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celticdragonflyTHURSDAY: I had hoped to have the laptop working with a wireless connection up here in my bed today, thanks to Gerry Tyra setting it up for me last night, but sadly something went wrong after he left. We're hoping to get that fixed soon. In the meantime I'm going to type this up and save it to post later.
And yay, as you can see, I'm back online! Gerry is great. He is one dedicated engineer who is determined to fix a problem that's presented to him, and will be a very helpful force in my recuperation.
So, Wednesday morning was my coccygectomy surgery. We got to the hospital at 6 am, sleepy, thirsty, and hungry. I was nervous, but not as much as I had been the night before, as I had a good talk with Karl that helped me feel better. He drove us in, which was sweet. The drive was pretty painful, and I was definitely aware that I hadn't been allowed any ibuprofen since the previous Friday morning. Our pastor met us there, and it was very calming and soothing to have someone else to talk with, and we had a good chat. They took us back to what would be my room – a small room with a bed and chair, and a bathroom it shared with an adjoining room. Turns out Karl got to stay there while I was in surgery, rather than in a waiting room, and then that would be the room I'd spend some recovery time in after I woke up. A nice setup.
The nurse came in and set up an IV in my right hand, just saline to start. Dr. Vavrin, my surgeon, popped his head in to check in, and then a surgery nurse and the anesthesiologist came in to talk to me. He asked me various questions, and had me open my mouth and stick out my tongue at him – and when I asked him why he was quite nice about answering my question, so I felt pretty good about him. They put an injection in my IV, explaining that this would make me happy and relaxed, they were then going to wheel me down to surgery, where they'd give me the stuff that put me out. I remember the bed rolling down the hallway, and watching the nurse who was pulling it along, and then NOTHING.
The next thing I knew I was on my back in pain and saying get me off my back, get me off my back! There was a nurse saying “okay, honey, just a minute, you just had surgery”, and I was saying “I KNOW, get me OFF my back!” Finally got her to roll me on my side. Ow. That may get a call of complaint to the hospital. Dr. Vavrin came by and told me that the coccyx had been completely detached, just floating in there. No wonder it was hurting, just moving around and damaging tissue when I moved, ugh. I'm definitely going to be better off without it. Shortly after that they let Karl come in to see me briefly. I wanted to keep him! I was so glad to see him. They gave me some demerol while I was in recovery. I was afraid that would really mess up my ability to talk, as it had when I had it at Brendan's birth, but it didn't seem to. They wheeled me back to my room. I was a bit woozy, very weak, and COLD, I just couldn't stop my teeth chattering for a while. It was good to be back with Karl and to know yay, I was out of the anesthesia and the surgery was over. After a while the nurse noticed my IV had gotten kinked and she adjusted it to restart it. Some of what they used to put me out must still have been in the tubing, as the world went a little woozy and very relaxed! They gave me some morphine in the IV shortly after that. That was very interesting. It relieved the pain, certainly, and made things weird. As long as I was talking to someone, I could focus on them and talk just fine and carry on a coherent conversation – and it wasn't just me believing that, either, Karl assured me that I was coherent. But if I wasn't talking to someone, just thinking, it got very weird, like having vivid bizarre dreams wandering all around while wide awake.
About a half hour after that, they were ready to send me home. Karl had set up the van, with both the back benches taken out and a pair of sleeping bags and pillows laid out. The nurse wanted to put me in a wheelchair and take me out to the door. We explained there was just no way I could sit in a wheelchair after that surgery. We were hoping for them wheeling me out on a gurney, but apparently they weren't going for that. So they had Karl help me get dressed, and then wanted me to come out and prove I could walk. I walked up and down that section of hall for a bit. Then they sent Karl out with a head start to get the van. I wish they'd let me lie back down for a while. The nurse headed out with me shortly, very shortly in that Karl was still waiting for an elevator, so we went up together. He scurried off for the van and the nurse and I walked slowly to the doors, then I leaned on a wall waiting for him. This was too much standing – by this time I was getting very nauseated, woozy, dizzy, and not sure I could make it. The nurse was a little lady, barely up to my shoulder, she certainly wouldn't be able to catch me. When he finally had the van there for me to climb into, I hear him say “Is that blood!?!” Sure enough, I'd started bleeding some more and the back of my pants were soaked in blood. Ugh.
Karl stopped on the way home to drop off my prescription for pain pills. Once we got home, getting me out of the van, into the house, upstairs into my room, and out of the bloody clothes was exhausting and had me woozy and sick again. I was very glad to lie down. Maggie was excited to see me and was calling out “Mama, they fixed you!” Jamie was more upset and was crying. I'm so glad their Grandma is here, I was so not up to taking care of them. Wednesday afternoon was pretty quiet. Karl and Jamie napped in the nursery, and I got Maggie to curl up next to me and nap later. I started my pain meds that afternoon, after a concerned call to my mom (the retired nurse) about could this every 3 hour thing be correct? Surely they meant 8 hours? No, 3 hours is right.
