(no subject)
Tuesday, May 4th - the day I was finally scheduled for surgery to repair a hernia I've had for almost 2 decades.
My alarm goes off at 6:30. I have to be at the hospital in three hours, and my wife has already been at work for half an hour.
Ezzy and Nali come say hello as soon as they hear the alarm.
I lay out my clean clothes for after my shower. I decide not to wear the reindeer pj's to the hospital, but pack them to wear home.
Shave and disinfecting shower with surgical scrub sponges. Get red stuff all over the bathtub. This was easier last night when I had help.
I left the closet door open - Nali supervises...
...as I take off all my jewelry. My piercing stops hurting for the first time in 2 years. I don't think my body likes the steel.
I watch my mom leave for work early so she can come home early. My parents live in our basement.
Make sure I have everything I'll need - bus ticket to get to hospital, CareCard to get admitted, chapstick because I can't leave the house without it.
Check on the veggies growing in the kitchen windows.
Ezzy says she would like to go outside please.
Our roommate Christina eats the breakfast I'm not allowed to have. As the only person in the house with a car, she'll be picking me up from the hospital later.
Nali waits for Christina to be finished with her bowl...
...and then helps me write out my phone list for the nurses.
Christina leaves for work, and puts the dogs in their crates with treats. They both go running in and wait.
I kill the rest of the time before the bus with Facebook and Evony.
I take off my last piece of jewelry before going out the door. I leave my ring where I can put it on as soon as I come home.
Bye house, bye scooter. I won't be riding you any time soon.
Walk up the street to the bus stop. I wanted to take more pictures of the flowers but the camera batteries start to die.
Bus stop - don't let the blue sky fool you, it's freezing cold. It's probably raining on half the city.
The very empty bus. My water bottle is taunting me from my bag - I'm not allowed to drink anything but I'm bringing it with me for after.
The bus stops right in front of the hospital entrance
Stop at Admitting to check in and get my bracelet. People ask for my name and birthdate a dozen times over the next 2 hours, to make sure the bracelet and chart are right. I also get asked a dozen times if I have any allergies.
Follow the signs the the surgical daycare area. The name makes me laugh, but my hands are shaking a little. I have no idea what comes next and I don't like being her by myself.
After sitting in the waiting room for a few minutes, my nurse come and takes me to pod 2, which is 6 little curtained rooms, three on each side of the hall. I change into the oh so flattering backless hospital gown.
Put my stuff in the locker. Nurse Kate comes around to fill out my chart, give me my post-op instructions, and give me an antacid for the anesthesia. Which doesn't end up working very well. But I am grateful for the bit of water I get with the pill.
I wait and read my book for an hour. Just after 11am a nurse from the OR comes to wheel me away. I have to take my glasses off and leave everything in the locker. It's really disorientating going down the hall with no glasses. I'm parked in another hall until the surgeon comes and signs my left side. I get wheeled into the OR. The anesthesiologist puts in an IV, which took two tries, and the blood pressure cuff is so tight it leaves marks.
They put an oxygen mask on me before knocking me out. What feels like seconds later, I'm waking up in recovery and trying not to throw up. I keep trying to go back to sleep, and the nurse keeps trying to get me to wake up. I hear Christina's heels coming down the hall.
Post morphine shot in the butt. Texting my wife to tell her I'm awake and will be heading home soon. Waiting for the nurse to come back and take out my IV. There's a long acting freezing in my incision, so the trip home is relatively painless. I get set up on the couch and Christina and Kyla go out to fill my T3 prescription and pick up juice.
This is where I'll spend the next ten days, with my pill bottles. The codeine knocks me out for two hours.
I take a look at the bandage and initials on my side. I don't get to see the incision until 36 hours later when I'll have to change the dressing.
I go from the couch to the bed. Our bed is so high that I need a stool to get in, but the height makes it easier to get up again. Two more T3s and I'm out for the night.
My alarm goes off at 6:30. I have to be at the hospital in three hours, and my wife has already been at work for half an hour.
Ezzy and Nali come say hello as soon as they hear the alarm.
I lay out my clean clothes for after my shower. I decide not to wear the reindeer pj's to the hospital, but pack them to wear home.
Shave and disinfecting shower with surgical scrub sponges. Get red stuff all over the bathtub. This was easier last night when I had help.
I left the closet door open - Nali supervises...
...as I take off all my jewelry. My piercing stops hurting for the first time in 2 years. I don't think my body likes the steel.
I watch my mom leave for work early so she can come home early. My parents live in our basement.
Make sure I have everything I'll need - bus ticket to get to hospital, CareCard to get admitted, chapstick because I can't leave the house without it.
Check on the veggies growing in the kitchen windows.
Ezzy says she would like to go outside please.
Our roommate Christina eats the breakfast I'm not allowed to have. As the only person in the house with a car, she'll be picking me up from the hospital later.
Nali waits for Christina to be finished with her bowl...
...and then helps me write out my phone list for the nurses.
Christina leaves for work, and puts the dogs in their crates with treats. They both go running in and wait.
I kill the rest of the time before the bus with Facebook and Evony.
I take off my last piece of jewelry before going out the door. I leave my ring where I can put it on as soon as I come home.
Bye house, bye scooter. I won't be riding you any time soon.
Walk up the street to the bus stop. I wanted to take more pictures of the flowers but the camera batteries start to die.
Bus stop - don't let the blue sky fool you, it's freezing cold. It's probably raining on half the city.
The very empty bus. My water bottle is taunting me from my bag - I'm not allowed to drink anything but I'm bringing it with me for after.
The bus stops right in front of the hospital entrance
Stop at Admitting to check in and get my bracelet. People ask for my name and birthdate a dozen times over the next 2 hours, to make sure the bracelet and chart are right. I also get asked a dozen times if I have any allergies.
Follow the signs the the surgical daycare area. The name makes me laugh, but my hands are shaking a little. I have no idea what comes next and I don't like being her by myself.
After sitting in the waiting room for a few minutes, my nurse come and takes me to pod 2, which is 6 little curtained rooms, three on each side of the hall. I change into the oh so flattering backless hospital gown.
Put my stuff in the locker. Nurse Kate comes around to fill out my chart, give me my post-op instructions, and give me an antacid for the anesthesia. Which doesn't end up working very well. But I am grateful for the bit of water I get with the pill.
I wait and read my book for an hour. Just after 11am a nurse from the OR comes to wheel me away. I have to take my glasses off and leave everything in the locker. It's really disorientating going down the hall with no glasses. I'm parked in another hall until the surgeon comes and signs my left side. I get wheeled into the OR. The anesthesiologist puts in an IV, which took two tries, and the blood pressure cuff is so tight it leaves marks.
They put an oxygen mask on me before knocking me out. What feels like seconds later, I'm waking up in recovery and trying not to throw up. I keep trying to go back to sleep, and the nurse keeps trying to get me to wake up. I hear Christina's heels coming down the hall.
Post morphine shot in the butt. Texting my wife to tell her I'm awake and will be heading home soon. Waiting for the nurse to come back and take out my IV. There's a long acting freezing in my incision, so the trip home is relatively painless. I get set up on the couch and Christina and Kyla go out to fill my T3 prescription and pick up juice.
This is where I'll spend the next ten days, with my pill bottles. The codeine knocks me out for two hours.
I take a look at the bandage and initials on my side. I don't get to see the incision until 36 hours later when I'll have to change the dressing.
I go from the couch to the bed. Our bed is so high that I need a stool to get in, but the height makes it easier to get up again. Two more T3s and I'm out for the night.