Surgery

YES! The day finally arrived!
I was actually looking foward to the surgery. I felt like I had been waiting SO long (actually only about a couple of weeks) for this to happen and couldnt believe that the day was finally arriving.

The surgery "Endolymphatic Sack Decompression" was set for 7:00 a.m, and I had to be at the surgery center at 5:00 a.m., so Brian and I set our alarms for 4:00 a.m. to leave the house by 4:30. There was not much I had to do to get ready. I had picked some comfy clothes and put my hair in a pony tail and we were set to go. I was kind of excited. Like an adventure or something. Its not like we do this every day. I also had Maddie taken care of. My mom would take her to ASI gymnastics at 9:00, then take her to the play place at 24 hr fitness, then to target etc... My mom had her day all planned out, Maddie wouldnt even know we were gone.

We get to the surgery center, which was fabulous, only a couple years old. It still smelled like new. We got checked-in, filled out paper work and answered several questions and signed a bunch of "if something happens to you, you will not sue us" papers. They gave Brian a pager, then we waited in the lobby until it was my turn.

When they called my name I went back into the back to get un-dressed and had to wear a hospital gown, that of course was open in the back and was embarrassing when I had walk across the hall to use the restroom. It was super awquard trying to hold it together in the back, but whatev.

The nurses I had were hillarious, probably because I was so delirious from only having 5hrs of sleep the night before, but never the less, entertaining, while being hooked up to several monitors and being asked many many more health questions. After that, Brian came into my little room and waited in there with me for a while. We met the actual nurse that would be in surgery with me, the anesthegiologist, and then my Dr. came in to say hi and marked an X on my right ear with a purple sharpie. We never want to be too careful on which apendige would be operated on.

After that, Brian went back into the lobby and the anesthegiologist gave me a little "pre anesthesia" that imediatelly made me feel like all my muscles went on strike. I seriously could barelly move my arms. They weeled me into the operating room and made me move from the "prep bed" I was in, onto the operating bed. How in the world was I suppoed to do that when I couldn't move a toe AND keep the back to gown from flying open and exposing myself to all the MALE nurses helping me? I dont know. But somehow we managed and I kept my dignity. My Dr. was somewhere beside me getting all his tools and lights together, and I wanted to watch him to see what he was doing, but the anesthegiologist, made me breath 10 deeps breaths into an oxigen mask looking thing, then all of a sudden, I was out. I didnt expect to be gone so quickly, I wanted at least to say something to my Dr. and see what he was about to do but, I guess he would not be able to do his job very effectivly if I was concious.

Next thing I know, I'm waking up, and it took a while to actually open my eyes. I noticed I had leg massagers on my legs, and my throat was sore and scratchy. I also noticed I had on an ear guard and what Brian said looked like what wrestlers wear to protect their ears, but mine was only on the right side. I also noticed it was already 10:00 a.m. The nurse with me when I woke up, said the surgery had lasted an hour, so I had been waiting to wake up for a couple of hours. Brian was also in the room when I woke up, but we had to wait a little bit more before I could be discharged. I had to pee. Aparently the bladder is the last of the organs to wake up and I needed to make sure I could use the restroom before going home. So, they gave me another IV, and I napped for about another hour until the urge finally came and I could use the potty.

I was actually kind of scared that I would not be able to go, since I had to stay a whole extra day in the hospital after Maddie was born because my bladder wouldnt work after the anesthesia. However, on this day, we were succesful, and actually quite proud. The nurse went over discharge papers, perscriptions to pick up at the pharmacy and what I could/could not do for a few weeks and we were off and home my 12:00.

When we got home I had a bowl of cereal, because I hadnt been able to eat anything since the day before and went to bed for a nap. That first night was aweful. The anesthesia had completelly worn off by then, and I was in VERY much pain. I had to keep the ear guard on until the next day and I didnt notice on the perscription bottle that I could have taken 2 pills instead of just one. A mistake I did NOT repeat the next night.

The days and nights after that have slowly been getting better. I actually thought I would be up an running a couple of days later, (that's how I was with my c-section) but this has been a hard recovery. I am still sore and a little swollen on the outside, but, the inside pressure in my ear is still very intense and I am just praying that its still swollen from the surgery and the fact that it had been swollen for a long time (before surgery) that it is just taking its time to heal. It will be a week tomorrow since the surgery and it feels like its been a month already. I still cant sleep on my right side, so now, my left side is starting to hurt (but im trying to not complain too much). I still feel week, and Im trying not to do to much. I'll be going back to preschool on thursday, so I'm praying i'll have enough energy and that the swelling on the inside of my ear starts to subsude. I see my Dr. for a follow up next week. I'm praying for good news.