October 2, 2012

  • Back Home Again

    TALES FROM THE BRAT FARM

    I had a great time not being knocked out for this surgery.  I even got to see some of the pictures that were being taken inside me.  The doctor showed me weak spots he found and he put stents in to strengthen the spots.  He also found the source of the problem and it couldn't be taken care of with a stent.  It would have just caused a huge clot to be freed (or it might have broken up into smaller ones).  The area is about 85% blocked so it needs to be taken care of fairly soon.  It probably will be within two weeks, maybe less.  The type of surgery will be like what I had on my left side back in February.  Or you could compare it to the surgery on my carotid.  At least it won't be a large incision and I should only be in the hospital 2-3 days.  Three days only if there's a problem the doctor said.

    I got a strange new thing to close up the incision that was made for the camera wire.  They called it a plug.  When the nurse first put it in place, she had to hold pressure on it for 15 minutes and then it was bandaged so that if it started bleeding, it would be easily seen.  I was told where to hold it if I had to cough for any reason.  Since I did cough, the nurse immediately looked and laughed to find I had my hand on it and was keeping pressure on it.  I told her, *I know how to listen to instructions.  I don't want to start bleeding and not be able to go home tomorrow.*  The interesting thing is that after the bandage was removed today, I looked and all I could see was a pink area of skin.  I felt it and that's just how it felt.  Very strange.

    The doctor asked me how much I remembered about everything and I told him just that....everything.  He was the one administering the *joy juice* and I told him he was too much of a piker and it never knocked me out.  He said I was so funny with the jokes I was cracking that he had to stop a couple times until he stopped laughing.  I knew the girls were laughing because they didn't try to cover it up.  He told the Beast I was just too funny for words.  I told the doctor that he had better put me under for any future surgery if he was having a hard time keeping from shaking with laughter.  He said he had learned his lesson.

    When I woke up this morning (Room Service woke me up), I ordered some breakfast since it takes them 45 minutes before you get it.  I figured I would have woken up enough to actually eat something.  Not true.  I felt like hell when I went to the bathroom.  That kind of scared me because all I could think of was....Oh shit!  Don't tell me I am sick!  That would have been enough for them to keep me to make sure I hadn't picked up an infection.  So I put on a happy face when the nurse brought in my morning meds and stood there until I took them.  After she left, I laid down because I was breaking out in a cold sweat.  I think I fell asleep for a bit but when I woke up, I got my clothes out of the closet and got dressed.  Then I called the Beast and told him to hurry to pick me up because I might end up having to stay again.  He didn't ask why; he just said he would be on his way in 5 minutes.

    When he got there, I told him I had tried (and partially succeeded) throwing up but didn't have anything in my stomach.  I had the aide take the tray of breakfast out because the smell was making me nauseous.  I didn't tell her that; I said I just wasn't really hungry that early.  I got the nurse in to remove the stuff that needed removing and she brought in the discharge instructions.  The aide got the wheelchair and I actually managed to get down to the car as the Beast pulled up and get in without throwing up.  I laid my head back, then the seat and just relaxed until we got home.  I made it into the house and got to my room where I sat in my recliner and actually fell asleep for two hours.

    I forgot to mention that I really hadn't slept well at the hospital.  The mattress felt like it had a concrete core.  I tried a lot of different positions but there was just no getting comfy.  That made for two nights that I didn't get much sleep.  I think, from the way I feel now after another 3 hour nap, that THAT was the real problem making me feel sick.  I'll nap again probably around midnight and then, after my 2:30am pee break, I'll be able to sleep until morning. 

    Chewlee is sick with the flu.  She got sent home from school on Monday and the Princess stayed home from school with her today to take care of her.  Poor baby was just miserable, I'm sure.  That's what melts the Princess's heart enough to make her stay home from one of her important math classes.  It's the ONLY thing (other than the Princess being sick herself) that would cause that.  When I was trying to reach the Princess and not getting a reply, it turned out that she and Chewlee were taking a nap together.  Chewlee didn't wake up and the Princess, I'm sure, went back to sleep, too.  I hope my poor baby feels a bit better tomorrow although she will come here because she has to go 24 hours without running a fever before she can return to school.

    Love you all.  Have a great Hump Day and thanks for any prayers you might have sent up for me.