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Thursday, November 21, 2013

Surgery Over

planted this afternoon
right is yellow, left is pink
 

from these sale bulbs
 
I awoke at 4:45 to be ready by 5:45 to get the surgery center by 7:00 to have surgery at 8:00. I took a leisurely bath in my claw foot tub, using so much water that when I lay in the tub water flowed out of the overflow. Since I could not eat, why rush a bath?
 
It was still dark when I took food to the hens. Patsy Cline jumped down and ran around. There were low clouds that reflected the city lights, so there was some light, but I doubted it was enough for chickens.
 
My friend, Tina, a nurse, picked me up and brought me a walker. Yay. A stool was necessary for me to get into her tall truck.
 
 
All  the regular things were done to me. An IV in my hand really hurt, and the nurse kept fiddling with it, finally saying it was swelling and she would get an anaesthesiologist  who could give me the pain shot I was whining about wanting. He had been in to talk to me, and was a very nice guy. He put the IV in my hand by crossing over my little wrist bend. However, thanks to the little bit of pain medication he injected at the intended site, I was happy.
 
So, I had a D an C to determine if my intermittent and slight bleeding is uterine cancer.
 
Have you ever seen stirrups in an operating room? They are NOT like the diabolical, cold metal ones like the ob/gyn has in his office. I am not being sexist; my doctor is a male.
 
I was so concerned about having to be in "doctor office stirrups" that someone came in to discuss it with me yesterday.
 
Today, the nurses assured me that I would feel no pain because I would be out. sigh  Finally, I got it across to them that the aftermath of losing feeling might be long lasting.
 
Because my last vertebrae is sitting on bone and I have two herniated disks and the L5 is way out of place, certain moves or positions cause my feet or legs to go numb and my back hurts so. I do not want to deal with a problem and have to have emergency surgery on my back even though I really need to have back surgery.
 
Because of this, I asked to put myself in stirrups before I was put to sleep. They said this was not what they did. I asked could they do it for me because of my concern for my back health after I left there not pain while I was there, just numbness. They agreed.
 
Operating room:There was a tall pole sitting about eight inches from the table they put me on, but curved to meet the table. At the top, the metal pole curved inward and had two soft straps hanging down. I put my foot way up and they slipped the loops over my foot. I asked why there was only one. Because we cannot slide you onto the table.
 
 
Oh
 
After both feet were in the stirrups and they asked me if it was okay, they just started rushing around doing things. I don't know what. Finally, one nurse grabbed the sheet that was all above my waist in dragged it between my legs.
 
I think someone put something in the IV because my hand hurt. At the same time the nurse anesthetist put a mask with air near my mouth, touching the edge of the mask to the corner of my mouth and told me to breath deeply. I did breathe deeply, about five times, stopped and said, "So, this is it? It's time?"
 
Yes, this is it.
 
I opened my eyes and started talking. I had only been back in recovery about five minutes. They would not give me Coke and would not let me sit up. pooh.
 
When I got back to my room, Tina was still there, reading. Before and after the OR, I was coughing long and hard. That drove up my blood pressure. Of course, the caffeine in the 4 Cokes, hard coughing while they took my blood pressure had some effect on how high my blood pressure went--198/115. It gradually came down.
 
I got dressed and left, finally.
 
Oh, Tina is very mouthy and sarcastic. This I say in the nicest way, because she had me laughing the whole time. Now, she would say I am mouthy and sarcastic. She says I make her laugh, too. She would say something about me to the nurses or criticize me to my face, being very funny about the whole thing. I know the other people in the rooms that only had curtains across the front wall, wondered what was going on. About a dozen times, I screeched, "Shut up, Tina." That made her laugh loudly and I was laughing, too, even as I said it.
 
She would not take money for the gas for the 80 mile round trip. She offered to buy me something. Surprisingly, I was not very hungry. When we got back in town, I offered to buy her a Chick-fil-A sandwich with a coupon. She agreed to that.
 
We took my prescription for Percocet to Walmart pharmacy and bought bananas. We sat and waited and talked.
 
When we went to Chick-fil-A, I gave her the card and said she would have to redeem her own. I thought she wanted to go in. She wanted to sit in line, get me a sandwich. It seems she ate breakfast at home and just wanted to take me home.
 
I demanded the card back, she refused as she laughed, and I demanded it back several more times, complaining and laughing the whole time. I really did not want it back. When I offered her some sweet potatoes, she readily agreed. So, when we came back her, I gave her a bag and told her to get a dozen.
 
I have had no pain and not much bleeding. The pain I have is more like pressure and nothing to compare to monthly cramps.
 
About 4 pm, I went out to get the chickens up and protect them fro the 4:15 raccoon. While outside, I potted up the two bulbs. The Garden Amaryllis Pink will survive, but the Bearded Iris Gold Galore (yellow iris) may not. Those are vinegar jugs I cut off, made a hole in the bottom, painted green, and put a coffee filter in the bottom and called it excellent. 

Now, I need to bake chicken breasts and sweet potatoes. It's almost 7 pm.

Your turn
Do you have a good friend that is so much fun to be around? Have you seen the OR stirrups, hanging like nooses? Some people say a D and C is very painful. Have you had a bad experience? This was my third.


