My Surgery Story

Apr 22, 2010

I have decided I need to write about the events of my "Band-day".  So here goes...

After a very restless night, hubby and I dropped the kiddos off at school and headed to the hospital.  I was SOO nervous...cranky...anxious.  For the first time in my life I did NOT want to talk.  My poor husband was concerned at that point!!  LOL 

So now we're there...change into the awesome gown/scrub pants/sock combo and get comfy in the pre-op "recliner" that this hospital is soooo proud of! (they are ok if you are into vinyl recliners!)  My mood started to improve and I started to get a little excited.  Some technician came to ask some questions (who are you, birthday, etc.) he asked what kind of procedure I was having - I answered "Lobotomy".  He wrote it down.  Hubby's eyes got big and I started laughing and told the guy what I was really having done.  Wow!!

Now it's time for the big walk to the OR prep area.  Luckily hubby got to come with (which made me SOOO happy)  IV time, more questions, talk to surgeon.  Now as soon as I got to the preop area I asked "When does the drug guy come?" All I wanted was my dose of Versed to make me happy.  Then they could do whatever they wanted.  Just give  me the Versed.  I knew from my gallbladder surgery 6 weeks earlier that just before they take you to the OR, they give you a gift....a nice little injection of Versed in your IV.  So I kept telling myself that I just had to hold it together long enough to get to that point!!  Finally the drug guy comes (with a mouth full of crooked teeth and silver braces!)....we're going over stuff....and I'm thinking "just give me the juice!!"  So he's finally done talking and I say - "OK!  Time for the Versed, right?!"  Guess what he says - NO!!!  Seems I had a few complications last time and he decided that I should not have Versed.  So Brace Face says "We've decided just to give you the Michael Jackson medicine and not the Versed so we can wake you up instantly if we need to."  My response - "I really wouldn't call it that!"  Anyway I was SO DISAPPOINTED!!  Seriously - my husband had to console me!!  LOL

So they wheeled me into the OR and I was completely lucid.  It was cold in there and I did not like being on my back.  A lot of stuff happens in there before they put you to sleep.  So Brace Face Says "OK, I need you to move over to this other table before we can give you the Michael Jackson Medicine and put you down."  I mean seriously, is this guys going for a medal in How to Say All The Wrong Things?   So the head drug guy comes in at that time and introduces himself....I proceeded to tell him he should probably train Brace Face on what not to say.  We all get a laugh and boom I'm gone!

I wake up in recovery GROGGY!!  (not that nice I slept so good feeling that you get from the Versed)  Hubby is there and they told me I was done and everything went well.  I remember putting my arms in the air and saying "Woo Hoo" while wearing the oxygen mask.  I hurt....worse than the gall bladder....they dope me up.  Soon I'm on my way to my room to wait for the Upper GI and then to go home.

Well, I was supposed to go home...but the nurse who was to take care of my in my room while I was waiting for my Upper GI decided not to hook up my IV.  (Plus there was a half used IV bag on the pole which she left on there - gross!) So for two hours I did not get any fluids.  They also did not check my vitals or try to get me up and around.  Within 5 minutes of hooking up the IV they called  me down for the Upper GI...so the brilliant nurse unhooked the IV so I could go have the test.  As soon as I got up I was in excruciating pain (hadn't had any pain meds since recovery either!)  I fell into the wheelchair and was taken to Radiology cringing from the pain.

Once we got to radiology - the technician looked at me and knew something was wrong - asked if I was nauseated.  All of the sudden I became every SHOCKY!!  Queasy, hot, shaky, unable to focus....all of it.  Thought I was gonna fall out of the damn wheel chair!  So one tech is holding my head telling me to keep my eyes open and the other is calling the surgeon on call.  I was panicking and yelling "Call a Code!" and "Call 911!" (kinda funny now).  Anyway...after a few minutes and a cool wash cloth on my head I finally felt well enough to do the test.  4 guys put on lead aprons and stood around me in case I went over.  Everything was fine on the swallow - so the surgeon on call (who I had met before a few times and didn't like) said I could go home if I wanted.  I couldn't believe he was saying this given what had just happened - he said it was "normal".  Whatever...

Back at my room my husband had arrived and I told him what happened.  They reinstalled my IV and finally gave me a medicine cup with ice chips (heaven!!)  We have three kids (11, 9 and 6) and I sent hubby and kids off to get dinner.  While they were gone I decided to stay overnight.  I was afraid of having another "normal" episode at home and having to deal with finding a place for the kids to be in case I had to go back.  Plus I knew I was extremely dehydrated (I couldn't talk and my throat was so dry it was sticking together on the inside) so I figured the more time I had with the IV the better. 

The care I received overnight was AMAZING!!  (I had the bad nurse banished from my room earlier in the day!)  They kept fresh saline bags on me - gave me pain meds - checked my vitals including blood sugar - provided and endless supply of ice chips and were just NICE!!  It was the best decision I could have made.  I was able to go home in a much better state than I would have had I gone home the day before.

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