Surgery week, part one

Well, I'm now 4 days post op and I feel pretty good. I'm having a few stumbling blocks here and there but that's to be expected. I want to go back, for those readers getting ready to have the surgery, and explain what last week was like for me. This will be a long one. Bear with me!

Monday, July 6

Erich and I arrive in Detroit and go to my final weigh-in. I've finished my 6-day liquid diet and am on my 1-day clear fluids plan. So far so good. Yes, I was hungry. I never was NOT hungry; of course, that's just me. Some people say it's a breeze and others have different experiences. When I got on the scale, there was no reaction from the aide so I didn't think much about it. We are led into an examining room and wait. Wanda, the nurse who is in charge of coordinating the wants and needs of us Canadian patients, bursts in the room. She said "Can I just tell you that this is amazing??" She's pointing to my chart, which has 73.3 on it in big letters, circled. She goes on and on about how wonderful that number is. First she says she wants to shake my hand, then insists on giving me a hug. "That's a lot of hard work there. That's incredible." All I could do was mumble "thank you" over and over. I was a little overwhelmed and shocked. Wow. I guess it never hit me what I had accomplished until then.

Another nurse came in and told me she gave my chart to Wanda because she was also so impressed with my pre-op weight loss. "I just had to show her. Dr. Genaw is still on vacation but I'm leaving it on his desk so he sees it first thing when he comes back in the morning." Again...wow! So Cindy is already in a good mood. I listened to her tell me things I already knew about the procedure and signed some paperwork. Done.

Then we went to the cafeteria so Erich could have lunch. I had sugar-free lemon Jell-O. Just as drek as it sounds! Then we went across the courtyard and checked into our room at the apartment building on the Henry Ford campus.

We took some pictures on the balcony to compare with ones we had taken back in February, when we first visited the hospital. I actually had the same shirt on but I didn't plan it that way! It's just one of my favorite shirts :)

I've never been able to see my weight loss before. I see it in my clothes of course, but when I look in the mirror, I see the same person from last year or whatever. Then I looked at these two pictures and well, yeah, ok. I have lost some weight. Click thumbnails to enlarge:

Feb. 2009:

July 2009:

Later on that night, we decided to head down the street to Hitsville, USA, the original site of Motown Records. There was an impromptu shrine for Michael Jackson and I couldn't imagine being so close and not checking it out. No matter what went on in the last decade of his life, MJ was an ICON. I choose to remember the man I knew: the singer, the dancer, the pioneer, the humanitarian....not someone no one has ever proven he was. I'm a fan. When he died, a part of my childhood went with him. It was very touching to see all the memorials left for him there. Here are a few pics:



I made a video that day, but I don't know when I'll be ok sharing it. I was alone and I just set the camera up, moved in front of it, and spoke about how I was feeling. It feels too personal right now.

Tuesday, July 7

Surgery day. I am strangely calm. I thought I'd be a nervous wreck, crying and second guessing myself.

We checked in at surgery pre-op and waited for them to mangle our last name. We knew to go to the desk when we heard anything with a "sh" sound at the beginning. Someone led us back to a long room lined with beds on either wall. You know, with curtains in between. They handed me a gown that actually FIT plus those socks with rubber on the bottom. I got into it and hopped up on the most uncomfortable "bed" I've ever been on in my life. My back was killing me within a half hour.

Medical personnel drifted in and out of the cubicle, asking me the same questions over and over. I did a urine test (for pregnancy, I think) and they put in my IV port. That HURT. It hurt going in and it hurt in my hand till after the surgery. As I've said before though - I have a low pain threshold. The anesthesiologist came in. He asked if I had any questions.

"All I want to know is, if I'm going to be asleep when you put the tube down my throat."
"Oh yes. I don't like to do that on people who are awake."
"Good. Then we'll get along just fine."

We waited for what seemed like hours - indeed it was about a half hour past my surgery time - before Dr. Genaw finally made an appearance. We talked for a few seconds then he told me I broke the record at Henry Ford for pre-op weight loss. Again....WOW! Stunned, really. Couldn't believe it. He congratulated me then thanked me for making his work a little easier. LOL!

Soon it was time for Erich to kiss me goodbye. I handed him my wedding set and he put it on his pinky; I winked at him on the way out. I was fine. Not really nervous or anything. Trust me, no one is more surprised by that than me. I tend to freak out first and ask questions later. But I am learning patience. Slowly.

I got into the operating room and they asked me to "hop" onto the operating table. "I don't hop." I explained. HOP?? Seriously? Come on... But I scooted over then they had me scoot several more times till I was in the perfect position. My arms went out at my sides onto little tables and they put a mask on me. The anesthesiologist said "I will tell you when the actual meds come thru the mask, ok?" That is the last thing I remember before waking up in recovery - in hideous pain. Not from the incisions or surgery. Again, it was my back. OMG, my poor back. Those fucking operating tables are torture devices. Horrible. I kept writhing and wincing - they thought my incisions were hurting me and I had to keep repeating over and over "It's my back...it's my back."

Erich was waiting for me when I got to my room. He kissed me over and over and someone came in to give me a "welcome to the ward" goodie bag. Ok. Whatever. I hit the morphine pump and went to sleep.

I don't remember a lot after that except they hooked up those bootie thingys to my calves that massage you to prevent blood clots. And about 9 p.m., they started on me to get up and walk. So I did. I did a single lap around the nurses' station and they were very pleased with that.

More to come - I'm documenting this for myself and for those who will experience it. I know I would want to know exactly what to expect. All in all, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, pain-wise. My back felt better that evening but my incisions never gave me much aggravation. My pain level never went above a 3 or 4 out of 10. So don't worry, it's all good.