surgery II

I had a second surgery yesterday morning. My brother dropped me off at the surgery center at 6:15. I checked in and was taken to my "room" for the day. After changing into my surgery gear, I settled into my bed. I was immediately emotional. The reason that I mention this is because I'm not usually so quick to cry. I am of course moved to tears at times, but I am not one to breakdown randomly. 

The surgery was not planned, but during my initial surgery, they ran into some issues with blood flow, and therefore the follow-up was necessary. The doctor described it as a delayed inset. The description is still kind of fuzzy, but I know there was something about removing a layer of skin to ensure proper blood flow and decrease any risk of tissue death (isn't medical terminology lovely). 

I was talking to the nurse, Meghan (who was awesome), and had tears streaming down my face. As I received my 3,000th IV, I sobbed harder. One thing that's hard to explain is that when I am in a vulnerable position, my emotions spill out. So, being surrounded by machines, stuck with needles, and having people walk in and out to check on things without explaining overwhelms me. At one point, the anesthesiologist walked in and said, "Oh! Did I just walk in on something?" to which I replied, "No. I'm just a shit-show".

I waited for a bit longer and then was wheeled into the OR. The doctors had The Beatles playing, I think the song was "Here Comes the Sun". The anesthesiologist asked me where my favorite place to vacation was. I said, "I have no idea". He then asked where I really wanted to visit. To which I responded, "Italy". He said, "Think about Italy and try to picture it." They placed an oxygen mask over my nose and mouth and asked me to breathe deeply. I thought I'm going to keep my eyes open as long as I can...I think I made it about 3 breaths before the anesthesia took over. 

When I woke up, I was in the recovery area. Surprisingly, I wasn't in any more pain than when I had come in. Everything went well, and I was given some water to help with my scratchy throat. My throat is still somewhat sore today because, during both surgeries, they inserted a breathing tube. 

As I recovered, they notified my brother that I could be picked up at 10:30. I turned down the prescription for oxycodone. Since my first surgery, I have only been mediating my pain with Tylenol and Advil. I slept from the time that I got back to their house until about 4-5pm. It was the best sleep I've had since my first surgery. 

Also, if the two remaining drains that I have collect less than 30 mL on Saturday and Sunday, I get to have them removed on MONDAY! I also won't have any more surgeries to worry about until Summer. Each day is getting a little more bearable. Having my drains removed completely will be a huge improvement on my mood. I still can't lift more than a gallon of milk for another four weeks and can't reach above my shoulders for another two weeks. 

Actually, the most pain that I'm experiencing is from biting down on my tongue during surgery which I didn't know was a thing. Ouch.