I got stabbed!

Stolen from Firefly "Shindig." My favourite episode and not just for the costumes.

So Wednesday morning, I got up from two and half hours of sleep. I showered with the special soap that the doctor give you that I heard stinks. It's not too bad, it just smells medicinal. I then packed up my stuff and headed off to the bus station. Justin would have driven me, but that would have entailed waking the kids up two hours earlier and then having them stay awake until school. Keeping the kids's schedule as normal as possible was the goal.

I got on the appropriate bus and made it down to the hospital in Seattle. I checked in; turned over my wallet, keys, and phone; and waited. A awesome nurse, RJ came out and directed me to the back. He labeled all my stuff and handed me a stack of clothes to get changed. I put on the world's ugliest socks, pajama bottoms, the lovely hospital gown and a robe. I hung out for a bit after having to turf out the husband of the patient next door that had taken over my lounger, General terror makes me a little grumpy.

Afterwards I was brought up to yet another waiting room and tucked in to a lounger with blanket that had been in a warming drawer. I thought it was funny that they had already started treating me as an invalid. A nurse who snorted when she laughed sat down and asked some medical questions and then started my iv. The anesthesiologist then sat down and talked about what she would be using. I had heard that if you're feeling nervous, a fentanyl lollipop can help take the edge off. She explained that fentanyl lollipops aren't used much anymore even fro kids. The doctor swung by, and then OR nurse came over. He explained that we'd be walking down the OR which would be full of people, extremely bright lights and can could be quite stressful.

While we walked down, a woman passed in the hall, holder her toddler that had obviously been through surgery. I guessed tonsils/adenoids and ear tubes. John assured me that kids going through surgery handle it well and I shouldn't worry. I remarked that at least they get ice cream afterwards. John assured me that he'd order ice cream for me after the surgery.

The OR was exactly like John explained. I laid down on the table and the anesthesiologist injected the desired fentanyl into my iv and I was out.

My drug dream was I was trying to catch butterflies into a baseball hat.

I woke up and my immediate reaction was good, they woke me up and I can tell them I changed my mind. I looked down and wondered why my chest was feeling so constricted. I had been wrapped tightly with an ace bandage and had inflatable wraps round my calves (for dvt), and general sickness.  I was quite worried about the kids and kept asking about them.  I also remember a boy next to me was waking up with ear tubes with his mother over him making a huge to do over him. The nurses kept poking me to keep me awake when all I wanted to do was sleep.

Later on I found out that I wasn't coming out of the anesthesia so well. I was more nauseous that most and I couldn't keep anything down, which meant that I couldn't keep the pain medication down, which meant that I got more nauseated, which lead to not fun cycle of vomiting and pain. They finally injected me with a ton of zofran and pain meds and let me go to sleep. The next time I woke up, the nurse from hell made me get up and walk around.

The biggest annoyance of that night was every time I managed to get to sleep, someone would wake me up. But they started to remove my accessories and with each one, I felt lighter and more like myself. My surgeon mercifully also placed my drains in the front rather than the sides so I don't have the annoyance of not being able to put my arms down.

It's a few days later and I feel okay. I'm no longer nauseated (though I did throw up as I was leaving the hospital and the poor orderly practically threw me at Justin and ran) and the as long as I take ibuprofen every couple of hours, I'm not in any pain.

I never did get my ice cream.