Once the money was exchanged and the last of the paperwork given to the nurses I was given a room, went through the pre-op rigmarole, got my sexy green, 4 sizes too big hospital gown, grippy socks and oh so sexy blue net cap. After
what seemed to be forever Jeff and I finally get moved to what they call "holding." There we met member after member of the anesthesiology team. They had some issues with other patients so it took some time, but they finally put in an IV line. Lactated ringers always taste nasty first off. If you've had them, you know what I mean. Once again, we wait. We were waiting for Dr. Kriesel. Like Dr. Solomon, he comes and checks on you. It's probably to get a sense of where you are before hand, but gives him the opportunity to put you at ease a bit before hand. We went over what was going to go down. I asked if he could do a bit of lipo around the neck since he was going to be in there, he chuckled and said no. Made the anesthesiology crew laugh. Next thing I knew I was getting whisked away. I didn't get to get a kiss from Jeff first but I got an I love you and that would have to do.
We rolled down hall ways, through doors. I remember sliding over onto the operating room table. It was soft and cushy and cool. Unlike that gurney bed I'd been on for what seemed like forever. I think I even commented on how comfy it was. I remember looking at the two big, silver, saucer lights over head. A lady said she was going to put my seat belt on and that was it until recovery.
I woke up in recovery hot. My nurse checked my pain levels, gave me Demerol. At least I'm pretty sure she said it was Demerol. Since I was so hot she took my compression boots off and one of my socks as I asked. I remember the eye goop stuff being extra gloppy on one eye, she gently wiped my eyes. I had a bed next to the window. I drifted in and out, I remember saying thank you a lot, any time my nurse would interact with me. She was very attentive. I listened to the conversations of the things that took place during my surgery. I could feel the sun on my face so I knew I was okay. I got more Demerol. Did I need it? I really don't know. Was the "pain" I was feeling really from the surgery itself or the intubation and O2? I could here my nurse giving a report on me again, and someone else saying, well she is a redhead so that makes sense. LOL
Talk soon shifted to that I'd been in recovery over 3 hrs and there was some one else who'd been there for four and a half hours. They brought in another lady who was very talkative. She kept saying it was so hot in there, and I kept agreeing. Remember the nurse had taken the one sock off, I was working on trying to slide the other one off with my toe. At some point I heard Starflight start up. I watched out my window to in hopes of getting to see it. Yes it's true, I may not be working in the EMS office anymore, but I still love helicopters. It wasn't much longer they said they had me a room finally. The hospital was apparently pretty packed and rooms were a high commodity.
So a chick wheels me up to my room. She and my room nurse get me settled. I kind of relax knowing I'd made it through the surgery, I still have a voice, soft as it may be, but where was my Jeff? It wasn't long before Jeff, Justin, Mom and Dad show up.
So how's I do? Well they said every thing went well. They didn't have to take any lymph
h nodes. So that means it was all (ideally) still contained to the thyroid. Yea! My incision is not in the "normal" spot. It's in the crease of my neck. Which is cool because I won't have the standard thyroid scar, and with my fat neck...the way it is now at least...you'd never see it.
So I spent the rest of the day resting, having vitals taken, getting blood draws and trying to not be too much of a pain in the ass of my loving family.
The evening and night was spent pretty much the same way. But it was just Jeff and I to ourselves. The nurse said she ordered a liquid dinner but a "soft" showed up. Turkey, a huge pile of green beans, mashed potatoes, apple sauce and vanilla pudding. My throat was cut open earlier in the day, and during that I had a tube with a balloon on it shoved down it. I was hungry but that was not what I was interested in. So I thought the pudding wouldn't be bad...boy was I wrong. Bluk is all I'm gonna say. I spent the rest of the night working on that little half cup dish of apple sauce. I finally finished it about 6:00am.
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