Hoekey

Hi Farmgrrl:

I am almost 4 weeks post laprascopic liver resection. I had a "grapefruit" sized FNH removed from the right lobe of my liver and a "golf ball" sized FNH that was attaching to my diaphragm. I had them removed because they were causing me pain, the one on my right lobe was putting pressure on my ribs and I was changing the way I was wearing clothes to be comfortable, they would normally be left alone otherwise. I had a foley for 2 days, no NG tube. But I did have oxygen for the first 24 hours to keep oxygen saturation up. I guess you don't breath deep enough when you are heavily medicated with pain killers. For the first day I had the self-medicating IV but I was so sensitive to it. First is was morphine then they switched to daladin but I couldn't get relief from the itching even with IV benadryl. (I do not know how to spell all of these words so bare with me). I was itching so badly I was starting to break my skin open on my face, chest, and arms. So they got me on oral pain killers as soon as they could. Oxycodone. They had me up and walking the very next day and I was eating food, though my appetite wasn't very good, by lunch time the next day. Once I could get up and use the bathroom on my own they removed the foley. I was in the hospital for a full week, though this is not typical. Most people go home in 4-5 days. I was kept an extra day because my blood work on the 5th day was off so I needed to have an ultrasound to check blood flow. This was on a Saturday and due to short staffing getting the ultra sound done and results back took hours. Then the ultra sound tech did not get the "money shot" and I had to get another one which was done 9 hours later in the wee hours of the night. So I had to stay an extra day. During the night the gases that they blow you up with to do the surgery started to release through my right shoulder. Call me a wimp, but OH MY GOODNESS it hurt. Even IV pain meds wouldn't touch it. My drive home from the hospital is 2 1/2 hours so they let me stay another day to get through it in relative comfort. Had I been home already I would have been okay, just in a lot of pain...but the drive while having that go on would have "killed" me. (Not literally)

The first day, right after surgery is kind of rough, but they try to keep you as comfortable as possible. You don't really remember it anyway. You should start feeling a lot better by day two. They really try to get you up and moving around as soon as possible. This will help in preventing blood clots and pneumonia. You'll be given heparin twice daily to prevent blood clots and you will use your sporameter once per hour. I was able to bring my own comfortable PJs and on day 3 after my first sponge bath I got to wear my own PJS for the rest of my stay. My husband was with me the whole time so by day 4 he could help me take a shower and so that was nice.

I had two JP drains for almost 3 weeks. They are a pain in the rear but you live with it.

I did not have a typical recovery. Four days after coming home I started to run a fever and was put back in the hospital (local this time). I had a little fluid on my right lung, I guess this is typical when they do work by the diaphragm and one of my drains was starting to get infected. My white count was pretty high so I was on IV antibiotics for the 3 days I was there. Then oral augmentin 875mg twice a day.

A little more is going on with me now, but like I said, I have not been typical. So I won't go into all of that. Remember to bring chap stick or the like for your lips, you will need it. I had my legs waxed right before I went in for convenience. Not normally something I would do, but it was worth it.

Feel free to ask any more questions that you have. I'm sure I haven't told you everything that you wanted to know.

Good luck with your procedure!

Hoekey

Just saw the rest of your questions....my surgery took just over four hours.
I have not returned to work yet, but again, I have not been typical.