Tuesday, August 24, 2021
I went to bed last night with pain and anxiety about the surgery and woke up ready to get this thing outta me. We reported to the surgicenter at 6:00am, got all checked in, and this time when the nurse called me back I was led into one of their hospital bed bays that are divided by a curtain (instead of the private room that I had the last 2 times I was there - 1st for gallbladder removal and then for the port placement). But no sweat, I figured it just meant they had a busy day and probably a lot of more high-attention patients that needed those rooms.
My nurse was very sweet and got me all settled in my hospital gown with all the fixins - i.e. those super cute (eyeroll) hospital socks with the grippers on the bottom and an equally sexy blue hair net… because, well, I’ve got a lot of hair that could become a problem in the OR. *wink*
She was helping train a new-to-the-surgicenter nurse, so she took care to explain everything she was doing in great detail for her “shadow.” Then it came time to insert my IV - she asked if the training nurse wanted to do it and ultimately they decided that the trainee should watch a few before she takes the reins. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief because y’all, IV’s in your hands freakin' HURT and I want that stick done once and done right. But I forgot one important fact of life -- it’s statistically impossible to do anything right when someone is watching you over your shoulder. We all know that phenomenon, I mean I’m the world’s best driver until my husband is sitting in the passenger seat and then it’s like I’m 15 all over again and learning what it means to parallel park for the first time. eek.
So yes, you guessed it - she confidently took that needle, stuck me in the top of my left hand and then proceeded to wiggle it around a bit, eventually pulling it out and admitting defeat - whilst I cringed, eyes closed tight, and held back tears of angst from the pain. They called in another nurse to check out my other hand and place the IV there. That nurse did just fine, inserted it in my right wrist and called it a day. Still hurt, not as much, but I lived.
The lead anesthesiologist came to check-in with me - she was a beautiful and bright ray of sunshine and just made me feel completely at ease. We talked about how I woke up during the port placement surgery (yikes) and she assured me that she would talk with the anesthetician and that it would definitely not happen again. Then Dr. Naour popped in to say good morning, take another look at the infected area and let us know it was time to get this show on the road. A sweet older nurse, Nan (love her) - came to wheel me down to the same operating room I’ve occupied the last 2x’s. We laughed about how I should get a frequent flyer miles card for all the times I’ve been to their facility in the last year and a half. And there’s still one more to go (hello lumpectomy this fall!!)
I gotta say, every single nurse in the operating room was soooo sweet. They were all kind and cheery for first thing in the morning, we laughed and joked. I climbed onto the operating table and got swaddled in surgical blankets by two elderly nurses and it was the coziest thing I’ve ever experienced - swaddles are the bomb y’all, we should take a lesson from babies and start swaddling adults. Anyway, once I was all settled the anesthetician talked with me, she asked how I reacted to the sedation after the port implant. I told her that I felt pretty good after it (I unfortunately have had a history of really bad reactions to anesthesia - nausea, migraine, etc. that lasts for hours) but I reminded her that I woke up during the last surgery. She said she’d go take a look at what that concoction had been. She came back into the room and assured me that this new “recipe” was similar to the last one, but slightly different and she began administering it. I started feeling groggy, the voices in the room started to sound very far away, like I was falling down a tunnel apart from everyone there, and without knowing, I was out.
I woke up back in the recovery bay with Cory and my nurse standing near me. This time I didn’t wake up during the surgery and I didn’t wake up from the anesthesia crying. I remember my eyes feeling a bit itchy and the intense need to rub them despite what the nurses told me, but that was about it. I was still a little sleepy as I came out of the sedation, but I knew right away that this time was already much better than any prior experience I’ve had and I was so grateful. Also, aside from a little stinging in the infected area, the intense pain seemed to be much less - praise Jesus! Dr. Naour checked in on me, we talked about post-op care and next steps and then we packed up and headed home. We were back home around 9:30am and my mom met us outside to help me in the house. I was feeling tired but pretty good. I had gotten my medicine and painkillers in my system at the surgicenter and now I just needed some food and to push fluids. I spent the day resting and recovering, but by the time my mom left in the late afternoon I was feeling pretty great.
All in all this was a very good day. The anesthesia didn’t mess me up. The infection will hopefully clear up quickly, and most of it was removed and drained when the port was removed. And my chemo treatment was finally rescheduled for this week Thursday so we’re not going to get too far off track with everything. I’m so thankful for all of the nurses that looked after me, and especially for Dr. Naour who worked his magic and kept me safe all throughout the process. I remember coming out of sedation, telling Cory how everyone was so nice to me and took such good care of me, and asking if we could buy lunch for everyone working there - maybe a nice assorted sandwich tray and fruit and veggie crudité - he laughed but I’m pretty sure even in my drugged up state I was completely serious. I’m putting it on the list of things to do after the lumpectomy, they’ll have earned it. And I think I’m gonna make myself a punch card too - 4 surgeries in under 2 years and you get a free coffee mug, right?
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