the title of this post may be misleading, but the scheduling of my second surgery came rather quickly. i went to my 6-week check-up and my doctor expressed that he wanted to get me in as soon as he could instead of waiting, and his only opening was april 18th. i was brought in to meet with the surgical counselor right away, where the paperwork was reviewed with me, labwork was ordered, consents were signed, pre-op prescription was called in, and that was that.
although this would be my second surgery and at the same facility which i had a wonderful experience with the first time around, i was still terrified. who wants to have surgery, ever? surely not me. and a few days later i would find out that the date of my surgery coincided with my husband's business trip to CA, so the thought of him not being there only compounded my fears.
once i told my mom the situation, she, being her normal self, took control and stated that she'd be the responsible party before and after surgery. to my surprise, my dad even took off work to make the drive over (and i found out later that he'd rescheduled a presentation to do this, which touched me very much). and luckily, my arrival time ended up being scheduled for 11 a.m. and since the hubbie's flight was later that afternoon, he would be able to be there for the pre-op part, which was good. things were looking up, despite the circumstances.
on the day of, my parents arrived shortly after 9 a.m., armed with food and luggage. i was in bed, but awake, and hubbie was downstairs on a conference call. i tried to calm myself like i had the first time by taking my time in the shower and dressing, and not going downstairs until my dad called me down at 10:30. he asked me why i hadn't blowdried my hair (which i don't do anymore, now that my hair is short :)). a few minutes later, my mom remaked about the same thing so i went upstairs to appease them both. five minutes later we were out the door, hubbie leading the way.
my experience this time at the surgicenter was very much the same and also different at some points. for one thing, my wait time in the waiting room was shorter, and i was called in much sooner than expected. this time my set-up was in area #5 and i had a different nurse (i actually saw the nurse i had the first time who was working with the patient next door, and she brought me a warm blanket later on. it was comforting to see a familiar face). hubbie helped me dress into my gown (where i lost a bet about whether it should be open to the back or front - back won) and robe and socks. my dad noted that my maiden name was in my medical record, discovering that i hadn't changed my name.. yet, which is like a running joke between my husband and me. we're going on 5 years and i'd never changed my name out of pure laziness; not because i have a stance about this sort of thing, but simply because i had no desire to deal with all the paperwork. anyway, my nurse then remarked that she was going on 29 years of never changing her name, so we all had a good laugh. the IV was set up in my hand this time, which i'll admit was kind of freaky watching it go in, and needles generally don't bother me. (the good thing is it left me with nothing but a red prick mark and no bruising). i think i had a natural reaction to cough after watching the IV being inserted, and i had the same salt-watery taste that my previous nurse had described. we reviewed my paperwork and i had a chat with one of the anesthesiologists who described the sedation i would be getting. then we were left to wait.
hubbie had to catch his flight while we were waiting, so then it was just me and my parents. i tried to read, but my mind kept floating elsewhere, so my dad kept me talking about my new job. i think we waited 45 minutes and my dad said a prayer for me. then another anesthesiologist came and introduced herself, explained what would happen next, put the cap over my head, and draped a blanket over my shoulders. we walked down the corridor to the split, which was still the hardest part for me, but my mom looked me in the eye and said she'd see me later. the hallway was chilly and the anesthesiologist said the OR would be too. we went into OR #2 which felt smaller than the one i'd been in before, but still just as white and bright. my blanket and robe were stripped and i was positioned on the table (butt in the groove, head on the pillow). this time i didn't feel the urgency i'd felt with the other prep team. i was covered with blankets to keep me warm, then strapped in with a large seat belt and my arms were pulled from my sides. there were 2 gigantic lights overhead, one larger than the other, and 2 TV screens right above me that were only showing colorful blocks at the time. oxygen was inserted into my nose which felt odd breathing in. my doctor came by to say hello (and all i could make out was that he had a mask and visor on since my glasses had been removed) and that he'd see me soon. electrodes were placed on either side by my shoulders and the third in the middle of my torso, the last one especially cold to my skin. fun. was playing on the radio and the anesthesiologist started singing the words: "tonight... we are young..." i had the urge to sing along with her. she told me the medicine would be inserted in my IV, but she didn't have to tell me for me to feel the burning. it started in my wrist and shot all the way up my arm. i was told one of the nurses was going to reposition my legs but that nothing would be started until i was fully asleep. my eyes didn't feel heavy, and i was struck by the same thought that this wasn't going to work. i felt the nurse move my legs and prayed that i'd fall asleep soon. and i did.
next thing i knew, i heard voices calling my name and the blackness disappeared. i woke up much quicker this time with no discomfort. i was wheeled into recovery and joined in a conversation the nurses were having about ponds facial cream. one of them asked me if i'd been here recently, and after i said yes, she said she remembered me. she asked me if i wanted my family, and i did, and since i couldn't see her, i asked for my glasses. i heard one of my favorite lady antebellum songs playing. my parents came in and said my procedure was fast. so fast, that we called my husband and he hadn't made it to the airport yet so we had the chance to talk for a bit. then i asked again for apple juice and graham crackers. this time my dad fed me the apple juice.
my mom got me dressed and i was transferred to a comfy chair to wait for my doctor. he came armed with pictures of the surgery so we could see more clearly what had been done. he answered our questions, mostly my mom's, and then i was into a wheelchair and rolled down to the car.
again, i have to thank everyone i encountered at the surgicenter who treated me with dignity and professionalism all the way through. and special thanks to my loving parents, who support me through everything, especially the most difficult times. they lift me up.
... and feed me and put me on bed rest. it's nice to be pampered once in awhile.
