Kidney donation – a summary

ok bit more of an update.
went into hospital tuesday, surgery weds morning. I was up and walking thursday, and home friday (to the hotel). I have pain still, in the upper stomach area where they cut.
I would have thought they would cut down lower but i have a 3″ cut from bottom of rib cage to belly button area, plus 2 holes where laproscopic stuff went in on the left side.
Im healing ok, but i dont like the nasty painkillers that make me feel woosy so im stickin to mild ones which means im in a bit of pain still – mostly at night when they run out .
To do the surgery they pumped my stomach full of air so they could manuver, this means i have lots of air in my tummy which moves about and is uncomfy atm. The worst side affect so far of the surgery is that the cut is near my actual stomach inside my tummy so swelling prevents me from eating more than a couple mouthfuls of food at a time.

So weds i ate 0 calories, thrsday i had half cup cornflakes for breaky with milk, lunch was a few pieces of fruit, dinner was couple pieces of brocoli etc.
Breakfast friday was 1 small pottle of yogurt (and even that made me so full i felt i was gonna burst), lunch was a couple slices of fruit again, dinner was half cup of soup and 1 slice of soup.
great weight loss diet, but if i have an empty stomach i feel all the wind when i down. Ive resorted to the cheese slices twice to settle the tummy pain. I guess its like a gastric balloon somewhat, only more uncomfortable.
Got to drink heaps too, which is fine.

My brother ws up and walking yesterday, he will be out of hosp on monday or tuesday. Dr said he had never seen a couple heal so quick and be up and about so much.
Ironicly my mother started a thread on a dating website forum, and somebody asked me if it was me, because they dont do that many transplants in nz. She had said that I was doing well and my brother was doing crappy. My friends who had seen me on twitter had said ‘what are you talking about they are both doing excellently!’, then i posted and agreed (from my hospital bed no less lol).
It was amusing to say the least .

oh yeah, funny things in hospital

When coming out of theatre i was stoned on drugs and tried making a joke. I said “So you got the appendix out ok?’ horrified look on the faces was most amusing, but i had to let them know ‘no you were definatly supposed to take the kidney its ok..’

Old man in opposite bed who thought he was being stoic by not taking pain relief and moaned and groaned and grunted all night long, when he wasnt doing that he was snoring so bad it sounded like he was cutting down a forest (sawing logs).
He was fairly large man and laid on bed with no blankets and feet spread wide so i got a great view up his hospital gown of all his family jewels (which i didnt want to see!). He peed all over the floor in the toilet, burped galore, and was generally as obnoxious as possible.

Luckily he was removed after 24 hours and i got the stoner lady who talked to herself all night. Her phone would ring and she would answer it ‘hello? …… hello?……hello?……hello?….” this would go on for 5 mins.

Another lady in the room was this little old lady who never told the doctors anything. So shes in pain and doesnt tell doctors, but as soon as her grown kids came in she moaned about how much pain she was in, so the docs would hear and come and give her medication, then the medication would make her sick. So i got to her her puking repeatedly, and not telling the Dr again just waiting for her kids to arrive so she could moan.
Nothing makes you feel healthy like waking up at 4:30am hearing somebody puking then demanding  to call her kids so they could come in and go mad at doctors for not reading her mind.

the other person in our room was a nice quiet little asian lady who had blood transfusions and went to the loo every 5 minutes. She was quiet and never said anything.

I presume the hospital food was ok, i was unable to eat any because of the stomach swelling. 1 banana completely filled me up. 1 pottle of yoghurt etc.
They did have a really nice fish pie, i soo wanted to eat it but could only manage 1 tablespoon of it which made me feel totally full