Heal

The incisions are healing.  I Googled laparascopic appendectomy and came across this awesome video of what it looks like.  I wish I would have known they could create a DVD, then I would have totally asked for one.  I'll ask tomorrow, I imagine they have to keep record of it, whether or not they could make a DVD of it post-op I'm not sure.  Here's a link to the video on YouTube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4s69S1u5YdA
I think the video is sooo cool to watch, I wish I would have found it prior to the surgery to know even more what to expect.


I took the bandages off today.  Which hurt, not so much the skin, but the actual muscle that was being pulled beneath the skin.  Strange feeling.  Made me slightly nauseated, strange feeling.  I cried a bit at first when I saw them, because the stretch marks from having Bear were bad enough.  Then I cleaned the area and the incision in the middle isn't bad at all, won't even be noticeable once fully healed, just as the doctor said.  My belly button looks different, but that's not too big of a deal since everybody has a different looking belly button.  Once I saw that the lowest incision required the most stitches I understood why it hurt more than the others, that's probably the exit area since the tool used at the end to take the chunk of appendix out of the body is larger.

Everyone keeps asking why they cut in the middle, since the appendix is on the right side.  Since it was a laparoscopic appendectomy, which means they put a camera in one incision, and two tools in the other holes to cut it out, they can do the incision from a different location, for example the middle on me.  They inflated me like a balloon to make everything easier to see and access everything. Sometimes they put the other holes closer to the appendix, but the doctor was kind enough to make sure the lowest one could be covered up with a bikini bottom.  I also think that they did it in the middle because they thought that maybe the appendix had burst, (CT scan showed that it hadn't, but surgery was 5 hours later so things could have changed) which would have required access to a broader area.

It really does feel like I'm missing something internally.  Such a bizarre feeling.  After I gave birth to Bear, it made sense that I would have that empty feeling.  However, the appendix is so insanely small that I didn't think it was going to feel any different.  I still have internal pain where it was located, which after watching the video it makes sense, since it was cut and burned out of me.


All in all I think everything is going fairly well.  Yesterday I was able to do the dishes and get some laundry done, but I think I over did it, I was in a lot more pain this morning.  I was able to sit on the floor for a bit, which I need to get my body use to for work.  I find out tomorrow when I get to go back to work.