Friday, October 14, 2016

Operation day

Friday:

Morning: uterine fibroids removal day! I don't feel like I'm nervous, but I do feel a bit sick to my stomach so I guess I am! I had to fast from 7am so I got up early and forced myself to have an early breakfast even though I wasn't at all hungry at that hour, because nothing else until dinner time! Then crawled back into bed for a while. Then mooched around the house for a couple of hours. I want to get this over with. Tim has the day off to drive me around and look after me. Several family members offered to cook for us tonight, which of course was lovely of them, but it was funny they seemed surprised that Tim was quite capable of cooking a meal! I've only told a couple of people, actually. I want to be made a fuss of, but without me saying "please make a fuss of me!" Tricky.

Have to be at the hospital 11:30 for op at 1:30.

Later: well I'm actually writing this the next morning as I crashed when I got home yesterday.  I'm going to record everything I remember for my own interest.

We got to the hospital in good time and didn't have too much of a wait past my appointment to be called. The nurse asked a few questions about my health and did a pregnancy test. Fair enough, they don't want to go poking around in there then find a baby! Wrist bands with my name and details. Then back to the waiting room for an hour. I had brought a book but couldn't settle to read or concentrate on anything. Talked to Tim a bit, played with iPhone a bit, stared into space a bit.

At 12:30 they called me through and Tim went home. I put on the backless gown and paper undies and got into bed. Then another 45 min wait. I only had a sheet and thin blanket so I was a bit cold. An orderly finally came and wheeled me through the maze to outside the theatre where I was met by one of the anaesthetists. She carefully checked my identity and procedure I was here for with questions and checking my chart and wristbands. She put a warmed blanket on me which I was very grateful for because it was freezing there. Wheeled into a little alcove and met the head anaesthetist, Michael (the only name I remember). He was handsome and very charismatic! We joked around while he looked for a vein - hard to find as I was dehydrated, no water allowed since I got to hospital. No food for six hours, no water for two. Finally found one and got the cannula in.

My surgeon came in and introduced himself, someone who works with my gynaecologist (if I'd wanted her to do it I would have had to pay instead of all free). Don't remember his name either! He seemed nice though. Both he and Michael went through the whole indentity check again. I didn't mind, want them to be sure they are doing the right procedure! I was wheeled into the operating room. There were at least eight people in there! I wriggled across to the narrow operating table and was given another warmed blanket. I was fully shivering by now, partly cold and probably fear although consciously I just felt fascinated and a bit excited. I heard Michael say "let's get this started" and then I lost the next hour and a half....

[during that time they inserted a tube up through my cervix, threaded a camera and a scalpel through, and scraped off the fibroids]

I woke in post-op, slowly. Felt groggy and tired. Throat very sore. I hadn't quite realised why Michael has asked me to open my mouth wide a couple of times while he looked inside and told someone what size, but of course I had a tube down my throat while I was out. A nurse beside me commented that I was awake and held a glass of water with a straw for me, then left me for a while as I slowly woke.

Then I was wheeled back to my original ward where I fully woke up. I was allowed to get up about an hour after I first woke, and dressed, and was given a cup of tea and some cheese and crackers. Weak and a bit dizzy but not much pain. They called Tim to pick me up but he was already walking through the door with the kids! He'd headed back as soon as the kids got home from school. I found the hospital hadn't given me my scans back and had to sent someone scrubbed up into the sterile theatre to get them, while someone else's op was going on. Then we went home.

It was bad timing with peak hour traffic and took us a long time to get home. I'd been anticipating an evening sitting in front of the TV but the pain medication was wearing off and I started feeling worse and worse as we drove home. A bit sore in the abdomen, very sore throat, aching legs for some reason, weak and very tired. I stayed up only long enough to have some chicken soup then went to bed and slept for 13 hours! I did wake a couple of times and had to take some pain killers.

I bled quite a bit straight after the op but nothing since I got home.

This morning, I am feeling better, still sore and tired. Apparently general anaesthetic drugs take at least 24 hours to completely leave your system so that is this afternoon, still might be a bit groggy till then. Not sure about pain, it's not too bad. Glad to have it over with. Rest today.

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