Have already begun! I know its weird, but after you've had as many as I have, you just get a routine in. Plus it helps with the stress and keeps my mind off of surgery for a bit. I have already changed our sheets (put darker ones on for post-surgery bleeding, just in case), and started laundry. I like to come home to no laundry after surgery! I stocked up on groceries and freezer foods so my poor husband can feed the kids for the next couple of days if need be. Packing my daughters clothes so she can go stay a few days at her grandparents. Making notes for my mother in law for watching the boys. Re-filled my daughter's meds prescription so no one has to worry about that for the next few weeks. Also all day long I will drink just water, and take NO medicine or drink alcohol or anything. And I cant do my last evening before surgery ritual, which is usually eat whatever meal I want, since its normally the last meal I can eat for a while. But, since I still cant chew, I will have to skip that one. :(
Then tomorrow morning I will wake up one hour early, shower, shave, and blow dry my hair out. Why, you ask, do I do all that before surgery? Because if I end up having to stay there overnight I am at least clean for the first night! Hospital showers = NO bueno. *shudder. Plus, the showering and shaving thing is a weird ritual that makes me feel "clean" for going into surgery, if that makes sense. It just makes me feel better going into it I guess.
The morning of surgery is always the worst. I feel sick to my stomach while I am getting ready, from anxiety. Then we leave at the butt crack of dawn (really just 6 am), and drive there, normally in silence since I am so anxious. We go to anesthesia (4th floor) and wait...then they call you in. They take you into a small room and weigh you, talk to you about what's going to happen, etc. Then they take you back into a kind of communal room where everyone goes before their surgeries I guess, and pull the curtain so you're in there with just a small bed. You sit on it and wait...they bring you a gown and slippers, those net underwear (which are SUPER fun!) and a net hat for your hair. You get dressed into that, they give you a bag for all your clothes. Then you wait for them to come start an IV, which for me always takes a couple of tries. That usually gets my anxiety through the ROOF and I always start to cry. Theyll have me say goodbye to my husband, then wheel me into the operating room. Its a white, sterile room with a huge light overhead, and a table with all kinds of scary metal instruments on it. They have me move onto the bed that's in there, and cover me with warm blankets. Then my drs start to filter in (theres quite a few of them) and some residents, since its a teaching hospital. I normally start to shake around this point, and my main dr will come and talk to me, pat me on the back and say "why dont we give her something to relax her?" and then I normally am waking up from surgery.
Thats it, in a nutshell.
Anyway, talking about this is stressing me out so I am going to stop here. Wish me luck! I'll keep you all posted.
1 comment:
Granted I've only had three surgeries, but I understand pre-surgery rituals. Although, I haven't had the pleasure of netted underwear. And, I'm NEVER "awake" to remember going into the surgery room. Anesthesia is my favorite part. Except this last surgery, she told my husband to kiss me goodbye, and I was like, "wait, aren't you going to give me something?" and she said, "Oh I will...." so he kisses me and she starts wheeling me out of the "communal room" and I was panicking because I did not want to see the operating room...and that's all I remember. Praying recovery is well!
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