Yesterday I had my battery replacement surgery. It was set for 1pm and I had to be at the hospital at 11am. My dad came and picked me up around 10:15am. The parking garage at the hospital was so packed that we had to park on the very top level. I had done pre-op testing two weeks prior and had paid my out-of-pocket deductible the day before so all I had to do in registration was get my arm band and paperwork and head up to the out-patient surgery waiting room where Dad and I waited for an hour and half. :) It was fine. We ended up meeting this father and son. The father (and mother who was the one having surgery) are from Turkey. My dad overheard the father talking on the phone in a different language and asked what language it was. Dad had fun quizzing me on the pictures of celebrities he showed me. He couldn't believe I knew most of their names. Leave it to me to know the really important things in life - ha! Around noon, I began to think that the hospital had forgotten about me. It seemed like everyone else had been called back. Dad and I decided to wait until 12:30 before speaking up and around 12:20/12:25pm my name was called. Doesn't it always go like that?! We were led back to pre-op where I got dressed in a lovely hospital gown and socks. My surgeon's PA came in and went over what to expect with the surgery and after the surgery. After he left, a nurse, Renee, came in. She was super sweet, and we found out that we're the same age (well, she's a little older as her birthday was in March). In the computer system, my mom was still listed as my next of kin contact for surgery (although on the paperwork I had done two weeks prior, I changed it to Dad), which led to us explaining that she had passed away. Renee said, "Oh she was young, like early 70's?" And that's when I found out we were the same age because she said that she thought my parents had to be around the same age as her parents. Mom was only 68. I think I've mentioned this before, but if not, I'm saying it now - LIDOCAINE, people. Lidocaine is the way to go before putting an IV in (especially if said IV is in your hand). Lidocaine is your best friend. A little shot of that to numb the area, makes for a very happy patient. I couldn't believe Renee had gotten my IV in when she said she had because I didn't feel it all. She said that she could tell I was super nervous getting the IV because I tensed up but after the Lidocaine, all was well. :) She said that it is now hospital protocol to give it before giving an IV. I like that protocol!! One protocol I don't like: urine samples for all women between the ages of 12-55 to make sure we're not pregnant. OK, it's not that I don't like the protocol, it's just that I wasn't prepared for it. During pre-testing two weeks ago, they asked if I'd like a pregnancy test before surgery. I said no, because there's no way I'm pregnant and I knew I wouldn't have had any fluids since the night before. Well, it turns out it's protocol to have it done. I had peed like 4 or 5 times before I left for the hospital that morning (just because I was nervous) but it took me forever to give them a sample at the hospital. (OK maybe not forever, but 2 different tries - maybe 10 minutes altogether). There was no way I was pregnant. Dad even offered to give it for me - haha! The anesthesiologist said he didn't care if I didn't take the test, but my surgeon insisted I have it. I did eventually pee and guess what the pregnancy test said?! I'm NOT pregnant. Glad we got that cleared up. :) In between all of that I met with the anesthesiologist. Then the Medtronic rep came in and gave a demo on how my new battery would work. I got a rechargeable one this time and wow - there is a lot more to it then the non-rechargeable one, but I think I understood it all. Then a neuro-OR nurse came in and went over some things and then an anesthesia tech came in and got me ready to go back to the OR. I love that they can give you something to calm you down on the ride to the OR. My surgeon, Dr. G. told Dad that everything went great with the surgery. Today I was trying to remember, and I don't think I ever even saw Dr. G. yesterday. I could be wrong, but I don't think I did. :) After the surgery in post op, I ate some saltines and drank ginger ale while I listened to the patient on my right snoring loudly and the patient to my left crying out in pain - thankful that I was neither one of them. My nurse, Sonja, came back to my curtain area and apologized for the noise that the patient who was crying out in pain was making, but it didn't matter to me. I was still basically in anesthesia-induced bliss, and I had finally gotten to eat and drink something and had heated blankets. I was told that I was back in post op for an hour and half, but it seemed like only a few minutes. Then I was moved to step-down and Dad was allowed back with me. I could finally see as he had my glasses (and I'm legally blind without glasses or contacts). My nurse in step-down was Crystal. She is a travelling nurse (her home is in FL) and Dad and I had a good time talking with her. Finally, I was discharged. We left the hospital around 4:50pm.
I spent the night at my dad's house. He was very sweet and attentive. To make me smile, he had gone ahead and wrapped all my birthday gifts (my birthday isn't until June 12) and set them up beside the bed that I would be sleeping in that night. As soon as I got to Dad's, I said I had to pee really bad. He was like, "Oh, now you have to pee! You couldn't have done that earlier?!?" :) We had hotdogs and chips and cherries for dinner and watched a documentary on Elizabeth Holmes and one on Hillsong, both watched on the MAX app that I have been working on in my professional life for the past 6 months or so. Funny story: as we were waiting in the waiting room before surgery, Dad finally found out exactly what I do at work - haha! He said that when I explained it to him before he didn't know what a "thumbnail" was, but when I showed him on the MAX app, the images I had created, he understood!
So far, I've been able to manage the pain with over-the-counter pain meds. In fact, what hurts the most is not the incision site (although there is pain there), but rather my tongue. I noticed that pain right after I woke up from anesthesia. I learned from a friend that sometimes the anesthesiologist will put a clamp on your tongue to get it out of the way (or something like that...I don't think this was ever in an episode of ER, so I'm not sure it's true - haha!). Anyway, I have a really bad sore on my tongue now and it's causing my worst discomfort. But that 3rd day after surgery is usually the worst for pain (at least for me), so here's to hoping that I can make it through the workday tomorrow! (I'll be fine!)
I have to give my dad huge props for helping me through this surgery. That was (mainly) always a Mom thing, but Dad did wonderfully. It's the first surgery that I've had since Mom's been gone. It wasn't a major surgery (from a surgeon's standpoint), but it was big to me, and Dad did a great job seeing me through it. Thank you, Dad!
As always, I'll close by saying, God's Got This!
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