Surgery Part II: Cut and Run
Surgery (10/19/06) went very smoothly, more so than last time, as I had a better idea of what to expect and could plan accordingly. I wore pajamas that were easy to slip out of and back into. I brought a book in case they were running behind schedule like last time. I also applied unnecessary thick black mascara, since it would be my last opportunity to have long, fluttery eyelashes for a few weeks.
Strange as it may seem, I was in a cheery, bouncy mood that morning. Some of my mood was attributable to the fact that I'd thrown caution to the wind and taken a dose of pain medication when I woke up, and did not go through the morning in unrelenting pain like last time.
We arrived at the hospital at six a.m. for my 7:30 surgery. Last time involved a lot of sitting around, and I was expecting the same this time; there was, however, significantly less of a delay, because I was the very first on the schedule that morning.
Certainly the most reliable predictor of wait time is whether you've brought along a good book or not. I'd brought Darkly Dreaming Dexter to pass the time between having stuff poked into, stuck onto, and hooked up to me. The poking and taping corresponded beautifully with Dexter's sadistic activities, which made for a unique multisensory experience. Did make it hard to concentrate, I'll admit.
The book was put away when the nurse escorted my parents back to sit with me. What do you talk about when you've got an IV stuck in your hand? "So... The Office is on tonight..." My mom just sat there making this pained, my-baby's-having-surgery expression; it made me feel guilty for being involved in such an upsetting ordeal. It was only a short time before I was wheeled away, waving my sad little hand at my sad little mom.
I really have no amusing anecdotes or observations about the experience. I do find it immensely strange and irritating that the hospital staff are surrounded by this cutting-edge medical equipment, yet seem unable to share information with each other. I was forced to answer the same questions ("When did you last eat or drink? Did you take any medication this morning? Are you allergic to any antibiotics?") about five different times in the span of an hour and a half.
Being wheeled in a bed through the hospital corridors was something not inconsistent with fun; there are so few opportunities as adults to be pushed around on a wheeled apparatus, so you might as well enjoy the ones you do get. "Under Pressure" was playing when I got into the operating room. I had to manually crawl from the gurney onto the operating table, where straps were alarmingly fastened over my thighs. My sedation drip wasn't started 'til about this time, and things began getting fuzzy and soft really fast. David Bowie was singing and the room and music were hazy...
...And the next thing I remember, I was waking up in recovery surrounded by parents. I had to stay there for a half hour, hooked up to these monitoring machines. One machine monitored respiration, and an alarm would go off every time my breathing dropped below or rose above a certain rate. This naturally provided me with entertainment throught the monitoring period. I didn't mind setting off the alarm multiple times, since I'm out of hands now, and never have to see those nurses again.
I was in and out in under four hours, and made it home in time for an Egg McMuffin breakfast. So, generally a good experience! It was far less painful than receiving the bill from the 08/24 surgery. (Finances are causing me substantial stress right now, but I'd rather not go into it here.)
I appreciated the comments and mails! Thank you! I signed on before I left for surgery and read all of your comments, and it really helped steady my nerves. I also got these gorgeous daisies (I love daisies) from justbluemyself, and a stuffed Hello Kitty (and tea!) from cinnamonblood! Thank you, I feel sufficiently loved now. I tried writing actual thank you notes, but... not working.
Recovery has been going as well as expected. Sure, it sounds fun in theory to sit around all day and have others serve you, but feelings of uselessness set in really fast. The incision hurts significantly more than the left did; there's more muscle there, and more active nerves, and more consequent pain.
I considered posting pictures, like I did last time, but the incision is less photogenic this time. Not such a neatly-stitched straight line, but jagged and slicey. And I just shook my reputation as Girl Who Posts Gross Links!
So instead, here's a picture of the Milwaukee Racing Sausages:
Edit: By the way, I'm not the only one ailing around here. Sammy caught a kitty-cold a few days ago, with symptoms of fatigue and sneezing. He's better, but now Friskey's caught it, and she's been sniffling and sneezing all day. Then it made the jump to the dog, and Pepper's started in with the sneezing. They were all huge babies before, and now they're extra pathetic.
