Surgery Day!

Apr 01, 2012

We left the hotel at 7:00 am and took the short trip to the hospital, where we were welcomed and lead directly to the rooms that would be our homes for the next three nights. 

After weighing in and a last meeting with Dr. Aceves, I learned that I was going to be the first surgery of the day.  I was very thankful for this, because I was extremely nervous and weepy and would have needed a substantial amount of anxiety medicine to keep myself sane if I had been made to wait too much longer.  I'm pretty sure that Dr. Aceves chose to operate on me first for this very reason, because there was a patient there for a lap band, and Blanca had made a comment yesterday about how generally they do the lap bands first. 

As I was being rolled into the OR, I couldn't stop crying.  My husband walked with my bed as far as he could, and then smiled and waved from the doorway. 

Once I was in the OR, I remember moving from my bed to the OR table, with the help of the anasthaesiologist, who was very kind and comforting.  I remember asking him if he had ever had someone not wake up, and he promised me that he had never ever seen that happen.  Then he asked for "two minutes of my time," during which he explained that he would be "making me feel really good" before having me drift off to sleep.  This went pretty much just like he said.

When I woke up in recovery, I itched all over and was bound and determined to move my legs.  Then my knees.  Then my feet.  I must have fought for half an hour or so to wake my body up, and finally I could move my toes again.  It was hot in there, and I was still itching, so the minute I could wiggle my toes I asked (in English) to be moved back to my room.  Not sure if they understood me or not, but when I woke up again, I was in my room.

Soon after I woke up, Dr. Campos came by.  His first words were, "good morning, Sleeping Beauty!"  This made me giggle, and I couldn't help but smile after that, even though I was sore.  I was immediately given something for the itching, a fan to help with the heat, and something else for pain.  I was offered nausea, medicine, but since I didn't have any nausea, I declined that one.  

The rest of that day is pretty much a blurr, other than a visit from Dr. Aceves, who informed me that everything went well and that I would be able to drink water tomorrow.  The rest of that day, I was allowed to swish water in my mouth to keep my tongue wet, but I could not swallow it.  I also had to begin using my spirometer to keep my airways strong, which was more of a challenge than I thought it would be!

Once I left recovery, almost all of the nurses understood enough English to make sure that I had what I needed when I needed it.  I never once felt insecure, unsafe, or even uncomfortable, beyond pain medicines wearing off.  I'm pretty sure that most of my pain, even through today, has been because of the fact that I had a drain, which is Standard for Dr. Aceves.  But if my results are as great as the rest of his patients, I can deal with a little soreness to have an Aceves sleeve!  

I'll be posting the rest of my journey in Mexicalli in the next day or two... I've just gotten home from the trip and can barely keep my eyes open.  :) 

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