Surgery

Surgery.

Nothing to eat or drink when I wake up.  We need to be at the doctors by 8am. 

Brian and Tiffany went with us for support. 

bright and early

We arrive at the doctors and are the first ones there.  We all chill out and see what's what.  Pretty soon I am called back and Tiffany comes with me.


we change our shoes and I am shown a small locker room to change into a robe.  I come out and sit with Tiffany and we are watching CNN for a few minutes.  The nurse comes in and tells me to go to the bathroom and then she takes me right into the operating theatre.  Tiffany follows.  I don't look at anything and am still feeling weird and surreal.  I'm sat in the chair and placed wherever they need me and arms and legs in their places.  I'm jello.  The nurses are looking at both arms to start an IV and I can't even close my fists to help them out.  They get an IV started and I'm not sure where Tiffany is.  The doctor comes behind me and I ask him what is in the IV.  I can read it and it says dextrose and I'm wondering where my pain meds are.  He said this IV is for hydration and the pain meds are a local shot where it needs to be.  Goody.  I am still jello and starting to get afraid.

Honestly don't remenber too much but I was asking where Tiffany was and then she is there.  She is amazing.  I'm clamping on her hand and the nurse takes my other hand and wraps it on the side of the chair where there is a bar for me to hold.  I am vaguely wondering why this is a feature on this chair and was it extra to add it.  haha.  I also didn't know so much of myself would be exposed to anyone in the room.  Definitely not on my list of must repeat experiences.  I apologized to Tiffany in my head for needing to see so much of me.  I thought there would have been a curtain like in the doctors office.  Nope.

The doctor says to me to scoot down and he is going to give me a local and I hold Tiffany's hand harder, if that is possible.  I'm definitely crying but not really of pain, just shock and I'm scared and not sure what exactly will happen and not wanting to feel pain. 

The doctor give me 2 shots of local and I feel each one. 

After a minute or so--I don't know how long--the doctor says he is going to begin and I don't remember much about it because again, I was holding Tiffany's hand so hard and trying to anticipate dealing with the pain.  Honestly, there wasn't much pain, per se, not sharp pain anyway.  More dull and far away.  I did feel as if a boxing match were going on down there.  I just remember Tiffany wiping my face and telling me about anything that popped into her head.  I will forever be grateful to her. 

I hear a sucking noise that sounds like a pool pump and that is the machine sucking out my eggs.  There is an actual big screen TV that Tiffany and I can actually see the vacuum sucking them out.  It is so cool.  Like a Dyson vacuum.  haha.  Then the doctor says he is done with that side and I am like, dude really? 

Only ONE side?  I have to go through that again?  I thought you were done.  All this I say to Tiffany with my eyes.  I literally cannot speak.  The doctor starts on the other side (not sure which side was done first) and this is where two nurses had to hold me down.  They had to mash down so hard on my belly so the doctor could do what he needed to do--apparently my ovaries are higher?  Anyway...this they did for maybe 5-10 minutes--I'm not clear on how long it was, I just wanted them to get off me so I could breathe.  They get off me and the nurse wipes off my belly and later, Tiffany said that was my blood.  Not sure how much blood got on top of my belly...but it was a lot.  I could feel it.  Then the nurses wiped me down and off--I felt like a baby again and halfway wondered if they would give me a diaper to wear. 

They told me to get up and I couldn't, they helped me up and with one on each side the held me up and walked me a few steps to the recovery room of about 10 beds.  I am put into a bed and it is really high and I wonder how I'm going to get into it and the nurses help out. Tiffany holds my IV while the nurse gets the IV cart thing.  I have no pain for a few minutes then a dull cramp/ache begins and I tell the nurse.  She gabs in Korean and I tell her I have no idea and she says it's okay, it's normal. 

I ask Tiffany how long it was total and I cannot see the clock (my glasses are with Tiffany) and she said it was about 30 to 35 minutes.  So much for 20 minutes but really, it is okay. 

We both are lying down on a bed and gabbing away about whatever (did you know that the typhoon in the Phillipeans is the largest storm ever?) and after about 20-30 minutes the nurse came in and took out my IV and I was able to change and go back into the waiting room.  I thought were were done, but nope.

Not only did I need to have surgery and all that, but now I get 2 shots in my bum of oil and more hormones.  Perfect.  Now I won't be able to sit down.  One on each cheek.

The shots are of some kind of oil (Joseph said it was sesame oil??) and the other is progesterone. 
I didn't see or look at the oil one. 

Anyway, Joseph literally has to hold me up because I can't stand and all four of us are in the room.  It's pretty funny actually.  We are all laughing.  I told the doctor Tiffany was my sister so she'd be able to stay with me and that makes Brian my brother in law. 

Brian said something so funny though, that I had been thinking myself:  this is a horse show.  We go from stable to stable doing something else.  Ha. 

He and Joseph were great though.  Tiffany and I were pros by the time we left.  Brian really was a good sport considering he was in there when I got my shots.  haha.

The oil shot was one on Saturday and one on Sunday and the progesterone starts on Saturday and goes until Nov. 15 (Friday).  I have to go to the doctor each day for her to give me a shot in my bum.  Thank you sir may I have another. 

Finally we can leave.  Joseph has to go to the pharmacy to get my suppositories and he was going to pick up some food for us as well so I went home with Tiffany and Brian.

I literally stay in bed the entire day and night and actually don't want to.  I want to walk, but I can't.  Joseph has to help me get up and down out of bed to pee and I sleep off and on through the day.  I'm hungry, but not really and I don't eat much. 

I have the best husband.  He is amazing.  So supportive and helpful and ready and willing to do anything I need.  I love him so much and I can tell he loves me by how supportive and loving he is.

We go in on Tuesday (Nov. 12) to get the transplant at 10:30am (and my shot of progesterone in my bum).  We will see.  *fingers crossed* 

I'm not going through this surgery again.  I honestly have no idea how women do this for years.  Better luck to them, but I personally think they have a screw loose.   Then again, maybe they were put to sleep unlike me.  If I were put to sleep, I would probably do it again. 

From November 15 until November 23rd, I have to take a V. suppository.  It is more progesterone.  Thank goodness I don't have to have a shot of that stuff.  It's supposed to be rough.