5.2.24 - Surgery Day!

Post contains post-surgery photos. I wake up with my fiancé at 4:30 and start getting ready. I tried to set up as much as possible the night before so there’s no rushing. After all the animals are cared for, I take a shower and change. We get to the surgical center with plenty of time and check in at 5:50. Fairly quickly, they bring me to a room to go over waivers and payment. I was surprised to learn that I owed the center the balance of my bill that day, rather than receiving a bill from insurance. I will need to just pay it today and appeal the charge with insurance later. The total was a little over $2,600. My fiancé is not allowed back to the prep/recovery area with me beforehand, so we say goodbye and he’s free to shop or grab a bite nearby until I’m ready to get dressed and go home. Once back in the prep area, I’m given a gown, socks, and hair net to wear. Many people come to chat with me about what to expect. My identity, procedure, and whether I’ve eaten are confirmed several times, which I appreciate. Everyone is pleasant. My doctor comes back to confirm the plan with me again just before surgery. She says I’ll be sedated, intubated, positioned, and then they’ll start surgery. After my IV is started, compression devices put on my legs, and EKG leads placed, I’m wheeled back to the surgical suite at 7:15. The anesthetist pushes midazolam and fentanyl into my IV, and that’s the last I remember.

My next memory is a chipper voice telling me I’m waking up from surgery and everything went great! I can’t seem to open my eyes but try to nod so she knows I heard her. Over the next little while, I slowly wake up with people popping in what feels like every few minutes to check on me. Once I’m able to stay awake, a nurse brings me a small bottle of water to make sure I can swallow. My doctor comes back to tell me that everything went well, and she found and removed some adhesions in my abdomen. After 45 minutes, my fiancé was called back to help me dress and we were escorted to our car.

The incisions were smaller than I anticipated, and my pain not as bad. I rated it a 2-3 out of 10 in the recovery room. My appetite was pretty normal, but dry mouth meant I needed a sip of water to swallow each bite. I had no nausea. Later that afternoon, my fiancé and I took the dog on a slow, 20-minute walk. I was tired when we got home, but otherwise felt ok.