UWMC - Vascular Surgery Day
Wednesday June 17, 2020
No food or liquid leading up to the surgery wasn't too bad. Difficulty struck after I came out of anesthesia and I felt like I could drink all the water in the Pacific Ocean!
The COVID-19 test thankfully came back negative. The nurse had me wash by body with a special soap before surgery and swabbed my nose with a topical to reduce the chance of contracting MRSA. My sister called around 10:30am to wish me luck with my 3pm surgery. Thankfully, she was able to get in touch with our folks to have them call me afterward because at 11am they took me down to the pre-op room.
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I ended up waiting there for five hours... A nurse put an inflatable warming blanket on me which felt like I should be in a pool instead of a hospital. Nurse Laura brought me in a word search on Egyptian vocabulary. While lying there people continually came in to introduce themselves and ask a few questions. Dr. Sweet came in and signed his signature on the right side of my neck where he would be performing the surgery. His DIR came in afterward, who I had the fainting spell with, and asked if the doctor had been in. I tried to make a light-hearted joke about getting his autograph on my neck, but the DIR didn't seem to care and quickly left the room.
When the anesthesiologist came in to explain that the breathing tube might give me a sore throat post-surgery I noticed myself getting emotional about having to be around the DIR again. Nurse Laura came in to assure me that I had the right to not be alone in a room with anyone who I wasn't comfortable with. I really appreciated her taking the time to explain that.
Soon afterward, they wheeled me into the operating room, administered some Fentanyl to help me relax, and placed an oxygen mask on me. The next thing I remember I was extremely parched and grateful to be alive!
My future's so bright, I'm gonna need shades! |
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