Survived yet another operation - but the recovery is kicking my butt
I had a mid-line hernia repair on Friday - but the CT scan that diagnosed it was done back in June. there were delays due to having to be cleared by by cardiologist which finally happened in mid August but then the Covid cases had filled up the hospital and I couldn't get scheduled until last Friday.
During all those delays, the rupture in the abdominal muscle got bigger and fairly recently a loop of intestine worked its way through a tear in the muscle. The surgeon said he was surprise anything was getting past that loop. I knew over the past few weeks there had been more discomfort and suspected something was very wron.
To strengthen the area, the surgeon put in a piece of mesh about the size of a sheet of paper. This means the skin had to be loosened to spread the mesh out. It was all done via laparoscopic so I have seven little holes and one incision scattered all over mu tummy. They've got me on oxycodone so I have slept most of the time since getting out of the hospital Saturday. Usually I hate taking that stuff because it makes me groggy and stupid, but right now it is a blessing.
In fact, right now I need to take another dose and another nap.
On the other hand, Khufu, my new kitty, has figured out that he can't jump on my tummy but have found ways to drape across other parts of my body to be close to me. Khufu is a very cuddly kitty and a big comfort. He's settling in with the other cats, trying to make friends with them. While they are not ready to be friends, there have been no big confrontations or fights. Lucas, our largest cat who is a bully, acts like he is afraid of Khufu - I think because Khufu does not run away from him. So we get views of five pound Khufu chasing fourteen pound Lucas around the house. I wish I were alert enough to take some videos of them!
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It does seem like it's been a long time coming. Hope the kitties let you rest and recover! 
Kitty cuddles are great. Those purrs have happy well-being powers. 
Glad both Khufu and Lucas are there to give you some comfort.
2 weeks tomorrow. Anesthesia kicked my ass for almost a week. I wonder if there's some kind of shortages and they're using different stuff now or if my surgeon is just that different from the last one. I got a nerve block and gas I don't think I got versed it was weird. But I was SO nauseous for 5 days, couldn't hardly eat couldn't stand up - I could do it muscularly, but my head couldn't take it I would puke. Doing better now but I missed the first session of physical therapy because surgeon didn't call in pain script refill in time. I'm sorry I'm a tough old broad but I'm not doing physical therapy on day one with nothing but Tylenol!
Just rest and as Mike Landwher and MFM advised: take the drugs!
I am doing much better now, even made popcorn and got it from the kitchen to living room all by myself! 
Most of my post operation nausea was when they almost forced me to eat too soon after an operation. I've learned - don't eat the first night. Small serving of carbohydrates (oatmeal or french toast) the next day, and work up to more food very slowly over the next week. Fortunately, I have the fat reserves to be able to handle that very light diet for that long. And this surgeon listened to me - he had me on ice chips the first night. Then they offered me eggs or pancakes or french toast. I managed most of a slice of the toast, held it down and they cleared me to come home!
I spent the weekend taking a oxycodone every three hours (you can take one or two every six hours so that's the same dose). Today I'm dropping back to one every six hours. So long as I can get enough sleep, I'm good. It doesn't hurt if I don't move around much. And the lift chair keeps me from straining the tummy muscles. I do have to get up and walk the length of the house every couple of hours since I drink a lot of water and have to pee a lot - but one of the instructions was to ambulate, so that is good. The cats supervise that part. At least one cat watches me go to the bathroom each trip. They take shifts!
This is the first operation in a long time I have really felt the need to take the drugs!
Oh, but my home made cold paks are so much better than the hospital's half sized ice thing. In fact, I will be going back to ice my tummy again.
Take care!
I am very familiar with the pain of surgery and recovery, at least during surgery you are so doped up you don't feel anything. It's the recovery that's difficult. The pain and trying to get around and get back to normal.
I was allergic to opiates so I had to stop taking them (full body hives and projectile vomiting) so they put me on something else which wasn't very effective and kind of nauseated me anyway, so I just stuck w/ the ibuprophen, but what really saved me was the ice, which I see you are doing. That relieved my discomfort more than anything.
I would just wrap up ice packs in pillow cases (the kind that don't leak) - even better if you have fleece or flannel pillow cases, since those packs can still get really cold through a percale case. And it's easier to cover the area that you have to cover (like my appendectomy) rather than trying to rig something up that would stay put all around my proximal humerous and shoulder blades.
I hope you are feeling better soon and enjoy the meds while you can! Being oblivious during this period helps a lot, but don't forget to keep moving and keeping your blood circulating. 
Keep ahead of the pain with the oxycodone.
Take the pills as directed by your doctor, of course, but explore the possibility of maybe cutting them in half or quarters. I would take them as long as you need to, but no longer than that. It is most important to keep ahead of the pain, so consider the pills to be your friend, but be cognizant of their effect on your body, and try to cut them back as your pain gets better (again, after speaking with your doctor).
I've taken hydrocodone for spinal issues, until the pain got so bad, they switched me to oxycodone. I was warned by both my doctor and my pharmacist to take only what I thought I needed, and to not be afraid to cut up the pills. I ended up taking a total of about two full pills because they were kicking my ass so bad. However, those two pills, cut into about 8 pieces, got me through the soul crushing pain until the pain became "only" really really bad.
You're going to be surprised how quickly your surgical pain is going to start to improve.
Lay low, be good to yourself, and try a little focused meditation to come to terms with your pain.
Feel better real soon!
I was going to cut back on the oxy more today - most of yesterday I took one at a time and only doubled once in the middle of the night when I was hurting from trying to turn on my side.
But this morning started out with some stressful stuff that had to be taken care - and has yet to be resolved. I had to sit at the desk for a couple of hours and that wore me out. I'm only up now since I needed lunch. Other than that, the pain level is not too bad.
Tomorrow, I will try half tabs every six hours. Though I have to supervise my husband making pecan pies so I have to be awake enough for that.
I'm spending most of my time in the lift recliner, zoning out with Midsommer Murders at night and watching old TV series during the day.
Thanks!
Get well soon
