my extended holiday break, part 2
waking up from general anesthesia can be a strange, and sometimes scary feeling for some people. this feeling can be equated to being extremely intoxicated, and trying to stay awake, when you really want to stay asleep.
--from http://www.justbreastimplants.com/surgery/general_anesthesia.htm
this is a good description of what it's like to wake up from surgery. i hear voices and monitors beeping, but can't respond at all. nurses are constantly prodding (checking vitals, changing iv's, etc) and trying to wake me up. i just want them to let me sleep! finally i'm able to respond, but still can't open my eyes...not because the outside world is too bright or that i don't want to, just that i can't force my body to do it. after awhile, my eyes will open, but i still only want to be left alone to sleep. of course, they never let me do that. i've had a few surgeries during the night and those are the most miserable because after coming out of anesthesia, they won't stop bothering you while all you want to do is sleep!
normally i throw up a few times after waking up, but my stomach is usually back to normal within a few hours. this time, i threw up for over 36 hours. the first few times my taste buds hadn't woken up, but my incisions sure didn't like it! mom said the barium (for the CT scan) smelled absolutely terrible, but the rest was just liquids mixed with a few crackers, so it wasn't chunky or anything. tuesday morning, i was feeling pretty good, so i ate the whole meal they brought for me...only to have it all come back up a few minutes later. this was the only reason they wouldn't release me, so it was extremely frustrating (not to mention painful). i had made a few laps around the ward, taken showers, even hopped up quickly when i heard the hospital's helicopter landing and taking off about 200 feet from my window. but i couldn't keep anything down...
my experience with the iv line was also different than for my other surgeries. this was the first time they didn't have to prick me repeatedly to get it in. they got it on the first try both times they tried! it's been a few years since my last surgery, but i don't remember my hand hurting as much as this time. i jumped every time they began a new bag of drugs because it stung so much. i felt it all going in as well. (side note: before they start a new bag after the other one has been empty for awhile, they push a small amount of salt water through the line to flush things out. immediately when this starts going in, i tasted salt. it's the weirdest thing!) for a few days afterwards, my hand was sensitive every time someone bumped it. 1.5 weeks after surgery, i noticed the vein used for the iv was hard and was still really sensitive. the next day my hand and forearm started swelling. the vein was so sensitive that i could trace it all the way up my upper arm. apparently this isn't too abnormal after an iv has been in a few days. even now the swelling is gone, but the vein is still hard after 4.5 weeks. kinda strange.
tuesday afternoon i kept my first meal down and was ready to go home! after a few hiccups in the paperwork, they finally let me go a few hours later. my sister and i went to my place to pick up a few things and then she delivered me to mom's where i stayed for two long weeks. other than a few christmas gatherings, i watched tv, read, did a puzzle, talked on the phone a bit, and slept. it was nice to do nothing the first few days, but it soon became extremely boring. i actually wanted to get back to work!
my restrictions upon leaving the hospital were that i couldn't drive while on pain medication, couldn't lift over 20 lbs for 4 weeks, and couldn't diet to loose weight for 6 weeks (which was really difficult with the christmas holidays ;P). this last one was a new one to me. maybe this is a normal restriction after a surgery these days...i don't know...
i have 3 slits as scars -- one just below my right ribs, one in my belly button (this is where the scope went in), and one just below my underwear line. they are all looking great -- like they've been there a few years
it took me long enough to blog about it, but now you all know about my latest surgery experience. o, and if anyone wants to see pics of my appendix (and a few other organs), let me know!
waking up from general anesthesia can be a strange, and sometimes scary feeling for some people. this feeling can be equated to being extremely intoxicated, and trying to stay awake, when you really want to stay asleep.
--from http://www.justbreastimplants.com/surgery/general_anesthesia.htm
this is a good description of what it's like to wake up from surgery. i hear voices and monitors beeping, but can't respond at all. nurses are constantly prodding (checking vitals, changing iv's, etc) and trying to wake me up. i just want them to let me sleep! finally i'm able to respond, but still can't open my eyes...not because the outside world is too bright or that i don't want to, just that i can't force my body to do it. after awhile, my eyes will open, but i still only want to be left alone to sleep. of course, they never let me do that. i've had a few surgeries during the night and those are the most miserable because after coming out of anesthesia, they won't stop bothering you while all you want to do is sleep!
normally i throw up a few times after waking up, but my stomach is usually back to normal within a few hours. this time, i threw up for over 36 hours. the first few times my taste buds hadn't woken up, but my incisions sure didn't like it! mom said the barium (for the CT scan) smelled absolutely terrible, but the rest was just liquids mixed with a few crackers, so it wasn't chunky or anything. tuesday morning, i was feeling pretty good, so i ate the whole meal they brought for me...only to have it all come back up a few minutes later. this was the only reason they wouldn't release me, so it was extremely frustrating (not to mention painful). i had made a few laps around the ward, taken showers, even hopped up quickly when i heard the hospital's helicopter landing and taking off about 200 feet from my window. but i couldn't keep anything down...
my experience with the iv line was also different than for my other surgeries. this was the first time they didn't have to prick me repeatedly to get it in. they got it on the first try both times they tried! it's been a few years since my last surgery, but i don't remember my hand hurting as much as this time. i jumped every time they began a new bag of drugs because it stung so much. i felt it all going in as well. (side note: before they start a new bag after the other one has been empty for awhile, they push a small amount of salt water through the line to flush things out. immediately when this starts going in, i tasted salt. it's the weirdest thing!) for a few days afterwards, my hand was sensitive every time someone bumped it. 1.5 weeks after surgery, i noticed the vein used for the iv was hard and was still really sensitive. the next day my hand and forearm started swelling. the vein was so sensitive that i could trace it all the way up my upper arm. apparently this isn't too abnormal after an iv has been in a few days. even now the swelling is gone, but the vein is still hard after 4.5 weeks. kinda strange.
tuesday afternoon i kept my first meal down and was ready to go home! after a few hiccups in the paperwork, they finally let me go a few hours later. my sister and i went to my place to pick up a few things and then she delivered me to mom's where i stayed for two long weeks. other than a few christmas gatherings, i watched tv, read, did a puzzle, talked on the phone a bit, and slept. it was nice to do nothing the first few days, but it soon became extremely boring. i actually wanted to get back to work!
my restrictions upon leaving the hospital were that i couldn't drive while on pain medication, couldn't lift over 20 lbs for 4 weeks, and couldn't diet to loose weight for 6 weeks (which was really difficult with the christmas holidays ;P). this last one was a new one to me. maybe this is a normal restriction after a surgery these days...i don't know...
i have 3 slits as scars -- one just below my right ribs, one in my belly button (this is where the scope went in), and one just below my underwear line. they are all looking great -- like they've been there a few years
it took me long enough to blog about it, but now you all know about my latest surgery experience. o, and if anyone wants to see pics of my appendix (and a few other organs), let me know!
posted by zippy @ 8:30 PM
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