Expander Operation
6.30am
Woke up at 6.30am and read through my hospital paperwork. Today's operation is in the Cairns Day Surgery and I'm told the procedure will be 1 hour only. Had to fast from last night's meal. No water either.
Feel very nervous this morning, and throughout the night I kept waking up even though I tried not to think about it. But I kept picturing my top jaw being cut open and cringing... I think I'm just worried about the pain. I had a pretty bad experience with my Wisdom Teeth (done by the same surgeon) so naturally, my bad memories from that day are popping up.
Reading through the post-op paperwork, I am reminded to take painkillers every 4-6 hours before the pain starts coming through. Even Levi reminded me of this last night, so I better stick to that regime. Last time, I waited until i 'felt' the pain, before I took meds.
7.00am
Okay, well it's now 7am and I need to be checked in by 8am so I had better go and get ready! WISH ME LUCK!!!
Arrived to Cairns Day Hospital around 7.45am, raining, Levi came in and stayed with me until I got my call up, which was probably around 9.30am.
I weighed in at 59.5kg which means I've lost 1.5kg since getting my expander fit on Thursday... The nurse taking all my recordings is Italian and planning a trip back to Italy in August / September / October. How nice. Let me day dream about that for a moment...
9.30am
The anaesthetist explained to me that I would be getting tubes put down my nostrils for the procedure (whereas, for my wisdom teeth I had it down my throat)... Something about needing a clear airway for my throat, I don't know I kinda focused in on tubes being shoved down my nose... yuk... He asked if I would rather he did or didn't tell me that. Wasn't sure really, don't want to know beforehand, but handy to know afterward so I know why I'm dealing with things. So I said to him '50/50'...
I crawled onto the operating table and laid down. There were a few nurses around, doing this and that. One nurse was sticking things all over me, for my pulse perhaps, little round patches. Then the Anaesthetist put the sharp thing in my arm (inner elbow), little pinch. Shortly after that, he administered the anaesthetic and before I knew it, I woke up in the Recovery stage 1 room. Which is where I stayed for the entire day... My first recollection was around 11.20am when the nurses woke me. Dr Finn came over very briefly and said the operation went well. I had a male nurse attendant and so I noticed later on that I missed out on all the 'how are you sweetie, darling, blah blah blah'... My guy kept it brief and manly.
I managed to eat a small container of orange jelly. Orange. Why do they do that? No raspberry?? I'd even take green over orange! They must get it on discount. I also had some lemonade and some water. That was hard work actually. Trying to suck it through a straw with no feeling in your face. But mission accomplished. I was starving!!!
Later on a female old-school nurse came over to me. I say old school, because she actually knew what she was doing and was good at making you feel better. She cleaned my face up a little bit for me and said how mean my previous nurse was for not doing it already. Hmm... how bad do I look? i say to myself.
Pretty soon, Im busting for a wee. So I ask the nurse if I can go to the toilet, she checks my charts and says, it's too early for me to getting out of bed and asked if I would use a bed pan. I said yep! And so I did. (And it's not the first time I've had to... IVF...) And so I used the bed pan once again before my stay was done. And the 3rd toilet break was when I was finally allowed to get up and walk there around 4.30pm. I was pretty out of it the whole time. While I laid there however, I was staring at the clock in a daze, but time wasn't going slowly. It seemed while I was watching the clock I got bored and fell asleep, so every half hour I was watching the clock and dozing off again... This went on for 5 hours!!!
Boy did I get a shock when I saw myself in the mirror! I don't know what I was expecting really, but not the swollen mess that was looking back at me!! And the dried blood, like, splattered all over, even in my eye brow... what the..? Oh well. It's done now.
Whilst sitting in the waiting room for Levi to arrive, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself (I physically couldn't smile) at the girl across the room. I figured 'thats what I look like' which was a terrible mess! Her cheeks were so swollen! She really did look like a chipmunk. The only difference really was that she was making a lot of groaning noises and things. Poor girl. i'd say her first surgery. And she wasn't coping well. She was pretty drugged up still! While in the previous recovering waiting room, I could hear the nurses trying to wake her up 'Sarah! Sarah! It's time to wake up. You have to wake up now Sarah!' Then I overheard a couple of them giggling at the fact the Anaesthetist gave her a 'special' meaning probably a little too much to handle. Perhaps. I don't find that funny at all. Kind of dangerous really.
