Thursday was such a wonderful day.
Thursday I had my left hand operated on. That part wasn't so bad. I was unconscious.
But getting there at 6:45 in the morning? Am I a morning person? Especially since this means getting up an hour beforehand. Really, am I a morning person?
And they don't even let you have anything to drink after midnight!
So, there I am at 6:45 in the morning, checking into the waiting room. That takes less than five minutes. Then, I wait.
Until 9:15. That's when they let me into pre-op, to get on the gurney, and get changed. About 25 minutes of 10 I see the first of four, I think, doctors. The anesthesia was injected into my IV line about five minutes past 10, and I'm out.
The next I know, it's 20 minutes past one and someone is yelling my name. Well, not actually yelling, but you know what I mean.
Uhg.
And I was back home at 4 PM, with my hand wrapped up twice the size and get a really sore throat. I hate it when they stick tubes down my throat.
It's now two days later. My throat doesn't hurt anymore. My hand, though, has some twinges. Not too bad, just enough to tell me that something happened.
Oh yeah. I love the wound care instructions: "cover the hand and bandages before taking a bath or shower." That's it. Cover the hand. I called to make certain that was all; it was. I'm supposed to be getting the stitches out on the 24th. I'm glad I have a poor sense of smell, because I think my hand is going to stink by then...
I'll try to post pictures on the 24th. Of course, you see how on top of things I've been so far...
6 Comments:
You never said what the surgery was for! Michi only has a splint on her arm.....after breaking it while skateboarding!
Saw pictures of your grapes...... They look good!
Oh, my! Was this the same hand that was missing a thumb? What was the surgery for?
No, you're not a morning person. Did you have a nap while waiting to be seen?
Basically, in the first few years post accident, the muscles around my th thumb did some strange stuff, which limited the functionality of the thumb. Because of the gym/physical therapy that I'm doing (SCI-FIT.org) I'm getting more functionality in my arms (although not actual movement in my hands) and the thumb wasn't helping.
The partial amputation in 06 didn't help. That was because of an IV that leaked in my hand. Let me tell you, seeing a portion of your anatomy black and desiccated is very interesting.
No, I didn't have a nap, unfortunately. It's hard to have naps in hospital waiting rooms. They are just noisy enough and just cold enough that it makes naps difficult.
Someone should tell Michi that it's hard to get drivers licenses with broken arms. Was it her writing hand?
I agree with Joyce, you're a rotten story teller. It took you prodding to say what they were doing to you. And you still haven't what they were doing to your hand. Is it a thumb-ectomy? And you might want to have words with the hospital about their waiting room. Wouldn't you have been more comfortable in your chair during the wait? Or with more blankets... were "your" attendants there? Heal quickly please, that's an order, like I have a say in the matter :)~ Mark
Twinges are good. Early mornings aside, there has been some real progress in regenerative science lately and I hope you are a good candidate for getting into some test trials.
I liked the story telling, which I can identify with, as hospitals are worse than airports for having you full of adrenaline, checking in early, early, getting a bed, telling you they will be back, or tell the next nurse on shift as your adrenaline flows away, away and time ticks slower, and slower. Then after an eternity it speeds up again and then whammo, new sensations and odd feelings and thoughts like, 'they did remember to operate on the correct hand?'
Actually there are lots of invisable wound instructions which they won't tell you until you end up back there - because you were digging at an itch with fireplace tongs and tore the skin and it got infected under that bandage (turns out you aren't supposed to do that, and even if you say, "I didn't get it wet", they don't care. And not using it as a club to play baseball with a tennis ball - that turns out to be another of the secret things you can't do. Probably going to rehab that day or the day after is on the list but as long as you don't get back in hospital from doing it, you will avoid the lecture!
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