Post-surgery hospital days


March 16th-March 17th

After the first rough night, the next morning started with switching to pills as the primary means of dealing with pain. I was fine with that and didn’t need additional nerve blocks during the day. A nurse helped me to wash in the morning and get out of the surgery outfit. I brought some large tank tops which I would recommend to other patients. During the first few days you will have issues with getting dressed and tank tops simplify that task a lot!

My surgeon stepped by shortly after to check on me and answered all my outstanding questions. I felt taken care of well and was reassured that everything went according to plan.

After breakfast the nurses recommended to get out of bed a bit and walk around in the station. So, I did walk around the station for a bit but spent most of the morning in bed watching Netflix. Later in the morning the nurses changed the bandage and checked how much blood had gone to through the surgical drain. Since there was not a lot of new blood, they decided to remove the surgical drain later in the afternoon.

My girlfriend and parents visited me later which helped a lot to pass time 😊
Killing time in the cafeteria
After dinner they removed the surgical drain which was a lot less uncomfortable than I expected. Just a quick pull sensation but no real pain and I immediately was better without feeling the constant pressure it put on my shoulder. The doctor recommended to take another nerve block for the night but asked me to wait as long as possible to make sure I was making the most of it. Following that advice, I took the nerve block at around 11:30 PM after feeling a bit of pain which helped me to get through the night without pain. This time I also took sleeping pills and I was able to sleep for a few hours waking up at ~ 6:30 AM.

Their plan was to release me this morning, but I had to wait for a doctor from the surgeon’s practice to be allowed to leave. I prepared everything, got some meds for the following days and the notification of illness for my employer. Since I had to travel home by train for 3-4 hours, the doctor gave me another nerve block before removing the nerve catheter.

The doctor from the surgeon’s clinic stopped by at around 10:30 AM to check on me. In his opinion everything was fine, and I was released. He handed over the surgical report as well as detailed after care instructions for physiotherapy. We left the hospital with a good feeling and I was looking forward to being at home again.
Ready to go home!
The train ride was a bit rough but thanks to the nerve block I was not in a lot of pain. As soon as we got home I fell asleep on the couch.

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