BionicWoman2
junior member
Canada
Thank you, Sansabosa. (Selin is a pretty name!) Sometimes, a simple frame of reference helps strange things feel more familiar. This surgery really did feel a lot like a plane trip to me.
I don't feel dizzy at all. In fact, I feel terrific! It's 2:30 am local time, and I awoke after drinking lots of water (that's a good tip, by the way, drink lots of water as soon as they allow you to, especially when you still have your catheter in, to flush out all the *stuff* from your body). Anyway, I woke up this morning, and having had the catheter removed yesterday -- I don't miss it -- I called the nurse, slid off the bed in the correct way, and walked to the bathroom easily with crutches. The only problem is that now I'm wide awake. I weaned myself from the morphine during the first night, and I'm taking a wonderful drug called Torodal that is like super-Motrin and really doesn't have any dizzy side effects with me. They also gave me Neurontin, which doesn't seem to bother me, either. My pain is still zero to 1-2, and that's only when I walk a lot, which I did today. Right now, it's zero. I should also mention that the nurses leave an ice bag on my hip all the time, only removing it when I feel I've had enough.
The spinal injection sounds scary, but it truly wasn't. The anesthesiologist had me sit on the table, and lean forward with bad posture, bowing my spine like an angry cat and then relaxing with a deep breath. The OR nurse held my shoulders and we talked about our local sports team. The anesthesiologist numbed the area and then I felt a tiny prick and a little pressure. It was over within about 10 seconds. I should also mention that he had just given me the happy medicine to make me feel all nappy and woozy prior to this, and the green giraffe cavorting about the room kept me entertained while the injection was going on (kidding about the giraffe but the woozy anesthesia took effect very quickly and felt great). Once again, something that sounded so scary and that I just dreaded beforehand was really no big deal.
Did I hear any noises? Not really, until they started to bring me back around to consciousness at the end of the surgery. I heard jovial laughter and conversation among the team members, which was a pleasant, welcome sound. And then I heard my surgeon saying how well the surgery went. No pounding or knocking sounds were heard, thank heavens! But, I'm still glad that the anesthesiologist told me beforehand that hearing those sounds was a possibility. Can you imagine how awful it would be to rouse just a bit and hear such noises, not knowing about them ahead of time?You'd think it was the end of the world.
I joked with my OR nurse before the surgery, and told her we needed a "safety word." If I felt anything below the waist during the surgery, I would say, "Spumoni," and she'd know to stop everything. (The term is from an old Will Ferrell film, Semi Pro, in which he wrestles a huge, "tame" bear. Look up Youtube Will Ferrell, spumoni on Youtube. Funny stuff!)
To Sansabosa or anyone else who reads this thread, I'm sorry about the long posts. I'm a writer who's stuck in a room with four channels on the TV and nothing much to do. While I'm on a rambling spree, I'll just add another observation, and I won't be hurt if you just close the window without reading it...
When my fiance came in to see me last night, he got all woozy looking at the IV in my hand. That's funny because it's been there for two days and now it's not attached to anything. They leave it in only as a precaution so they don't have to prick you again if you suddenly need some drugs. Poor guy, he turned quite gray and threw his dinner in the trash. I let him win our chess game quickly (shh!) and sent him home. The nurse who came in says this happens sometimes with husbands and friends. Sometimes, the poor blokes even pass out.
Well, good night and good morning to all. I am eagerly waiting to hear your stories too, in the coming days.
HHH
Thank you for sharing your very good experience - I have a week to go - and a little on edge - but trusting it will be the best thing for me in the long run. Sounds like 1/2 awake is the way to go - I have my pre-op on Tuesday, so maybe we'll discuss it then. My legs are the same length, but when I walk they are not - because my hip is displaced and that makes it act like it's shorter than my right leg. Looking forward to getting beyond the first few weeks after surgery, as I should be able to move back to my place. I plan on staying with my mom because she has a 1 floor home - not as many stairs. Will see how long I can take it - haven't lived with my mom since I was 17; then again it will be nice to have some take care of me for a while.
On top of that, my allergies have gone haywire and every time I sneeze, it hurts. As if that wasn't enough, it's *that time* of month and I am cramping badly and all that goes with that. I want someone to take all the non-working parts of my body, shove them in a wheelbarrow and cart them away to the dump!
İ also think that san francisco is my favorite city in the US. İ used to work in a pharmaceutical company based in Foster city and travelled to Sf several times. The nappa area, oh my god, i loved it.
