Part 5: Discharge

Finally, around 5:30pm, they decided I was good enough to leave.

My nurse came and taught me how to give myself heparin shots.  It's easy:  Grab a little hunk of fat and jab at a 45 degree angle into your tummy.  It doesn't hurt.

She gave me all my prescriptions and discharge papers and wheeled me out.  

Off to fill the scripts:  liquid pain medicine (Lortab elixir), heparin (to prevent clots), Zegerid powder (to prevent heartburn).

Well.  No one told me it would be DIFFICULT AS HELL to get these scripts filled.

We went to a Target pharmacy and they were minutes from closing.  The lady said, "Oh, you're gonna have a hard time finding all these drugs.  These aren't drugs most pharmacies keep in stock."

Great!

Another pharmacist apparently felt some pity for us so he started scrawling down names & numbers of other pharmacies that he thought might have these meds.  Between myself, my BFF, and my MOM, we called almost a dozen phamarcies before we found someone who could fill my heparin injections.

Thank god for cell phones, right?

My mom found a pharmacist at a CVS who said he could help us.  So we drive over there.  And did I mention yet that being in the car made me feel nauseated?

Anyhow.  We got there and it turns out they only had 15 vials of heparin---I needed 42.  (3 shots a day for 2 weeks).

By then, it was 9pm and I was just desperate to get back to the hotel.  I took the 15 vials knowing that I'd probably have to pay a second co-pay to fill the remaining 27 vials.  They also had the liquid Lortab.  No one seemed to have any Zegerid powder so the pharmacist recommended an OTC chewable.

We all collapsed in our beds as soon as we got back to our hotel.  It was probably 10pm by then and we'd all had a long day.

The next day, my BFF and I just lazed around the hotel until about 4pm.  We hit Panera and I sipped the broth ouf of the French Onion soup.  So yummy.  Then we walked around a strip mall and did some more clothes shopping for our kids.  We had planned on seeing a movie, and I was totally up for it, but by 7pm, my BFF was like, "Do we have to?  I'm tired."  Did I mention she is 6 or 7 months pregnant with her 3rd baby?  So, of course we didn't have to see a movie.  I had to wake up at the crack of dawn to catch my flight anyway.

So, at 4:15 the next morning (Thursday), my hotel shuttled me over to the airport and I flew out at 6:00.  All along, I had worried that wouldn't give me enough time, that I would feel too crappy, but it worked out perfect.

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Today I'm exactly 10 days post-op and have lost 9 pounds.  (I was 171 this morning).

As of a few days ago, I was finally able to get in all of my protein (80g) and water (64oz).

My wedding ring fits.  Actually, it fit before surgery but it was tight and I was too scared it would get stuck on my finger in the heat.

Here's a picture of me about a month before surgery.  And don't forget, I already lost 35 pounds since last summer.  And now I'm at least 10 pounds lighter than when this pic was taken.  :)