Finally...The Surgery Update!

I apologize for not updating the blog after my surgery.  I was so busy updating my Facebook friends and resting up.  (If you are not one of my Facebook friends and would like to be, my page is www.facebook.com/shannaatteberry.)  Obviously, since I’m  typing this now, the surgery went well and I survived…it was a very different experience from my first though!  I knew to expect some differences since the surgery was scheduled at Lutheran Hospital and not the Outpatient Surgery Center as before, but wow! 

Since I was not allowed to eat after midnight the night before surgery, I treated myself to 3 small pieces of fried chicken and 2 cups of coffee…the things I knew I would miss the most!  Lol!  Hubby and I both tried to pretend we were alight, but one could have cut the tension with a butter knife.  We arrived at Lutheran at noon, as instructed.  We sat there for almost an hour before I was called up to the registration desk to complete my paperwork.  It was 1:30 p.m. before I even got in the pre-op room.  

Once back there, I was given some anti-bacterial wipes and told to wipe down my entire body (except for face and genitals) before putting on my hospital gown.  I had to put on tight stockings on my legs to prevent blood clots and they were then placed in cuff-type things that inflated and deflated to keep the blood flowing in my legs properly. Unlike last time, I was still awake when I was rolled into the operating room.

I should add that, to me, this is one of the scariest and most stressful  parts of the surgery process.  I was raised by a mom who liked science-fiction and always feel like I’ve been abducted by aliens when I’m in the OR.  The room is big , really bright, and really white.  There are all sorts of high-tech machines here and there, and the operating table is in the middle, which is not very wide and is very uncomfortable. Nothing like worrying you will roll off mid-surgery…lol!  The anesthesiologist told me he was giving me something to put me to sleep, put the oxygen on my face, and within 30 seconds, I was out like a light. 

Waking up in recovery was worse this time, in my opinion.  I was looking forward to seeing Hubby, but quickly realized there were only nurses and patients…no spouses, no friends, just us.  After an hour in recovery, I was taken up to my room.  When I came off the elevator, I heard Hubby on the phone with someone and as we came around the corner and I saw him, I did the only thing I had the energy to at that moment….I flipped him the middle finger with a big ol’ grin!  Ha ha!  I don’t know what THAT was how I chose to greet him, but after the initial shock wore off, he laughed.  

I was hooked up to a morphine pump and was able to push the button for a dose to my IV every 10 minutes.  The first push after I got in my room resulted in an enormous smile that I had not consciously created.  Despite the nurses swearing I wouldn’t want to eat, I looked at Hubby and asked him to order me a chocolate shake.  Oh and it was great…until I threw up!  Apparently, morphine is rough on the stomach, so I spent the next few hours eating and drinking, only to find the recently consumed in the trash can.  

I did not sleep well at all, but better than I had expected.  I missed the chaos of home and, from what I hear, they all missed me too!  Hubby had seemed to think he would enjoy a night alone to hog the bed.  He admitted to me the next day that when he got into bed and saw my side empty and still made, he did not like it and even got teary-eyed.  I feel bad that he missed me, but I figure it was good for him.  Like he said, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone!

I could’ve went home after breakfast, but had some very good friend driving quite a distance to see me, so I put the doc off until after lunch.  It was so awesome to see them and we had a great visit!  Not long after they left, I was on my way home.  I had a lot of stiffness in my neck, likely from posturing, or holding it still in one position to keep it from hurting.  I am still struggling with this  6 days later, but it is much easier.  I have been very exhausted since surgery, but am not able to sleep anymore than I usually do.  It is hard to tell if the tiredness if due to surgery, the fibromyalgia, or both. All I know is I am so tired that I can hardly keep a thought straight.  

I will try to update more in the next few days, detailing my recovery thus far.  Today was extremely busy with an appointment in Fort Wayne this morning and a trip to the dentist for Princess, Bubby, and Dizzie.  August is my most dreaded month of the year with all of the back-to-school appointments, registrations, and the like.  This year is bound to be pretty busy, but at least we only have 3 schools to keep track of this year, instead of 4, like we did 2 years ago.