Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Surgery

   A week ago today, the long day ahead of me started at 4:20am. I stood in bed a little bit longer just to pray to God to look out for, not only me, but my medical team for the entire day. My mom later came upstairs to my room to check if I was up and gave me a little, little bit of water to take with my meds. After getting ready and leaving the house at about a quarter til 5, I knew I was ready for what I have been preparing for the last couple of months.

   We got to the hospital at 5:15am. I wasn't very happy to be up at this time, but I know my mom wasn't either, so I tried not to complain about it; plus, technically, I was going to be asleep mostly the whole day, so I had nothing really to moan about. After we checked myself in, we waited around for ten {long} minutes before getting called to go back at 5:30ish. 

A photo posted by ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀andie [long last name] (@andiek) on
    Back in the Pre-Operating Room, I got suited up into my hospital attire, had the IV started in my left arm, and answered the questions of who I was, why I was there, what was the name of my doctor, and what am I allergic to a countless amount of medical staff running in and running out. My mom thought it was hysterical that I started crying a bit because I was well, looking at it now, overreacting... But as soon as my surgeon, Dr. Sebastian came in and asked if I was ready to rock and roll, I really wanted to get it over with.

   The last thing I remember was two nurses pushing me to the operating room with my mom by my side. I handed her my glasses and crash... I was out. It wasn't until 10:45am that I woke up slowly in the Recovery Room with two more nurses in my company.

   It was real surreal moment for me in the Recovery Room. I don't remember much, but what I do remember is a little bit strange... I had the song Geronimo by Sheppard stuck in my head, I closed my eyes for what it seemed like 10-15 minutes and I was out for an hour and a half, and then, I asked some questions to my nurses. "Why am I here?", "What happened to me?", "Did I get into a car wreck?", "Did my surgery begin yet?", "Was I supposed to fall asleep?" {I'm sure my nurses were getting a chuckle outta that one}. I was fed some ice chips until my gurney-driver {whom reminded me of Dr. George O'Malley} came and swept me like Swiper the Fox to my Hospital Room.

   My luxurious "ride" to the Hospital Room is a little hazy to me. I didn't realize until I was discharged later that I had gone up six floors in an elevator, but I did remember he asked me how my surgery was. I never answered his question, but instead rambled on how scared I was because I had started Grey's Anatomy not too long ago. "That show is so fictional," he told me as we arrived to my Hospital Room and there, I finally saw my parents {hallelujah!}.



  Once in my Hospital Room, my gurney-driver and another nurse switched me onto my very own hospital bed {woo!} and changed me into a very fashionable, hospital gown. My head nurse, Evelina and my parents came in and had checked my progress. On a scale from 1-10, I said I was a 3 or a 4; my pain progress was great and I'm super happy it wasn't that painful. My parents had stayed in my room and talked to me just until my dad left to go home to work, from there, I had a couple of ice chips and went to sleep.

  I woke up about an hour or so later to the feel of my soft Vera Bradley blanket covering the compression boots on my legs; my teddy bear Marshall, right by me, and the sound of two voices talking and laughing, one of which sounded sorta familiar. "ahoy," I said faintly as my mom and another nurse turned around. It was my old neighbor, Ms. April, and she had came to see me. It made me really happy to see a familiar face after the long day I was having. I picked up my phone, which happened to be on my side table, and read my messages. One of which, was actually from Johnny asking what the name of the hospital was. I had told my mom and to my surprise, in walks Johnny right on cue {sounds sorta like a movie moment, doesn't it?}.


  For a couple of hours, my nurses would come in, check my heart rate, check my blood pressure, ya know, the normal necessary medical information. I got pretty tired, but I did not want to go to sleep. I just wanted noodles {typical andie} and to figure out who the heck -A was on Pretty Little Liars {later to be exposed that night}. I had felt fine, but I was a little sad when reminded that I wouldn't be discharged from the hospital until the following day.

  My momma and Johnny went down to the cafeteria {to hopefully find me some noodles} while I finally gave in and rested my eyes. I then later woke up to my mom asking if I could be discharged early; it had then came to my memory that the nurses down in the Recovery Room asked me if I would like to be discharged early, but I had responded all druggy-ed, "I don't know ask my mom". I later got discharged from the hospital, drain still in my neck, and was free to go home. :)


  The long day I had was finally set behind me and I was ready to face the world with a brand new scar. My drain was later removed the next morning and my stitches are set to be removed tomorrow morning. :) Thank you all for the amount of positive thoughts and prayer requests. It really has been one helluva journey and I couldn't have done it without my family and friends. :)



 

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