Part 5:

So we learned the pain medications. You were automatically given 2 Tylenol every 6 hours. Additional meds were allowed based on pain level expressed by the patient on a 1 to 10 scale. Best I could figure, 5 to 7 meant you could in addition to the Tylenol get oxycodine every 4 - 6 hours as needed. If you were at 8 - 10, then they would put something in your IV. I never used the IV and the oxy once. The oxy didn't seem to do anything for me. I learned if you were going to try and eat or drink, plan do do it between about 30 mins to 2 hours after the Tylenol. After 3 hours, I would start watching the clock. But pretty much that day after the surgery, I didn't feel real bad….

After awhile my wife said looks like you're OK so I'm heading to the bar. I said "Ok" thinking I misheard because of the drugs or something. A while later she came back, "Nice bar. She had some Miller lites and talked to the bartender who had gone through treatment for bone marrow cancer in 27 bones". She also talked to another couple who still optimistic after 7 surgeries for tumors found on her kidney will she was having a c section for her second child. Turns out the Jacsonville Mayo Clinic is the only one with a liquor license. She said I chose wisely.

Later they wheeled a recliner chair in for her to sleep in. They did ask if I still wanted the annoying leg massaging wraps and was able to get those off. And I proceeded to harass the staff by having to go the bathroom when they were not already in the room for something else. Hey, bladder rules.

Not much sleep that night with the vitals checks and getting more antibiotics through the IV. And i had to have the bed back reclined up at 30 degrees in case of bleeding. In the morning, I had my choice of beef, vegetable, or chicken broth and juice. I got chicken and Cranberry juice. More Tylenol, vitals checks, IV refill, questions about pain level. Another bathroom trip. Peed red. They had told me blood in urine was real bad. Luckily I remembered the Cranberry juice before I pulled the red cord in the bathroom.

Doc came in. Gave us the news about having to stay another night for observation. He left and my wife said, "Well at least i know where the bar is." So ordered beef broth for lunch. They were out. Chicken, out. So it was vegetable broth and Apple juice. And then my salivary glands went nuts. My throat keep filling with mucous. It was more than I could swallow, so I would spit it out into napkins. It was constant and incredibly annoying. And I was not told this could happen so told the nurse. She checked with the doc and response was it was something they did not treat. So all afternoon I did spit deposits (SD). And my lower abdomen started feeling really bloated. Nurse said that was normal from the surgery. Being cranky, I tried to fart in her general direction. And the mucous continued. It was thick enough that I could pull it out like a fishing line. It was gross. I showed my wife. She was not amused and went to the bar. I've since read most folks don't get the spit problem but one guy mentioned his clogged the sink drain.

Got a reprieve from the broth and could order cream of wheat for dinner. More SDs. Finally tried to sleep. Best I could do was lay on my side and put a bunch of napkins under my mouth and assume the drool position (DP).

Next morning for some reason I was back to the broth only option. And they only had vegetable. My wife mentioned this to the staff and a saint nurse brought in some beef broth. Through out all of this I was never hungry but did know needed liquids. So got released but was told best if we stayed in the area and had the dissection drain tube removed at the clinic the next day. The drain tube was clear, about ¼" and went behind my ear, into the skin and to the bottom of the incision. The other end went into an about 2 - 3" squeezeable ball and then to a suction machine. The liquid was pink. The ball would get emptied so often. After about a day, the took me off the suction machine and just squeezed the ball to make a suction. The drain gets pulled when the amount of liquid drained within a 6 hour period reaches a certain level.