Surgery and After the Surgery - The Patient's View

Surgery

OK --- so I had surgery on Monday. I lived to blog about it. Today, I am actually up and about. Considering how phobic I am about needles, the surgery went fairly calmly and I was not freaked out by the whole process. Who would have guessed. NOT ME. I am as surprised as anyone. I guess that if you are in enough pain, needles and the thought of their pricking points becoming imbedded in your body --- which normally TOTALLY and I do mean TOTALLY sends me over the edge, just doesn't matter. It went something like this. Need to put an IV in my hand? Sure, no problem. Just don't make me look. Gonna add something to my IV to "relax" me, go for it. Is it supposed to burn? OK, if you say so. Whoaaaaa, there it is. Yeah, I'm relaxed.

The first picture Lorna took of me after the people who were going to monitor my nervous system came in and literally wired my up like a Radio Shack display with wires and sticky dots. They told me later that they would be "sticking" small needle probes into me all over the place to monitor, but I wouldn't remember as I would be "OUT." What is it about traditional medicine and needles? Somebody enlighten me please. I guess it really was necessary for me to be a wired up for sound, a human pincushion. Good thing I was relaxed and OUT.

Then they roll me out of the prep area from Lorna and my parents (please note the lovely second picture with my blue hair covering --- at least I was calm with a sense of humor at this point). Last thing I remember is them putting an oxygen mask over my face and then as they say in the movies...... FADE TO BLACK. Yes, I'm gone. I'm outta there.

I wake up to a nurse trying to force a straw and a Coke of all things down my throat. You know, for a newbie to this surgery thing (having my wisdom teeth out at 17 is my only other experience), that wasn't really all that bad. Again, reference the pain factor I spoke to at the beginning of this post. If you hurt enough, I guess I pretty much will be game for whatever. NOT that I want to repeat this process anytime in the near future. I'm planning on going another 24 years before my next surgical event.

After the Surgery

I have been sitting on the couch. That about sums it up. I have moved very little. Kinda gives you a new view on life when your "big" event for the day is taking a shower and that tires you out. So here I am. Sitting on the couch. The one thing being down and out has done for me is seeing what AWESOME friends, colleagues and church family I am so blessed to have. The picture of me is with an incrediable basket of goodies from the art faculty who I work alongside in Round Rock. They totally took care of me with things to do, eat, listen to, etc... On top of what they sent, my church has sent meals this week which has helped my faithful wife and now nurse who is a saint doing all our usual life stuff, corraling three kids and getting things I need. She is also getting up at weird hours to help keep me medicated.

To EVERYONE who has stopped by, sent food or goodies, helped deal with my school chaos and classroom, THANKS so much. You do not realize how hard it is for me to sit on my hands and do nothing for these weeks while I recover. You are all the BEST.

So today, I got a field trip out to go to school and pick-up some grades to enter in my gradebook. I was also good boy by sitting on the couch, so I got to go with Lorna to the grocery store. This is our big weekly date and I hate missing my opportunity to go to the store with Lorna. At HEB Plus, you have some walking (ie. exercise for the couch sitter), demonstration food (ie. snacks!) and other people (ie. entertainment for the homebound). The kids are with my family this weekend watching NASCAR / High School Musical on Ice. Since I couldn't travel, Lorna and I are home alone.

So that's it. I am sitting on a couch. I surf the net, answer email, eat and watch old movies. I have many other diversions to do from my gift bags and baskets. This will be the last surgery post for readers enduring this event in my life. Thanks, everybody!