That evening, after a lovely dinner my mother-in-law made was brought up to me on a tray. After that Sandy and Gerry Tyra came by, Sandy to have a chat with me while Gerry battled the laptop setup downstairs. He finally got it working and brought it up. Last night I was able to set up Trillian and Firefox and had a brief chat with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kd5mdk and jazz007. Sadly, after a shutdown the wireless adapter was no longer working.
Wednesday night we were up a couple of times with the kids. I think that my surgery and catching a glimpse of the bloody dressing have scared Maggie – she woke twice screaming, and woke Jamie, so poor Karl had to get up and change his diaper. My pain levels in the wee hours were awful. I took meds, but was really needing Karl's help to get up and down from the bed and in the bathroom. Today on Thursday it has continued to be really bad. Karl stayed home again today to help me up and down, because I really can't get into the bathroom on my own. I talked to mom (bkseiver) and she thinks this is as bad as it should get. It's no fun. I'm definitely not going to be able to get downstairs any time soon. I'm faithfully taking my meds every three hours.
This morning Jamie had speech therapy – I'd told everyone on Tuesday night, and had meant to remind people Wednesday night and Thursday morning, but was in enough pain that I forgot. Fortunately Kathy is a relaxed person and handles a bit of chaos just fine. Maggie Sr. took little Maggie out for a walk, and Karl took over doing speech with Jamie and Kathy.
This afternoon Karl was helping me out of the bed again, and mentioned that it would probably be better for me if we had the bed back up on the frame again, instead of mattress and boxsprings on the floor as we've had it since Jamie was a few months old. I agreed. So we moved me to the study couch where I had a nice phone chat withphoenixsinger while he pulled out the bedframe pieces and put it all back together again. I have such a marvelous husband. It is easier to get in and out of the bed this way. Later he went out and got a raised toilet seat for me, which I had heard recommendations for but thought I wouldn't need. I was wrong.
Shortly after we got me resettled, the doorbell rang and then Karl brought up two lovely flower bouquets, from family and close friends, for get well wishes. How lovely! They make me feel so loved and appreciated, as does all the work Karl and his mom are doing for me. They're beautiful. And having just had Karl rearrange the room, hey, the bedside table IS bedside again, how perfect.
The flowers are reminding me that overall, despite being in a lot of pain, I'm feeling very happy about my life. The surgery is over, I don't have to dread that anymore, and I have hope that I'll have a good outcome. I have a wonderful family that loves me, and a future of being able to do a lot more things that the coccydynia has prevented me from doing. I have friends who care about me. I think things are going to start looking up a lot. And for once in my life I have the luxury of being able to rest and recuperate, at least for a couple of weeks, without having to leap back into work.
And yes, I'm up way too late. Poor Maggie is having night terrors - probably a mix of stress and worry over me, excitement of Grandma and the Tyras visiting, and a disrupted sleep schedule. She had some last night, tonight is worse. Karl was downstairs cuddling her for a while, and has been exiled to sleep in there with the kids to try to keep them soothed. I offered to bring her in with us, but he pointed out that would put her little kicky feet right at incision level. Right.
And yay, as you can see, I'm back online! Gerry is great. He is one dedicated engineer who is determined to fix a problem that's presented to him, and will be a very helpful force in my recuperation.
So, Wednesday morning was my coccygectomy surgery. We got to the hospital at 6 am, sleepy, thirsty, and hungry. I was nervous, but not as much as I had been the night before, as I had a good talk with Karl that helped me feel better. He drove us in, which was sweet. The drive was pretty painful, and I was definitely aware that I hadn't been allowed any ibuprofen since the previous Friday morning. Our pastor met us there, and it was very calming and soothing to have someone else to talk with, and we had a good chat. They took us back to what would be my room – a small room with a bed and chair, and a bathroom it shared with an adjoining room. Turns out Karl got to stay there while I was in surgery, rather than in a waiting room, and then that would be the room I'd spend some recovery time in after I woke up. A nice setup.
The nurse came in and set up an IV in my right hand, just saline to start. Dr. Vavrin, my surgeon, popped his head in to check in, and then a surgery nurse and the anesthesiologist came in to talk to me. He asked me various questions, and had me open my mouth and stick out my tongue at him – and when I asked him why he was quite nice about answering my question, so I felt pretty good about him. They put an injection in my IV, explaining that this would make me happy and relaxed, they were then going to wheel me down to surgery, where they'd give me the stuff that put me out. I remember the bed rolling down the hallway, and watching the nurse who was pulling it along, and then NOTHING.
