Your table is ready

Oh boy! What a trip! On Wednesday morning, January 14th at 5:00 a.m. my sister, my Mother, my husband and myself load up in the car to head to the hospital. It was very cold. Of course I drive, because I have that control thing going on. LOL It was a very quiet ride to the hospital. I don’t know if everyone was still asleep or just a tad nervous and not knowing what to say. We arrive and the registration person hasn’t even gotten to work yet. We wait. She arrives and gives each of the patients a buzzer like you receive at Olive Garden and tells us that we are to come to the desk when our buzzer buzzes. Around 6:00 they call me to my “table”.

I change into the lovely back opening oversized hospital gown and the nurse asks me a thousand questions. My family comes back, the doctor comes in reassures me that he had a good nights sleep and by 6:30 a lovely man named Chuck comes to escort and drive me to the “holding” area. Chuck is 80 years old and says he has done this once or twice and assures me he knows how to drive this chariot. He positions me in what I can only described as the supply closet, although it had no doors. There is a constant barrage of nurses and anesthesiologists retrieving supplies from the cabinets. I have several who comment on my socks and how much they like them. Lisa gave them to me several years ago. They are red, cream and black striped and remind me of the wicked witch of the east that was killed by the house in the Wizard of Oz and I refer to them as my witch socks.

After what seemed to be hours and I’m sure was only minutes, a nurse comes and asks me the exact same questions the other nurse did. I asked her if they were checking to see if I give the same answers. I must have because she leaves and an anesthesiologist comes to my bedside. Oh my gosh, he was ADORABLE, but turns out he is a little greedy. He asks the exact same questions, which I answer in the exact same fashion and then he explains to me the complications that can occur due to anesthesia. He proceeds to “find” a vein on my hand and says, “Oh, these look very good”. I look at my hand to see if there was gold there because he is so excited. No gold just veins. He gets a needle and says I may feel a little sting. OOOOOOOOwwwwwwwHHHHHHH! He maneuvers the needle and can’t seem to keep the vein and finally gives up and says he’ll have to use the other hand. He says as an anesthesiologist they like to get the Papa Bear needle in, but he was a little greedy and I will have to have the Mama Bear needle. I told him to look on the bright side, at least it wasn’t the Baby Bear needle. Okay this guy is not looking nearly as adorable as he did 15 minutes ago. After several other nurses and even additional anesthesiologists check me out, I am wheeled to the operating room.

I actually saw the operating room for about 10 seconds and then I woke up in a very quiet room where they kept telling me to take deep breathes honey act as though I’m smelling the roses. I told them if they would put roses in there then maybe I could smell them. I kept wanting to just go back to sleep, but every time I did, my oxygen level would drop and they would wake me up to breathe deeper. After 45 minutes of “wake” time in there they took me back to the room I started in and there was my family along with several friends. I am received with hugs and kisses. All I wanted was something to drink or ice in my mouth. I had cotton mouth so bad. My sister is immediately there with her chapstick and swabbing my lips. Oh that feels good! The nurse brings the ice and water and I begin to chomp down on some ice. Vicki is going over my diet to make sure I know what I can do and can’t do. Lisa is out in the hallway thinking okay I made an appearance now can I go. My mother is sitting back taking it all in and my husband is telling me to hurry up and drink and go to the bathroom because then we can leave. It was all very hilarious to me! I don’t remember the drive home or even what I did once I got home. I think I went to bed. We arrived home around 3:00 p.m.

I was never in a lot of pain and the only discomfort I have is in the center of my chest where it feels like when you drink something really cold too fast and it takes your breath and you have to wait for it to dissipate. I wasn’t even hungry until Saturday. But I am trying to keep up my protein and taking my vitamins. I have liquid morphine which sounds so addictive to me, but I’m told it’s not. I don’t really need it though. They tell me I can never take another pill whole ever again. So I have to crush them, have liquid, or chew them. Let me tell you there are pills out there that no matter what you put them in they taste horrible. All in all the experience was a very easy one. I am looking forward and a little anxious to go to “blended” foods on Wednesday. I also go back to the doctor on Wednesday so I’ll let you know how that goes.

I’m sorry this particular blog was so long. I won’t let so many events happen before I blog again. Love you all and thanks for your thoughts and prayers!