fry veggies and chicken. I took small bites and chewed thoroughly. After my 5:10pm dose of Hycet, I was able to open my mouth wide enough for my Dad to take today’s picture. I don’t think it looks that much different, but you can see that my uvula is a bit more swollen than yesterday:

As the evening progressed, my pain has gotten better. Really, I’m feeling quite good; it’s a little unnerving. I keep expecting the really bad pain to hit me. My neck muscles are sore, but if I’m not engaging the muscles (i.e. eating, swallowing, talking) I actually forget that I had any surgery at all. I feel very normal. It is surprising! I wish it would last… But I’m not that stupid. I’ll just count my blessings and enjoy it while it lasts. I hope this means I will get to sleep well tonight. I’m still pushing the ice water. The only thing I am noticing is a funny little sound my throat makes when I swallow thick liquids like yogurt and applesauce. Not sure what that is all about, but it is not any more painful than usual. Also, I haven’t had a bowel movement in two days… and I have been very regular of late. I just ate another yogurt, hoping this will help it along. I feel a bit bloated and I don’t enjoy that sensation. I will take a stool softener tonight if nothing happens.