Surgery

I had my surgery on April 10.  I’m about 99% healed right now and everything turned out fine.  But of course with us there is always a story.  I’m not sure if other people are as weird as we are, but I always feel that chaos seems to follow us.  Or maybe it is because I get through things by finding the humor in situations…I don’t know.

We got to the hospital early that morning.  I think we had to be there at 5:45am. While we were waiting to be called to a room Jay got out his computer to email his sub plans.  His computer was dead so he had to pack it back up. Shortly after that I called back to a room and was told to undress.  While I was undressing Jay was unpacking his computer and plugging it in. Shortly after that I got my IV.  Jay asked the nurse where he would be during the surgery.  She told him where the waiting room was and how all that worked. 

The IV made me have to pee about 3 times while I was waiting.  Each time I had to go Jay had to put his computer down and help me with the IV tubes.  Then the nurse came in and told me I’d be moved to a holding room in a few minutes.  Jay asked her again about where he would go during the surgery.   She told him again where he would go.  Once she left Jay packed up his computer again.  A little later the nurse came back and told us it was going to be delayed and Jay could get his computer out again.  So he did.  And I dozed and he worked for the next hour.

Finally they came to take me to the holding room which is where the doctors will meet with you prior to surgery.  Jay asked the guy wheeling me away where he needed to go.  The guy told him (3^rd time I’d heard the waiting room story) but he said Jay could go to the holding room with me.  Jay looked at me and said “You are a big girl I think you will be ok. I don’t want to get my computer out again”  And here is where Jay and I are a little different.  I’ve told that to some people and they were just flabbergasted that Jay didn’t stay with me the whole time.  Maybe we are weird but we are both fairly independent.  And honestly by that time I was tired of Jay fretting over the waiting room situation and watching him dink around with his computer.  I told him that was fine and he could go to the waiting room.  He walked as far as he could with me and then the guy pushing me stopped and said the waiting room is ahead.  Jay looks at me, says goodbye and then turns to his right and starts to walk down another hall.  The nurse had to tell him again that the waiting room was straight ahead.  Jay is a great husband but he didn’t have his listening ears on that day. 

Once I got to the holding room I saw the nurse, the anesthesiologist and the surgeon.  Each one had a surprised look on their face when they walked in and had to make sure that I did have family there.  Yes….he’s in the waiting room and lucky for you that he is because he probably would’ve asked each of you where the waiting room was.  And I really was fine except for the fluids they were pumping into me.  I had to pee 3 more times while I was waiting.  Which the IV was in my right hand and the bags were hanging on my left side.  I had to maneuver my body to grab the bags, climb out of bed while wearing a gown with a split up the back and nothing on under and head to the bathroom all while the door to my room was wide open.  I was so relieved when they finally got me for surgery so I would quit having to pee constantly. 

Once I got back to my room after surgery I saw Jay and the first thing I asked was if it really was a hernia.  I’d had a CT Scan earlier that showed a “cystic lesion” so I was wondering exactly what I had.  Jay gave me a look like I was insane and said “yes, it was a hernia.”  We sat there for a few minutes while I was trying to drink and eat some crackers.  Then out of the blue he said “well they also removed something but I don’t remember what it was….cyst, tumor, I can’t remember.”  Seriously, he could not remember which one of those words the doctor used.  I honestly was not worried about what it was I just couldn’t believe that he couldn’t remember.  I felt that I stayed very calm and didn’t get mad at him.  I don’t think he believes that though. I think he thought I was freaking out about it (which I wasn’t) so he went to the nurses station to ask them what it was.  A nurse came back to our room and they way she acted I think she thought I was freaking out (which I was not) and said it was a cyst. 

It ended up being a cyst that had popped through the torn muscle in my groin.  I really was never worried about it, but I was glad to find out that it was benign.  I actually think I had the cyst for awhile because I had been having a lot of pelvic pain over the last several months.  I’m not having it anymore so I think the cyst was the cause of it.  I’m just glad it is gone!

My recovery went really well and I am pretty much back to normal.  I did try to do some sit ups Sunday night and I’m not quite ready for those yet – but I can do pretty much anything else.  The one important thing that I learned after this is that I will never have surgery in March or April again.  Jay was there in body but his head was in the FFA clouds.  After almost 15 years I just know that is the way it is….and that is ok.