Surgery Day
I survived! Can' t sleep so I thought I would write a recap for the curious.
Hospital called yesterday to let me know I was to arrive at 9:30 today. Toast at 5:30 am, clear fluids til 7:30 am, then nil by mouth. I drank the pre-op drinks as prescribed, one every 2 hours on Monday, the last 2 during 'clear fluids' on Tuesday.
Hospital then rang a further 2 times, once to remind me that I had to pay $500 on admission, and later on to ask where my pathology results went (like I would know!)
Anyway they got it sorted.
So last night was my daughter's 12th birthday. We always go to this crappy steakhouse for birthdays, no idea why because the only special thing is the
"birthday brownie" and waitstaff singing a birthday song. Anyway, since I was allowed to eat i had a few bites of a veggie burger and some onion rings. It was interesting that I had every valid reason to pig out (weight loss goal reached, upcoming days of fastedness), but it didn't happen. I did have a piece of birthday cake when we got home.
We went to bed early and I got up with my sweetie at 5 so I could have some toast (again, weird because I haven't eaten breakfast in 9 months).
He left for work and I went back to sleep!
Finally the taxi beeped outside and I took my suitcase and xrays and got in. It felt like a holiday!
Checked in at hospital paid the excess. Was handed a itemised list of costs and I learned that my prosthesis cost the insurance company $13,500!
Was soon taken in by a succession of kind and personable nurses who completed the final launch sequence. Weight, height, questions about my medical history.
Was put in a cubicle with a bed and i changed into a bumless dress. They brought me warmed blankets and finally a special Blanket with warmer upper things inside it.
Anesthetist came by and we discussed my unfortunate history with spinal blocks. He said he wouldn't do one probably, but i left it up to him. I am wondering now if he did, because the operated leg is still numb hours later! Wil find out tomorrow.
I was given 2 Lyrica.
I lay around chatting up wardsmen and nurses until eventually I fell asleep.
Finally I went into the surgical bay. More questions, intros and so on. A cannula was put in on my right wrist (being thinner sure helped with this!). Whatever preop sedative they administered has deleted any memory of entering the actual theatre at about 12:30 pm. (i made sure the team had lunch first). Whatever it was was quite psychedelic, I do rememeber some of that!
My next Memory is
Waking in recovery. At about 6:30 pm! I have no idea how a 45 min procedure took that longI know I was chatty and probably a bit annoying. My blood.pressure had dropped way too low and I felt like I was dying of thirst. I drank and drank, probably a litre or two before urine started to be produced. I am still drinking at 11:30 pm! Along with my third bag of IV saline.
There's some pain at the site, but mostly my other joints hurt and my back. I think I was pushed and pulled pretty hard whilst under.
I have a private room! I will write more tomorrow, sleep is coming for me now.
Hospital called yesterday to let me know I was to arrive at 9:30 today. Toast at 5:30 am, clear fluids til 7:30 am, then nil by mouth. I drank the pre-op drinks as prescribed, one every 2 hours on Monday, the last 2 during 'clear fluids' on Tuesday.
Hospital then rang a further 2 times, once to remind me that I had to pay $500 on admission, and later on to ask where my pathology results went (like I would know!)
Anyway they got it sorted.
So last night was my daughter's 12th birthday. We always go to this crappy steakhouse for birthdays, no idea why because the only special thing is the
"birthday brownie" and waitstaff singing a birthday song. Anyway, since I was allowed to eat i had a few bites of a veggie burger and some onion rings. It was interesting that I had every valid reason to pig out (weight loss goal reached, upcoming days of fastedness), but it didn't happen. I did have a piece of birthday cake when we got home.
We went to bed early and I got up with my sweetie at 5 so I could have some toast (again, weird because I haven't eaten breakfast in 9 months).
He left for work and I went back to sleep!
Finally the taxi beeped outside and I took my suitcase and xrays and got in. It felt like a holiday!
Checked in at hospital paid the excess. Was handed a itemised list of costs and I learned that my prosthesis cost the insurance company $13,500!
Was soon taken in by a succession of kind and personable nurses who completed the final launch sequence. Weight, height, questions about my medical history.
Was put in a cubicle with a bed and i changed into a bumless dress. They brought me warmed blankets and finally a special Blanket with warmer upper things inside it.
Anesthetist came by and we discussed my unfortunate history with spinal blocks. He said he wouldn't do one probably, but i left it up to him. I am wondering now if he did, because the operated leg is still numb hours later! Wil find out tomorrow.
I was given 2 Lyrica.
I lay around chatting up wardsmen and nurses until eventually I fell asleep.
Finally I went into the surgical bay. More questions, intros and so on. A cannula was put in on my right wrist (being thinner sure helped with this!). Whatever preop sedative they administered has deleted any memory of entering the actual theatre at about 12:30 pm. (i made sure the team had lunch first). Whatever it was was quite psychedelic, I do rememeber some of that!
My next Memory is
Waking in recovery. At about 6:30 pm! I have no idea how a 45 min procedure took that longI know I was chatty and probably a bit annoying. My blood.pressure had dropped way too low and I felt like I was dying of thirst. I drank and drank, probably a litre or two before urine started to be produced. I am still drinking at 11:30 pm! Along with my third bag of IV saline.
There's some pain at the site, but mostly my other joints hurt and my back. I think I was pushed and pulled pretty hard whilst under.
I have a private room! I will write more tomorrow, sleep is coming for me now.
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