First, I want to say thanks to my mom for sending me the tank tops before I went in. I didn't realize how perfect they would be under this horrid brace.
I do mean horrid too. It is a hard plastic shell. I feel like a turtle. It is painful but it keeps me straight so the fusion can set right so I must look like a turtle and feel like I have more armor than our soldiers.
As for comments and emails, I would love to be able to respond to every single one of you but oh my god, sitting for any length of time is a bitch. I am also lurking at your blogs and not commenting. Please please, forgive me. I love you all and want to leave comments and respond to emails but ugh, there is only so much this new body wants to do.
Sis came over today and spent nearly an hour brushing out my hair which we had braided before I went under but still, two weeks in a bed is a bit much for my hair, hell, one night in bed is too much for my hair. She brushed it all out and re-braided it so I'll not have it to worry about for a bit longer. She also changed the dressings on my back. It looks good she says. I can't see it. That pic I posted from my phone, I got one of my surgeons to do when he was checking it out. Heh. I told him I was photo-blogging my surgery. He said cool, I gave him the addy and he comes back about an hour later and says, "you are a very demented individual." Yeah, like we didn't know that...lol
I have zero appetite. This is good and bad. Good because I'll loose even more weight than I did while there but bad because my body is not getting any nutrition. I may asked my sis stop and pick me up some Boosts before she comes by tomorrow. Those things taste good and have lots of vitamins and stuff. I just don't feel like eating.
Want some details now?
On the morning of surgery #1, we got there a bit early. We over estimated traffic at that hour but it was ok. I went to ambulatory care and stripped down to nothingness, answered questions and signed my life away. Said goodbye to sis at some point she says, I don't remember.
In pre-op, I had like 30 people hovering over me poking me here and there with needles and IVs and tape and hair things and stuff.
That's it, that's all I recall.
Lights out.
I woke up the next day with a breathing tube in. My surgery which was only supposed to last about 8-10 hours, ended up going 14 hours. I was a mess in there and Dr. Moreno is meticulous, a perfectionist. I am so straight it's crazy! I can't wait to get post-op xrays and post them. Holy shit am I straight. Anyway, back to day after.
I was very freaked out waking up with a tube in. I tried to pull it out, I was crying and scared. I wasn't expecting that.
I had a male tech nurse named Bill who held me down and talked to me loud and clear and let me know it was all alright. He was awesome.
We took out the tube, told me not to talk, gave me more drugs and sent me back to sleep.
They had me up and walking that day.
They put my brace on and had me up, take a few steps and sit in a chair. Crazy. It hurt like a fucking bitch and don't ever let anyone ever tell you that this shit doesn't hurt. They are lying to you. It fucking kills. There are some scoli bloggers out there who sugar coated the whole thing. Don't do that. It's a disservice to those of us who are facing it. Be fucking honest ok? Thanks.
I spent a few days in ICU and then moved to a regular room to wait until surgery part #2. It was ok. I was up everyday and walking a few steps down the halls and stuff.
The worst part about it is the constipation. The anesthesia and all the pain meds, morphine, dilaudid, etc, block you up like mad. Every day, "can you pass gas?" I went 6 days of not eating, not passing gas, they were very concerned but oh my god, they have this miracle powder you mix in water and in an hour, you shit. Why don't they just give this to you right away? Why make you suffer??? I felt like I was carrying quads in there man. Ouch.
What a relief it was to take a shit.
But.
With the brace on, it is impossible to wipe your own ass. My anti-people touching me, yeah, I was in fucking hell.
This may be TMI for some of you so I'll put some ***s here and at the end of the TMI so you can skip it ok? ok.
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Even though I had my period before I went in, surgery for some reason, makes you have another.
I started a period and this one nurse was like "Oh, you have your period" and pulled my blankets back up over me. I was like WTF????? She did nothing to clean me up or anything. It was humiliating.
Jolie, a tech nurse, is getting something from me. I don't know what yet but that nurse kicks ass in every single way.
She came in, saw me crying, asked what was wrong, I tell her and she immediately begins taking care of me. She washed my whole body and I mean my whole body. She cleaned me up, put a pad on me, took such good care of me, I love her.
There were several nurses who should be shot and several who deserve raises and as soon as I can write a decent coherent letter, I am writing to the head of nursing at the hospital and letting them know who is good and who should be canned.
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The first week went by kinda slow, I couldn't wait for part #2 but man I shouldn't have wished for it so badly.
Part #2, sucked ass.
