Surgery

Dr. S picked me up at a little after 7:30 out front (he will come in the lobby for you, but why waste time of him coming in!) with my little carry-on suitcase with my essentials in it and a pillow. The night before Mary told me to take a pillow from the hotel, and I think this was the single greatest advice I have been given, honestly. You'll see why later.

We get to the clinic, which is in the same building as his right around the corner, but you have to get on the highway, go to the next exit, and get off the highway so you're on the other side. Anyway, same building, different floor. We went to the reception area and I filled out one form with stats on it (name, address, dob, allergies, hubby's name and number, etc.) and signed another paper that was all in Spanish, but Dr. S said it was the form that gave him permission to do the surgery. Of course I was signing that! About 10 minutes later, Dr. S came back and said they were ready for me. He took me to a changing room with lockers, gave me a gown to put on and when I came out, someone led me to a bed in their presurgery/recovery area. I laid down and within just a few minutes a nurse came and tried to talk to me...in Spanish...and then he left and Dr. S's wife came who is the anesthesiologist. All I could think was how beautiful she was. They gave me a little white pill to take with the tiniest bit of water. I asked her what that was and she said it was to calm me down. I didn't think I was that nervous, but I guess it was for maybe once they get started too? I felt like I was on the Matrix, ha ha. Anyway, took the pill, she gave me the IV and then I walked into the operating room. They stood me on this pad and two nurses, one in front and one in back, started scrubbing me down with betadine from neck to ankle, 4 times. At least the betadine was warmed! So after that, I had to sit down on the operating table without touching anything, that was a bit hard. Completely naked other than my booties on my feet and my lovely hair net, and had to get up on the stool and sit down on the bed without touching it. It was not hard, just awkward. They put an oxygen mask on me at this point too. I don't remember much after that. I remember still having the key in my hand, and I remember looking up at the surgery lights. You know, the kind you always look at on TV, the ones with three lamps in them. Anyway, that's the last thing I remember before being 'gone.'

During surgery I did remember waking up once. If you didn't know this from my previous posts or forgot, I will remind you. He doesn't use general anesthesia, he uses twilight sedation, epidural, and not sure what he uses for the arms and boobs...maybe local? Don't know, should ask. Anyway, twilight sedation is much more easier on the body and you don't have to be on a breathing tube or anything like that but there is a chance of you 'waking up.' I remember waking up and I think he was working on my right arm or breast or something, in that area, and I remember saying "It hurts, it hurts" and that was it. I do remember after surgery was done, we were still in the operating room and they had me stand up and put the compression garments on and those suckers slid right on. I thought wow, mine won't be so tight, yay! (heh, big laugh at that one!) They then had me lay on a different bed and wheeled me to the recovery area where I was apparently at for a couple more hours before I finally woke up again. It was 2am when they wheeled me into my room and mom said Dr. S called her right at midnight when he was done. She was getting worried since she hadn't heard from him.

So, this was the day of surgery...wait to see more! :)