It's almost 1 am...

and as tired as I am...it hurt too bad to lay down and sleep. I think perhaps I over-did it today.
But I figured as long as I am up, I could get on here and write about my surgical experience. Keep in mind this is the only form of keeping a journal in my life so...boring as the whole story may be...here goes...

Sunday night I felt so freaked out...I was a nervous wreck. At least I was able to get a good night's rest though! Monday morning I showered and arrived at the hospital just before 8am. Travis dropped me off on his way to work. I was thankful to be alone...because I was too nervous to worry about having conversations.

I checked in and sat in the waiting room for probably 25 minutes until a nurse came and called me back. She took me to my pre-op room where I changed out of my clothes and into one of those real nice hospital gowns...they are so flattering, really. I waited around and then the nurse came to place my IV. And man did she screw up her first attempt. My forearm has a lovely, large bruise. I have a picture, but I'm not really up to uploading photos tonight. I asked my nurse for a rough estimate on time: how soon surgery would begin, how long I needed to be in the recovery room, etc. and called Travis and asked him to come to the hospital around 11. By then I should be in a post-surgery room.

A doctor who was an anesthesiologist came back to talk with me and told me my anesthetist would be Eric...I don't remember everything he told me/asked...but it was part of the whole process. The one thing he talked about that sticks out was his explaining that once I was out, a breathing tube would be placed in my throat. He asked me if I had any questions and I was quite concerned about a breathing tube. Those things freak me out. So I just asked if they would be taking it out before I was back to being conscious. I did NOT want to remember something like that.
Then Dr. H, my OB-GYN came in and told me his plan for surgery and said he would see me in a few minutes. He said he expected things to go smoothly and I should be able to go home in a few hours....unless the IUD was in a bowel or ommentum. Then they would want to watch me overnight. Oh good. Just when I'm at peace, I start to get nervous, thinking maybe I won't see my kids in just a few hours. (Luckily, things went smooth, no problems).

Dr. H left and Eric and my surgical nurse came in. It was about 9:20 ish. I think. Eric asked if I was nervous and I admitted yes, I was sort of. He held up a vial of something he called "liquid courage" and told me I would feel calmer in a minute. I was thankful for that because all of a sudden, I almost got emotional and that would have been messy. Sure enough, I was instantly calmer. Eric and the nurse wheeled me into the O.R. and raised my bed and asked me to scoot over onto the operation bed...I remember scooting myself over and feeling VERY DIZZY...and then I was gone. I don't think I was awake for even 30 seconds in there. I don't remember a thing. Not even Eric asking me to take some deep breaths like he said he would be asking...
Sort of freaks me out how that works, really.

The next thing I know a nurse is waking me up in a recovery room. There was a clock on the wall directly in front of me and it said 10:15. So that was quick. I don't remember being wheeled from there to a post-op room even. Such a blur. All I remember is how dry my throat felt and how tired I was. I started coming around...I remember the nurse bringing me water, I remember looking at the clock on the wall above me, to the left...I checked it every little bit, so I could know when Travis would show up. And right around 11, I heard him in the hall asking for me. I was coming around a little more by then. The nurse brought me a pain pill at 11:07. Travis just sat there...the nurse brought in prescriptions and instructions that Travis had to sign. She brought me my clothes and Travis basically dressed me. I could feel the incision below my belly button without needing to see it. But I ached so all over the place that it didn't matter.

I remember crying as Travis was helping me get dressed...It's just a miserable weird feeling...being so helpless and uncomfortable. But I was able to walk to the bathroom and go. Then I got in a wheelchair, Trav went to get the car, and the nurse wheeled me out to him.

Never even saw Dr. H after surgery. So to be honest, I don't know many details. But they were able to find it and only make two incisions. I will see him a week from today...so yeah...we will see.

I have pains aside from the incision sights. My throat killed from having a breathing tube in. I know they aren't gentle when they insert those things. They figure, this person is out, they have no clue what's going on. So the tissues definitely require a few days to heal. Almost 4 days out and mine is getting there...although it IS still sore. :(
Then there is the pain in the body from gas being trapped. Anesthesia gas stuff that they fill you up with. I don't know the chemistry, or physiology of it all....but I guess sometimes they fill you up with quite a bit, to be able to maneuver around things better? And when I talked to a nurse from the doc's office on Tuesday she said they tip the table so my head is lower than the rest of my body...so this gas stuff gets trapped all through the body. AND MAN!!! DOES IT HURT LIKE HELL. I have had air/gas bubbles in my chest, shoulders, back, and worst of all, up under my rib cage. Seriously. It's like...well, you want to die. And just when I think I am feeling better, it gets bad again. That's why I am up tonight. It hurt so badly when I laid down...I couldn't breathe...I wanted to hold my breath the pain was so much. It's feeling better again...so we will see if it lasts.
I have tried to not take too much pain medicine. I mean, I have taken 1-2 percocet's a day...but that's hardly anything considering I could take one every 4-6 hours.
And Thursday I finally picked up Isabelle for the first time. So seems to be getting better. I am fairly sore in my lower abdomen where they had to search around, etc....

I know I am just rambling...but I am just trying to document what I can, for the memories, I guess....even as unpleasant as they may be.

I think in a few more days I will feel great. But it has been hard not picking up the girls, playing with them like I usually do, etc. Thankfully my dad was here until Tuesday afternoon and then Darcy came until Thursday afternoon, so I had good help.

And the Branch brought us dinner a few nights :) I feel so bad having others cook for me...but there is no way I would have done any cooking. And I know it's important for others to have the chance to do service. So really, it's win-win. So that's sort of my surgery/beginning of recovery experience...

Now if I can just survive finals next week...Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. BLAH.