Strange as it may seem, I was in a cheery, bouncy mood that morning. Some of my mood was attributable to the fact that I'd thrown caution to the wind and taken a dose of pain medication when I woke up, and did not go through the morning in unrelenting pain like last time.
We arrived at the hospital at six a.m. for my 7:30 surgery. Last time involved a lot of sitting around, and I was expecting the same this time; there was, however, significantly less of a delay, because I was the very first on the schedule that morning.
Certainly the most reliable predictor of wait time is whether you've brought along a good book or not. I'd brought Darkly Dreaming Dexter to pass the time between having stuff poked into, stuck onto, and hooked up to me. The poking and taping corresponded beautifully with Dexter's sadistic activities, which made for a unique multisensory experience. Did make it hard to concentrate, I'll admit.
The book was put away when the nurse escorted my parents back to sit with me. What do you talk about when you've got an IV stuck in your hand? "So... The Office is on tonight..." My mom just sat there making this pained, my-baby's-having-surgery expression; it made me feel guilty for being involved in such an upsetting ordeal. It was only a short time before I was wheeled away, waving my sad little hand at my sad little mom.
I really have no amusing anecdotes or observations about the experience. I do find it immensely strange and irritating that the hospital staff are surrounded by this cutting-edge medical equipment, yet seem unable to share information with each other. I was forced to answer the same questions ("When did you last eat or drink? Did you take any medication this morning? Are you allergic to any antibiotics?") about five different times in the span of an hour and a half.
Being wheeled in a bed through the hospital corridors was something not inconsistent with fun; there are so few opportunities as adults to be pushed around on a wheeled apparatus, so you might as well enjoy the ones you do get. "Under Pressure" was playing when I got into the operating room. I had to manually crawl from the gurney onto the operating table, where straps were alarmingly fastened over my thighs. My sedation drip wasn't started 'til about this time, and things began getting fuzzy and soft really fast. David Bowie was singing and the room and music were hazy...
...And the next thing I remember, I was waking up in recovery surrounded by parents. I had to stay there for a half hour, hooked up to these monitoring machines. One machine monitored respiration, and an alarm would go off every time my breathing dropped below or rose above a certain rate. This naturally provided me with entertainment throught the monitoring period. I didn't mind setting off the alarm multiple times, since I'm out of hands now, and never have to see those nurses again.
I was in and out in under four hours, and made it home in time for an Egg McMuffin breakfast. So, generally a good experience! It was far less painful than receiving the bill from the 08/24 surgery. (Finances are causing me substantial stress right now, but I'd rather not go into it here.)
I appreciated the comments and mails! Thank you! I signed on before I left for surgery and read all of your comments, and it really helped steady my nerves. I also got these gorgeous daisies (I love daisies) from justbluemyself, and a stuffed Hello Kitty (and tea!) from cinnamonblood! Thank you, I feel sufficiently loved now. I tried writing actual thank you notes, but... not working.
Recovery has been going as well as expected. Sure, it sounds fun in theory to sit around all day and have others serve you, but feelings of uselessness set in really fast. The incision hurts significantly more than the left did; there's more muscle there, and more active nerves, and more consequent pain.
I considered posting pictures, like I did last time, but the incision is less photogenic this time. Not such a neatly-stitched straight line, but jagged and slicey. And I just shook my reputation as Girl Who Posts Gross Links!
So instead, here's a picture of the Milwaukee Racing Sausages:
Edit: By the way, I'm not the only one ailing around here. Sammy caught a kitty-cold a few days ago, with symptoms of fatigue and sneezing. He's better, but now Friskey's caught it, and she's been sniffling and sneezing all day. Then it made the jump to the dog, and Pepper's started in with the sneezing. They were all huge babies before, and now they're extra pathetic.