Post 201

Warning, this post is not really about movies but I wanted to share.

I missed a couple of days while I was in the hospital, but I got out yesterday and plan on getting back in gear between doses of Percocet, which is lovely stuff.  It is not quite as lovely as morphine, but there is a reason they limit you on that stuff.  While in the hospital and on the IV, I had a morphine pump.  I could hit it every time the light turned green.  I spent many hours watching that light, waiting for it to turn green.





Green meant lovely relief.   I have a sneaking suspicion that the button actually didn't do anything.  But it did keep me busy while waiting for the pain to stop.

Just some random thoughts while I was at the hospital. 

Before surgery they want you there two hours ahead of time.  There is always a wide variety of people at that time in the morning.  From a little girl, maybe eighteen months old to Martha who brought a lot of baggage with her.  You are only allowed two family members back in the ward, Martha had an army of daughters with her.  They had a little disagreement on who was going back and ended up deciding to take turns. 

I sat there with my husband and son while everyone else got called back.  We'd been about six minutes late.  I hate being late, but it was completely my fault that we were.  We were ten minutes from home when I realized I had forgotten my drivers license and insurance card.  I am one of those woman who carries her life in her purse and since I didn't have to bring it, I lost my mind.  We rushed back and still had to wait.

Finally we went back and got our pre op room.  The nurse came in and switched out the gown for me.  She got me a different one, since I am so, uh, tall.  Do they teach nurses not to say you are fat?  That is sweet. 

I embarrassed my son.  I got a hysterectomy and kept referring to my uterus as his old apartment.  My son is easily embarrassed.  So, in the interest of family harmony, I stopped doing it.

They rolled me into the operating room and I don't remember much after that.  I have had anesthesia before and normally it was as if no time passed.  One minute I was awake, then I skipped like Marty McFly over those minutes and arrived in the future. This time it took a few minutes to come out.  I woke to some cranky recovery nurses.  This may have been my fault.

They were hassling me to cough.  I didn't want to do this, but finally managed.  The only problem was that some puking followed.

"Don't throw up in the mask!" yelled one nurse.

Then take the darn thing off!  I thought.  I can't help it.  They asked again when I ate last, like I had purposely eaten to mess up their day.  I heard someone say that it was abdominal, which I didn't want, because recovery was longer. 

Over the next half hour or so I felt very disassociated.  I was there but I wasn't.  Somebody said my family was in my room.  Then I was rolling through the hospital.  I think I fell asleep on the elevator, because that ride was really fast.  Soon I was in the room. 

My husband and son were there and my father-in-law and mother-in-law were there as well. 

At this point all I knew was that it hurt like heck.  I was hot and didn't want a blanket.  So my son sat by my side to avoid any wardrobe malfunctions.  I noticed this and asked for a sheet.  Then he moved to the couch.  My in-laws left. 

I was pretty weepy at this point because my midsection was on fire.  I have had pain before.  I've delivered a nearly nine pound baby, but this really sucked.  It took some time to get my morphine pump hooked up. 

I lost the next few hours in lovely narcotic induced bliss. 

More tomorrow.  Then back to movie posts.