Hello Ben,
I'm Cynthia's husband Ed. In looking at the responses to your post, you've gotten some good advice regarding your hospital stay and the ride home. Some things to remember once you are home:
> Due to the nature of this surgery and the type of diversion you mentioned, your GI tract will part of the operation. Since a small portion of your GI tract is used to form the diversion, the remainder of the GI tract will need to recover.
> You will probably get hungry several times each day, but won't be able to eat too much at a time. After Cynthia's surgery, she would often have four or five small meals, almost snack size, rather then three larger meals.
> You should probably stick to easily digested food items until your system is able to process other types of food. Cynthia would enjoy comfort food rather than something harder to digest like steak.
> From your picture and other posts, it sounds like you've got a busy family. Don't forget that your recovery will probably last for several weeks once you are home. Each day you'll do better, but it could still take four to six weeks before you are feeling even close to your old self. So, your wife will need more help with every day household chores; if neighbors, family, and/or friends offer to help, accept whatever they offer!
> You mentioned that your wife is an RN, which is good because you'll need some post surgical care when you are home. While your new "bladder" is recovering, your plumbing will be bypassed and the dressings covering the surgical site need to be checked and periodically changed. Your discharge instructions will address post surgical care, but it's good to be prepared.
It sounds like your surgical team is on top of your case. Please let us know how you are doing and keep asking us questions!
Ed K.