My second Surgery: August 14, 2008 and hospital stay

Hi again,


Ah, another surgery-what fun. lol Actually the preparation for this surgery was easier and less stressful than the first. This time we were able to come up the day before and stay with my sister and her husband at their place which was nice. On the way to Edmonton, we stopped at Wendys and I got my favorite snack-a junior hamburger deluxe combo! Yes I eat that as an occasional snack and no I am not overweight amazingly! All in moderation I say. Also my sister and her husband were amazing and bought an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen for dessert that night and I saw it as a celebration that this surgery would finally give me a chance to live a life with out so much pain. The first surgery was supposed to be that and was in some ways but there was a small hurdle to cross (the rod coming loose) before getting to live a life without all that pain I was dealing with.


The morning of the surgery was a long one because apparently there were complications with the surgery before me so mine was late. That was ok though because my dad found some Reader's Digest magazines and read me jokes and then my mom and I talked as well. We got a little bored and I entertained my parents by making origami with paper towel which actually worked better than I thought it would! Though I wouldn't suggest it if you have paper on hand! lol


When things finally got underway I was wheeled into the operating room and actually got to see what it looked like and I remember thinking I wonder if I saw it the first time too and forgot it due to the anesthetic so I thought really hard to remember what it looked like so I would remember when I woke up! Amazingly I remembered it still when I woke up but I remember realizing the room I was in looked alot different and darker. I guess something happened during the surgery that I lost blood and needed to get 4 units of blood and be closely monitored for the first day I think. I want to say that I am thankful to people who donate blood because it was there when I needed it and I am very thankful for that. I can't say that it was a life and death situation for me because I don't think it was but I did need the blood and it was there because of the many wonderful people who take the time to donate it. Also I remember something wasn't quite right with my right arm. When I tried to grab a cup of water I realized that first it was difficult to grab it because my arm didn't seem to want to do what I told it to do. Then when I finally got it and tried to lift the cup, I dropped it all over me because my arm just sort of flopped down. I learned later that apparently a nerve probably got stretched or something while I was on the operating table because of the way I had to lay on the table. Anyways I started to find it amusing because I would attempt to lift my arm and it would just flop down and also trying to touch my nose was next to impossible! It only lasted the first day I think and then started to get better but was a source of amusement to me while it lasted. It kept me occupied. lol The week in hospital this time around was actually less painful than the first time but I threw up just as much. With each nurse I had, I had to explain how much I threw up and I remember feeling bad for the nurses because of all the times they had to deal with cleaning it up. The food was hospital food and not that great but on the last day I was in the hospital I got a ham sandwich for lunch which tasted sooo good compared to other food I'd had. So in terms of hospital food, I left the hospital on a good note/meal. lol I was so ready to go home though and happy I didn't have to stay any longer! I did notice a big difference though-when I was ready to leave the hospital I was already able to sit up a little longer than I had been able to before this surgery which was very encouraging.