20 comments:

  1. I had a D&C followed by a uterine cauterization. Of the various procedures I've had done, this one was lower on the pain scale except that afterwards I got super constipated from the pain meds and had a hemorrhoid flare up and the resulting discomfort from that became way bad. But the main part of my pain probably had to do with the cauterization. Isn't it fun to have a uterus?

    I was asleep before they bought me in but saw an OB/Gyn whom I used see out drinking and wenching in my younger days. I spotted him just before they put me out! But I knew he wouldn't be in my room....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alex,
      I was wondering if he would do a uterine cauterization on me. But, he never mentioned it, so I didn't. Don't you just hate it when one thing leads to another. Hemorrhoids would be just the worst thing ever. I had severe constipation and hemorrhoids during my first pregnancy. That is when I became a roughage/fiber fan even though I ate well.

      Thankfully, I never go to the physicians I know too well.

      Yes, the uterus is a fun thing to have.

      Delete
  2. The Peanut Gallery is doing a cheer for your health. Ignore the farts, cursing and whiskey breath.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jess,
      Thanks. I will memorize and recall your words often.

      Delete
  3. My D&C and cauterization caused me no pain, but a friend of mine had the same surgery, same day. One week later, when I went to visit her, she said she still had her husband CARRYING her from room to room. That woman milked the last drop of sympathy out of that poor guy for every little pimple.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. lotta joy,
      Where did she leave her big girl panties? So far, no pain here, just a bit of pressure. Women like that just give us all a bad name with some people.

      I put on my big girl panties and went to the kitchen to work a bit.

      Delete
  4. I have had a D&C twice, but not recently. I didn't experience much pain. I never saw the OR stirrups. I don't remember the first D&C very well, and I guess I don't remember the second one well either because I think I was out; but I'm not sure. I hope you're okay and not too uncomfortable.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Janie,
      I would have seen them, but I would not have recognized them as stirrups since they looked a lot like a noose. I am not able to do as much in the kitchen as I wanted to once I read the doctor's orders. My abdomen feels like pressure not pain. Thanks, I am doing great.

      Delete
  5. I am glad that you have such a wonderful friend - not surprised, but glad.
    I haven't had a D & C, but do have a friend who I love forever. We rarely see each other (live in different states), but have laughed, cried, laughed until we cried for over 35 years.
    Love your bulbs - and irises are tough, Fingers and toes crossed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EC,
      Tina is great. She can do things and I laugh. If someone else did the same thing, I would be furious. I don't think she has a mean bone in her body. My ex destroyed my friendship of almost 50 years.

      That yellow iris may have life in it. I am not really sure. But, I agree that they are tough. It is going to rain tonight, so they are sitting where they will get a good soaking. The pink one is starting to grow way down inside.

      Delete
  6. I'm so very glad it went well, and that you are back with us.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Snowbrush,
      So far, so good. I expect that to continue. Thank you so much.

      Delete
  7. I don't remember too much about the D & C I had. Know that my blood pressure crashed after it and when they took me to ICU they asked if I was having any pain. When I answered yes, they gave me a shot of morphine (so I've been told - I laugh and say they gave me the good stuff and I can't even remember it).

    My biggest problem has been some cramping but after the first couple of days it wasn't bad enough to require even a Tylenol.

    ReplyDelete
  8. seyrey,
    I would have been horrified if I had ended up in ICU. But, I suppose if I needed to be there, I would not be horrified. With the coughing I was doing, my blood pressure rose. Usually, my blood pressure is on the low sign.

    The Percocet is still in the pharmacy package. I have not taken anything yet. When I go to bed, I am quite sure I will not need anything for pain. I would not even describe what I feel as cramps.

    ReplyDelete
  9. ICU was boring. I did everything I could to get out of there as fast as possible. They even sent Physical Therapy down for me but after the morphine wore off I was able to get up, move around without assistance. Of course they have to be in the room with you when you do anything in ICU. But I refused to stay in bed one second longer than I absolutely had to. Even at my worst I would sit in the chair (I might nap on occasion but I figured they needed to see me doing things to make myself better and languishing in bed was probably a good way to spend more time in the hospital with more medical personal visiting me - have to say that I really had great medical care).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. seyrey,
      I think if you are getting bored in ICU, maybe you are better. I, too, hate lying in bed. In ICU you cannot even have company except for a few minutes several times a day, so watching tv or having someone with you is out. Having great care is the most important part.

      Delete
    2. Actually, it was a private room in ICU (also my regular room) so I was able to watch tv, play on the computer (until the battery ran down) and when I first woke up in ICU my brother was there. I guess he stayed until about midnight and then went home. I was a few hundred miles away from home so only a cousin and my brother were close to where I was so wasn't really expecting a lot of company.

      Delete
    3. Seyrey,
      I understand now. That is not like any icu I have seen. It is good you had some family nearby.

      Delete
  10. That's awesome how you and Tina understand each other. Good friendship. :-D I'm glad you could still walk after your procedure. No harm done. I hope it straightens out the issues you've been having.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sue,
      We have known each other for about 25 years. I liked her immediately and pursued a friendship because she was not like other people. I just hope I don't have cancer. I really wasn't having a problem in my eyes, but it alarmed my doctor. Thanks.

      Delete

Okay, hoping the annoyances have gone away.