Today marks the one year anniversary of my last surgery in Birmingham. I was finally going to get rid of the bag forever! I have never wanted a surgery so bad in my life. I knew then that all my pain and suffering would finally come to an end.
I had to be in Birmingham at 7 that morning to be prepped and ready at 8. My parents had already told Andrew and I that they wanted go drive over the night before so we could sleep for as long as we could that next morning. We stayed at the hotel across the street from the hospital. It was very nice and that's where my parents had stayed before.
We got up the next morning and went across the street to get checked in. I was very excited that I didn't sleep much the night before. Why did I need to sleep when they were going to put me to sleep was my thought! I only sat in the waiting room for about 15 minutes before I was called back to start getting ready. I went back again without anyone there to hold my hand. I was much more calm about this surgery than I was with any of my other ones. They have me a gown to put on that didn't cover anything. I was starting to get a little nervous but tried to stay calm. Andrew and my parents got to come back when all of my prep work was done which didn't take very long.
Once they came back, my drs. that were going to be in surgery with me came by to check in as well as the nurses. I worried about my care due to the fact that two of the nurses were wearing Auburn scrubs! I just looked at Andrew, who was wearing the script A of Alabama, and asked them why do you like Auburn? One nurse said well I'm paying them a lot of money right now so my daughter can go to school there so I thought it would be nice if I showed them a little of my support. I let her go but the other nurse just said because she liked them! And of course in my mind I was thinking Roll Tide the whole time!! I told her that we were going to beat them that year in Football!
Also, the person that puts you to sleep came in (I'm not even going to try to spell that word!). I can't remember his name, but I liked him. He made me laugh to keep me from thinking about what was going to happen next. He sat with me until they took me back. He was a black guy. At that point, I didn't care who was in there with me. I know that almost every dr. in GI had seen me naked, and I could careless if anyone now sees me naked! I have lost some of my modesty! I have also heard that when you have a baby that you lose some too but by then, I may not have any left! Ha!
I was in a nice size room with a tv and my own private bathroom. I loved this room. The last few times I've been down there, I have had to walk across the whole floor to get to the restroom. I felt like a queen that day because of the privacy of my own bathroom!
I was only in that room for about 30 minutes before they were ready to take me back. Then the nerves really sat in. Kissed Andrew and my parents bye and told all of them that I loved them. I knew I would be back in a little while. All of them seemed to be strong and they didn't seem worried at all. Knowing that they were ok, made me feel more comfortable!
Andrew was rather calm this surgery. He was thinking I can finally have my wife back and was ready for me to get back to my old self again.
Surgery only lasted for about an hour and a half. I was in post-op for about 5. Andrew was really worried because they said that surgery would only take about an hour. They wanted to make sure that everything was right before they let me out of the OR.
I remember waking up and asking for Andrew and some water. My nurse, who was just wonderful, gave me some ice chips because I couldn't have water yet and told me that I was just waiting for a room and then I could see Andrew.
I had be waiting for about 30 minutes awake when I noticed someone was placed in the cubby next to me. My nurse was talking to the nurse for that patient to see what floor they were going to and she told her 7p. My nurse told her that was where I was going.
That patient got in a room before me! I was hurt. That patient sat down there for about an hour before they got a room! It kind of made my nurse mad. It's not that she didn't like me, but I was down there first and she felt that she had been over looked. She got all of it straighted out and I was there for about another 30 minutes before I got to a room.
Once I finally got to my room, I got to see all of my family again. They were nervous because at one time they had be told a room, and it turned out to be the wrong room. UAB just didn't have their stuff together that day.
I had the sweetest nurse that night until 7. I called her several times about itching! I clawing myself! I was also on a morphine pain pump. She finally talked to my dr. about getting off of it by this time I had just had my second dose of Benadryl and was asking for the Benadryl cream. They brought me the tube and in five minutes we had used half the tube! I was miserable!
My dr. was Dr. Phillips. He was from Vandy and liked Tennessee. Bless him is what I thought for liking TN. He also had a girlfriend. I thought he had the cutest red hair. He took me off of it and told me that he wanted to put me on oral pain relievers because I would be on them when I got home. Yes! Finally some relief from itching!! So, my nurse came back and asked if I wanted anything for pain before she took me off the pump. I told her I was fine but she insisted that I take something. She knew that it was best because it's hard to get the pain level down once the pain reliever has worn off some! I took something, and I'm glad I did.
I had been doing well. I had started solid food again. I walked the hall the night of sugery. I was ready to get out of there! Until Saturday rolled around. I was doing ok until I didn't eat breakfast when I asked for something for pain. Yep, it made me sick! I was going to go home that day because I had been doing so well, but Dr. Phillips wanted to keep me to make sure that that's what caused me to be sick.
My nurse was from Russia! She was sweet also! I asked her if she like here or Russia and of course she said here! I also walked to see my nurse Sharonda from the first two surgeries. She was so excited to see that I was there to have the reversal and hated that I wasn't on her side of the floor. She told me that her and the other nurses argued over who was going to get to have me as a patient. They said I was the sweet patient on the floor!
I got to go home on Sunday! I was so excited! Andrew and I stayed in Tupelo that night and drove home on Monday. I was finally going to get to have some time to heal! God was with me the whole time. I could feel all the prayers that had been said for me! I was finally going to have a UC free life!
A New Adventure
7 years ago
