goodbye little gall bladder, goodbye.

Be warned- this is a long post.  

The day started off yesterday quite pleasantly.  We had seminary- watched some cartoons-went to the library- and then I dropped my kiddos off at a friend's place (thank you so much to those that helped with our rugrats!!) and headed up to the hospital.  I went a little early so that I could visit another friend in the hospital who'd just had a baby.  We got a picture of our shared hospital stay and then I had to head up to pre-op.  I am so glad that I wasn't at the hospital to have a baby.

Everything worked out perfectly because Kent was in lectures at the same hospital. He came up and met me in Alison's room and then came to pre-op with me.

The nurses chatted with us and started my IV.  I told them Kent could do it but they wouldn't let him. I made him give me this happy face for a picture. And he took this lovely one of me in my elf booties and flattering gown.


 Laney, are these like the booties you had to march down the Latvian hospital in (with no other clothes on, I might add, for those of you that don't know the story!)?

The anesthesiologist came in and mostly tried to convince kent to be an anesthesiologist.  I asked a few questions and he was really nice. I don't remember seeing him again though.


The doctor also came in for a chat and then the nurse came and offered me a drug. I asked her what is was for and she replied, "it's like a margarita without the salt. It will calm you down".  I giggled and then declined.  I was pretty calm and didn't want to have any extra drugs in my system that I didn't need.  Plus, I wanted to be as alert as possible up until I went all the way under. I do think that a drink every night before bed would actually help me calm down at night and not clench my teeth so bad!!  too bad we don't drink, huh? :)

And then it was off to the operating room!   Kent walked me part way and then they made him stop.  I told him to hurry and get one last picture of me because it could be the last time he saw me alive. He giggled and the nurse was in shock. She told me that was a terrible thing to say to him!

The operating room was kind of creepy. All green walls and big lights on the ceiling. It was super cold too.  My nurses were wonderfully friendly, though. Gerty had been in the Army as a nurse anesthetist and Belinda knew my friend Nicole who had referred me to Dr. White to do the surgery. I chatted with them for awhile (I get even more talkative when I am nervous) and told them about Laney getting her appendix out in lativia and how they told her to wear cabbage leaves in her underwear to help with pain from the shots.  Gerty told me that that's what they were going to start having to do if Obama took over healthcare.

The last thing I remember saying to them (and I'm pretty sure I was way past loopy at this point) was, "If I don't ever see you all again, Thank-you so much!" and they giggled. I also remember they were playing Christmas music- and I wanted to complain about it but I fell asleep too quickly.

The next thing I remember was waking up in Post-op. I should have taken a picture but I was far too despondent. Usually they say patients are awake as they get to the room- but I was still dead asleep for another hour or so in the recovery room.  Drugs work so so well on me, it's ridiculous.  Unfortunately post-op was TERRIBLE.  I have never felt so rotten in my life.  I really just wanted to die.  I was just so tired and sore. And it wasn't so much the pain as it was the crazy crazy nausea.  Laney forgot to tell me- but when she got her surgery in Lativa- and when she went under to get her nose fixed- she was SUPER sick afterwards too. They gave me Zofran and they had given me an anti-nausea patch before surgery (you can see it on my neck  in the above picture) but I still wanted to die. I knew that if I got up to walk around it would make me feel better- but I just didn't have the strength or ability to do it. Kent says that when he gets nauseous (like at cedar point or in the car) he gets super tired as well.

Oh- and the PA who talked to me beforehand told me that most major complaints after the surgery had to do with shoulders!  The gas that they fill you up with doesn't all escape afterwards and so it goes UP to settle in your shoulders.  They were right.  My shoulders were in wretched pain and discomfort.

I didn't want to stay the night (they had booked me a room) so I begged to just stay in post op until the nausea subsided and then just go home from there.  Once you are booked onto another floor in a different part of the hospital it takes FOREVER to get out.  The nurse was pretty hesitant but eventually agreed.  A few times I didn't think I was going to be able to go home because I was so miserable and dependant on whatever she kept putting in my IV.  It was some pain killer that works SUPER fast- but is very short lived (like 20-30 minutes). Luckily I was hell-bent on getting home and figured I could rest more easily there.  I got up to go to the bathroom and nearly vomited and passed out from the nausea- but I pulled myself together- left the bathroom and told the nurses I was fine and they discharged me.  Coming home is still kind of a blur- but once I got here and settled in- I started feeling a gazillion times better. 

I slept pretty well last night besides having to pee every few hours (due to all of the iv fluids).  I am feeling even better today- although still sore.  The place that is the most comfortable is sitting here in the computer chair.  Laying down is uncomfortable- being on couches is pretty excruciating- and standing is the worst- so I may be at the computer for a few more days. 

Oh- and HOW COULD I FORGET?!  They saved me some gall stones!  Kent (he is so weird) told the doctor (before the surgery) that I wanted to make earrings out of them so Dr. white saved  me a bunch- including two large almost identical ones.

I know many of you may be grossed out by the pictures- so just stop now. I think that they are pretty cool.

I am surprised at how big they are- and Dr. White said this was just a small fraction of them!  Some of them were so big he had to crush them first so they'd be able to pull them out of my belly button.

And don't you think my little point and shoot camera took some nice pictures?!  I fully endorse the "sony cyber-shot".