Successful Surgery

Sorry it's been a few days, but I've been a bit out of commission.  

Flowers from my brother

Monday morning, mom and dad picked me up and we went to Williamson Medical Center to check in for my surgery.  We were early (shocking, j/k) so they took us back to my room early.  On the bed were the following items: urine sample cup, non-slip socks (they were hideous, ugly brown with grippies on both sides), and a purple hospital gown.  The nurse came in to check what size surgical tights I would need.  Let me just tell you, I looked bangin'.  Mom had to help me tie up the robe because it tied in the back and around the side.  So then the nurse took my vitals and gave me some pepcid and a motion sickness patch to put behind my ear. When I had my spleen removed, my stomach didn't wake up from the anesthesia for 3 days, so they gave me the patch this time to help with that.  

Since we were early, we had to wait even longer in the room before I was taken back to the holding area.  We passed the time by watching Big on AMC.  Then, out of nowhere, God's voice rang out in room 105 informing me that the nurse was coming to get me.  It wasn't really God's voice, btw, but it came from mystery speakers.  

So the nurse man came and rolled me off to the OR holding area.  I didn't have my glasses on at this point, so I pretty much just layed there until nurses, the anesthesiologist and my surgeon came over to visit me.  They game me my IV and the nurse told me she was injecting something to calm me down.  Then they wheeled me off toward the OR.  

The last two surgeries I had, they told me to count backwards from 10 when they injected my IV.  This time, they didn't and I was conscious going into the OR.  The nurses instructed and helped me get into position on the operating table.  It was weird.  Then, I supposed they put the gas over my nose and gave me a breathing tube.  I woke up pretty quickly in the recovery area but continued to fade in and out.  

Finally, they rolled me back to room 105 and I would fade in and out of sleep every 30 minutes or so.  I was incredibly parched because of the anti-nausea patch, so they tried to get me to drink some fluids and eat some crackers.  I tried water, apple juice, sprite and powerade.  I couldn't each much in the way of crackers because my mouth was too dry, but I was finally able to drink enough to pee so they would release me.

My pastor (whom I don't know so well because I rarely go to church) came by to visit me.  I told me dad to go out into the hall because he was eating his apple to loudly.  I felt bad in retrospect.  The nurse fixed one of my dressings, I got dressed, and they wheeled me out to the car.  

I called M as we drove away from the hospital and he came to my parents house to see me.  We were sitting around talking and I kept falling asleep, so I decided I'd go to bed.  I took a pain pill and M sat with me until I fell asleep.  

Surprisingly I slept pretty well.  I did wake up with the urge to pee every 1-2 hours during the night.  I suppose my kidneys finally kicked in and were processing all of the IV fluids.  I perfected the process of getting in and out of bed on my own.  

Yesterday was pretty low key.  I woke up pretty early, and mom fixed me some cinnamon toast which I didn't really eat much of, and I had some more water, some hot tea, and milk.  The milk was the best decision.  It really helped soothe my breathing-tube chapped throat.  Brandon came over for about and hour to see me, and we just sat on the couch and talked.  Mom made me some chicken noodle soup for lunch, then we took a walk to the neighborhood clubhouse and back.  It felt good to be up and moving, but it kinda wore me out.  I took a nap, during which my brother called to see how I was and if he could come over to watch a movie.  I agreed but warned him that I might fall asleep during the movie.  

When he arrived, he had brought my flowers, which my mom helped me put into a vase.  Then we watched Ponyo, which I managed to stay awake for.  While we were watching, the doorbell rang.  Dad answered and it was a florist deliverer.  M's mom had sent me flowers.  Both sets were quite beautiful!  Once the movie was over, Drew agreed to bring me home, so we packed up my stuff and he drove me home.  M had soup from Panera waiting for me when I got here.  We ate dinner, watched an episode of Mad Men and then hit the bed around 8:30 pm...such old folk we are.  

I was able to shower and remove the bandages last night.  The scars don't like they'll be too bad.  I still have some butterfly stitch type things, but I was able to remove the gauze.  One of the scars is perpendicular to one I already had and it almost looks like a Power T (Go Vols!)  My belly's still pretty swollen, but I'm in a lot less pain.  It still hurts to burp, hiccup, breathe deeply, or clear my throat.  You don't realize how much you use your abdominal muscles until they're very sore.

Close up--from Always in Bloom

Beautiful flowers from M's mom

Recovery is going well all together, but it'll still be a couple of days before I can drive and be rowdy.  I'll be spending the next few days lounging around doing a lot of nothing.  

Happy Hump Day!