Thanks for your prayers! Everything went just great!
1) The entire staff at UpChuckapeake Hospital were very, well, hospitable! From the concierge who directed us to the surg center, to the IV tech who found a vein on me in only 2 tries, to the anaetheisologist whose name started with Ambrosia. It made me want some.
2) I wasn't famished like I usually am with that "nothing by mouth" pre-surg order. It's funny: I almost never eat between midnight and 8:30, but tell me I can't, and I'm starved. Not so yesterday. I was comfortable.
3) I did get one surprise: the term "diabetic" was written on my hx form. I had had bloodwork done Dec 27, but the dr didn't call me w/ lab reports. It was kinda weird; seems the patient should be the second to know, not the hospital. Oh, well, as I said, I'm not surprised; my mom's diabetic and so was my Granny (her mom). I am going to be really aggressive in treating it. My mom says the mantra is "Walk your way out of diabetes."
4) Two incisions in my upper thighs are proving to limit my range of motion. It's kinda painful to get into bed, lifting the legs just so into a comfy position. I have to sleep on the living room sofa (which is ultra comfortable) till I can do stairs. I'm restricted from heavy lifting, strenuous activity, and %#@ for a month. Two outta three ain't bad!
5) The doctor must've numbed my bladder pretty darn well cuz I can't feel it fill. So I go to the bathroom as if potty training all over again--20 minutes after a meal and then every 1.25 hours whether I feel the need or not.
6) The intake nurses liked the Aunt Tilly jokes. I'll have to find some more.
7) Paul is taking GOOD care of me. What a guy. This "in sickness and in health" vow is once again being put to the test. He's Mr. Laundry, Mr. Meds Reminder, Mr. Grocery Shopper.
He picked up Joel from a friend's in Middle River. He fetches me water, food, computer, toilet paper, you name it. (Though not all at once.)
8) My mom called last night and so did Sarah and Barb. It's always great to be thought of and pampered if only over the phone! Barb is sending me a belated Christmas present, which will feel extra sweet to just for me--one I didn't pay for. It reminds me of when I was a fifth grader in the HCC musical "Music Man" when we all the "swindled" kids broke into the song "Oh-ho the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-coming now, oh please, please let it be for me!"
9) Stephen made Sloppy Joes and mac 'n cheese for dinner last night. That was great. Smiths are bringing a meal tonight . I know from experience that Priscilla's lasagna is delish. I hope it comes w/ salad cuz I could use the fiber.
10) Paul said the surgeon was a "pretty sharp guy." I am so glad he said that. It was their first time meeting, and Paul's a good judge of character. I'm not. ( I bought Sarah's car, remember, and now we call it the Lemonexus.) So it's good to be married to one whose discernment is pretty spot on. I am too easily swayed by personality, whereas he can cut right through that.
10) Send me jokes. I will heal up much faster with a steady diet of laughter.
Well, it's 11:01 and that means time to go to the bathroom.
For those who are wondering what my surgery was for, let me put it in code: Think of the phrase from the ballpark: Swing, batter batter, swing. It rhymes with Batter Swing. :)
Thanks for your prayers. Don't stop now!
8 comments:
Glad things went so well. You were in my prayers yesterday. Prayers will continue.
We are praying for you. Wow what a lot to go through. You seem very upbeat.
I will cheer you up with something gross yet funny. On Sunday Jude was asking about Adelee's private part wondering where her "P" was (we use anatomical terms in our house but I don't want to write that all over your blog and offend someone). I told him that she was a girl and didn't have one. To which he replied, "Well you have one mom!" I told him I did not have one that I had a girl part. He looks at me and says No you have one mom and Adelee will have one too once she grows...she is a baby she has to grow into it. I was dying laughing he thinks she has to grow into a "P"
Glad to hear from you and that you are in good spirits. WIll keep praying for you and your family as you recover.
Loved Bethany's comment! My younger boys were shocked as well to hear that I did not have a certain part of the male anatomy. I think it came up when The Girl was born also. The shocked look and the question, "Well, what happened to it?" were priceless.
Forgive me for being clueless, but I didn't get the baseball thing. But, that's ok if you don't want to type it for all the world. I figure it's in a sensitive region....
Praying for you still!
So glad to hear things went well! Let me know if you're still having trouble getting into bed and I'll give you some tips (I do these things for a living! :)).
Thanks, everyone. I feel your prayers. Believe me!
Yesterday I was much more awake, probably because I got out of bed to keep Paul company while he stayed home with me and did all my work. It was the least I could do, right? I matched up a dozen pairs of socks and threw holey ones away. That was my contribution to home mgmt. Today I rolled out at 1:20 pm. They call the meds narcotic cuz that narc you out, right?
Bethany, that comment on growing into a "p" cracked me up. It hurts to laugh, but it's good!
J-it's a blad der sling.
Leanne, what I try to do is make sure I'm moving my legs together as a unit. This morning I used my dog's back as a step up into bed. Just kidding. Any other tips? I'm finally able to get my pants on by myself. Hurts, but it's less humiliating that calling hubs.
Yep, you're on the right track. The less twisting you can do, the less stress you'll put on those sore spots (and it's good for your back, too). Try to move your whole body as a unit. If you're trying to get up, try rolling onto your side first, slide your feet off the bed/couch, then sit your body up as a unit (bring your upper body up as you're moving your feet towards the floor). Reverse it to lie down. Make sense?
By the way, if one leg hurts worse than the other, get that leg into the pants first. It's easier.
You can e-mail me if you have specific questions. A big part of my job is to help people do these things after surgery. Occupational therapy in a nutshell :)
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