Surgery Day Recount

August 30, 2010.  After checking in to the hospital and receiving a personalized wristband (it was either that or a personalized luggage tag, but I don't travel much), we went up to the surgery waiting room.  They called me back, verified my entire medical history and asked me to change into this very fashionable outfit, which included rather scratchy, gray socks that were printed on both sides with a slip-proof pattern and were surprisingly comfortable; a high tech nightgown with quick release seams and an air conditioning system;

and a very chic, blue mesh beret.

Then an I.V. was inserted into the thumb side of my wrist, like a sidecar vein.

A very nice gentleman in a jungle-print scrub cap hummed a calming tune while pushing me, with mom, dad, and Scott (my boyfriend) in procession, down to the surgery roller-bed starting gate.  My surgeon, Dr. Goicochea (goy-koh-CHEE-uh), bopped in and made sure we were all on track with what was happening.  The anesthesiologist came and did the same, and then injected an amnesiac into my I.V. (after I gave everyone a last with-thyroid hug) and pushed me off to the O.R.  The last I remember, we were chatting merrily as he pushed me down the hall.

I woke up still on a roller bed and nurses were asking me to carefully move from the bed to this nice, big, comfy recovery chair.  I expected a sore throat from being intubated and some pain at the incision site, but they must have given me something super good to carry me for a few hours, because I was fairly comfortable.  Then Mom and Scott came around the corner and joked with the nurses and me a bit.

Other than a constant, low-grade nausea, things were blurry until getting into a wheelchair and being wheeled to the car.  The ride home was pretty rough, as I was really nauseous by then, but we finally made it home and got me situated in a hundred pillow prop.  Narcotics magically appeared and I was delighted that they were a bright pink color that Hello Kitty would certainly approve of. >^,,^<

Other than a brief freak out with the pins-and-needles finger and thumb tips and lips, my parathyroids going AWOL (quickly alleviated with an extra dose of calcium), the rest of the day was all about swapping out cold packs and gagging down sets of horse pills.  What an adventure!