Arrived to Cairns Day Hospital around 7.45am, raining, Levi came in and stayed with me until I got my call up, which was probably around 9.30am.
I weighed in at 59.5kg which means I've lost 1.5kg since getting my expander fit on Thursday... The nurse taking all my recordings is Italian and planning a trip back to Italy in August / September / October. How nice. Let me day dream about that for a moment...
Excited for the surgery!
Right before I go into Surgery
The anaesthetist explained to me that I would be getting tubes put down my nostrils for the procedure (whereas, for my wisdom teeth I had it down my throat)... Something about needing a clear airway for my throat, I don't know I kinda focused in on tubes being shoved down my nose... yuk... He asked if I would rather he did or didn't tell me that. Wasn't sure really, don't want to know beforehand, but handy to know afterward so I know why I'm dealing with things. So I said to him '50/50'...
I crawled onto the operating table and laid down. There were a few nurses around, doing this and that. One nurse was sticking things all over me, for my pulse perhaps, little round patches. Then the Anaesthetist put the sharp thing in my arm (inner elbow), little pinch. Shortly after that, he administered the anaesthetic and before I knew it, I woke up in the Recovery stage 1 room. Which is where I stayed for the entire day... My first recollection was around 11.20am when the nurses woke me. Dr Finn came over very briefly and said the operation went well. I had a male nurse attendant and so I noticed later on that I missed out on all the 'how are you sweetie, darling, blah blah blah'... My guy kept it brief and manly.
I managed to eat a small container of orange jelly. Orange. Why do they do that? No raspberry?? I'd even take green over orange! They must get it on discount. I also had some lemonade and some water. That was hard work actually. Trying to suck it through a straw with no feeling in your face. But mission accomplished. I was starving!!!
Later on a female old-school nurse came over to me. I say old school, because she actually knew what she was doing and was good at making you feel better. She cleaned my face up a little bit for me and said how mean my previous nurse was for not doing it already. Hmm... how bad do I look? i say to myself.
Pretty soon, Im busting for a wee. So I ask the nurse if I can go to the toilet, she checks my charts and says, it's too early for me to getting out of bed and asked if I would use a bed pan. I said yep! And so I did. (And it's not the first time I've had to... IVF...) And so I used the bed pan once again before my stay was done. And the 3rd toilet break was when I was finally allowed to get up and walk there around 4.30pm. I was pretty out of it the whole time. While I laid there however, I was staring at the clock in a daze, but time wasn't going slowly. It seemed while I was watching the clock I got bored and fell asleep, so every half hour I was watching the clock and dozing off again... This went on for 5 hours!!!
Boy did I get a shock when I saw myself in the mirror! I don't know what I was expecting really, but not the swollen mess that was looking back at me!! And the dried blood, like, splattered all over, even in my eye brow... what the..? Oh well. It's done now.
Whilst sitting in the waiting room for Levi to arrive, I couldn't help but chuckle to myself (I physically couldn't smile) at the girl across the room. I figured 'thats what I look like' which was a terrible mess! Her cheeks were so swollen! She really did look like a chipmunk. The only difference really was that she was making a lot of groaning noises and things. Poor girl. i'd say her first surgery. And she wasn't coping well. She was pretty drugged up still! While in the previous recovering waiting room, I could hear the nurses trying to wake her up 'Sarah! Sarah! It's time to wake up. You have to wake up now Sarah!' Then I overheard a couple of them giggling at the fact the Anaesthetist gave her a 'special' meaning probably a little too much to handle. Perhaps. I don't find that funny at all. Kind of dangerous really.
A few hours after surgery - in waiting room
A few hours after surgery - in waiting room
Top lip area is really swollen and not moving at all - this is me smiling
At home, ready for bed, obviously not feeling 'chipper'!
Trying to drink a milkshake ain't easy with numb and swollen face
No comments:
Post a Comment