Day Four – Thank You!

Now as hopefully all the excitement has subsided, I would like to say thank you….a very big thank you to all who have sent messages, posted comments etc wishing my husband all the best during his surgical adventure this week!

A hernia operation is usually pretty routine, with many people able to have it done via keyhole surgery and then going home the next day!

But because of my husband’s history of having a transplant, he has basically been opened up again, although thankfully he hasn’t had to have any organs removed, reorganised or replaced this time!

Having a drainage tube is an extra bonus when having an incisional hernia repaired, and it will add another  scar to his impressive collection.

And then there is the list of medications they have to check, and extra levels that need to be monitored, to make sure nothing has gone out of whack.

In other words, that husband of mine is pretty high maintenance, medically speaking!

He did enjoy being treated like a VIP by the medical staff…some of the nurses told us that they love getting transplant patients to look after!

It is now has been three days after surgery, and he is off the heavy painkillers. He says he is feeling pretty good, but still finds it a bit painful to move.

His abdomen is a little swollen, which is not surprising considering….and he is very glad that drainage tube is gone!

We head back to the Liver Transplant Clinic on Monday so he can be checked over by his surgeon…and then hopefully, it is just a matter of rest and recuperation to get him back to his usual fighting fit self!

And yes, he is not looking forward to all the dressings being taken off…however, when he was in ICU after transplant, a nurse told us about some magic stuff, which dissolves the adhesive, making the removal a much less painful experience.

So if you are on the hairy side, and are dreading the dressing removal after surgery, get your hands on a box of these….my husband won’t go to hospital without them!

Some of you may wonder why we share our journey publicly on this blog…there are two reasons…firstly we have share in the hope that anyone else traveling along the same path might find some comfort that the road to recovery after transplant can be a little bumpy, but it can get better!

And secondly, it helps me to get some perspective as to what is happening by writing about it…I just wished I had discovered blogging a few years ago!

So thank you to everyone who kept us in their thoughts and prayers…we really appreciate it!

Now I just have to keep him from exercising and doing too much too quickly….oh joy….