The next thing I knew I was on my back in pain and saying get me off my back, get me off my back! There was a nurse saying “okay, honey, just a minute, you just had surgery”, and I was saying “I KNOW, get me OFF my back!” Finally got her to roll me on my side. Ow. That may get a call of complaint to the hospital. Dr. Vavrin came by and told me that the coccyx had been completely detached, just floating in there. No wonder it was hurting, just moving around and damaging tissue when I moved, ugh. I'm definitely going to be better off without it. Shortly after that they let Karl come in to see me briefly. I wanted to keep him! I was so glad to see him. They gave me some demerol while I was in recovery. I was afraid that would really mess up my ability to talk, as it had when I had it at Brendan's birth, but it didn't seem to. They wheeled me back to my room. I was a bit woozy, very weak, and COLD, I just couldn't stop my teeth chattering for a while. It was good to be back with Karl and to know yay, I was out of the anesthesia and the surgery was over. After a while the nurse noticed my IV had gotten kinked and she adjusted it to restart it. Some of what they used to put me out must still have been in the tubing, as the world went a little woozy and very relaxed! They gave me some morphine in the IV shortly after that. That was very interesting. It relieved the pain, certainly, and made things weird. As long as I was talking to someone, I could focus on them and talk just fine and carry on a coherent conversation – and it wasn't just me believing that, either, Karl assured me that I was coherent. But if I wasn't talking to someone, just thinking, it got very weird, like having vivid bizarre dreams wandering all around while wide awake.
About a half hour after that, they were ready to send me home. Karl had set up the van, with both the back benches taken out and a pair of sleeping bags and pillows laid out. The nurse wanted to put me in a wheelchair and take me out to the door. We explained there was just no way I could sit in a wheelchair after that surgery. We were hoping for them wheeling me out on a gurney, but apparently they weren't going for that. So they had Karl help me get dressed, and then wanted me to come out and prove I could walk. I walked up and down that section of hall for a bit. Then they sent Karl out with a head start to get the van. I wish they'd let me lie back down for a while. The nurse headed out with me shortly, very shortly in that Karl was still waiting for an elevator, so we went up together. He scurried off for the van and the nurse and I walked slowly to the doors, then I leaned on a wall waiting for him. This was too much standing – by this time I was getting very nauseated, woozy, dizzy, and not sure I could make it. The nurse was a little lady, barely up to my shoulder, she certainly wouldn't be able to catch me. When he finally had the van there for me to climb into, I hear him say “Is that blood!?!” Sure enough, I'd started bleeding some more and the back of my pants were soaked in blood. Ugh.
Karl stopped on the way home to drop off my prescription for pain pills. Once we got home, getting me out of the van, into the house, upstairs into my room, and out of the bloody clothes was exhausting and had me woozy and sick again. I was very glad to lie down. Maggie was excited to see me and was calling out “Mama, they fixed you!” Jamie was more upset and was crying. I'm so glad their Grandma is here, I was so not up to taking care of them. Wednesday afternoon was pretty quiet. Karl and Jamie napped in the nursery, and I got Maggie to curl up next to me and nap later. I started my pain meds that afternoon, after a concerned call to my mom (the retired nurse) about could this every 3 hour thing be correct? Surely they meant 8 hours? No, 3 hours is right.
That evening, after a lovely dinner my mother-in-law made was brought up to me on a tray. After that Sandy and Gerry Tyra came by, Sandy to have a chat with me while Gerry battled the laptop setup downstairs. He finally got it working and brought it up. Last night I was able to set up Trillian and Firefox and had a brief chat with
kd5mdk and jazz007. Sadly, after a shutdown the wireless adapter was no longer working. Wednesday night we were up a couple of times with the kids. I think that my surgery and catching a glimpse of the bloody dressing have scared Maggie – she woke twice screaming, and woke Jamie, so poor Karl had to get up and change his diaper. My pain levels in the wee hours were awful. I took meds, but was really needing Karl's help to get up and down from the bed and in the bathroom. Today on Thursday it has continued to be really bad. Karl stayed home again today to help me up and down, because I really can't get into the bathroom on my own. I talked to mom (
bkseiver) and she thinks this is as bad as it should get. It's no fun. I'm definitely not going to be able to get downstairs any time soon. I'm faithfully taking my meds every three hours. This morning Jamie had speech therapy – I'd told everyone on Tuesday night, and had meant to remind people Wednesday night and Thursday morning, but was in enough pain that I forgot. Fortunately Kathy is a relaxed person and handles a bit of chaos just fine. Maggie Sr. took little Maggie out for a walk, and Karl took over doing speech with Jamie and Kathy.
This afternoon Karl was helping me out of the bed again, and mentioned that it would probably be better for me if we had the bed back up on the frame again, instead of mattress and boxsprings on the floor as we've had it since Jamie was a few months old. I agreed. So we moved me to the study couch where I had a nice phone chat with
phoenixsinger while he pulled out the bedframe pieces and put it all back together again. I have such a marvelous husband. It is easier to get in and out of the bed this way. Later he went out and got a raised toilet seat for me, which I had heard recommendations for but thought I wouldn't need. I was wrong. Shortly after we got me resettled, the doorbell rang and then Karl brought up two lovely flower bouquets, from family and close friends, for get well wishes. How lovely! They make me feel so loved and appreciated, as does all the work Karl and his mom are doing for me. They're beautiful. And having just had Karl rearrange the room, hey, the bedside table IS bedside again, how perfect.
The flowers are reminding me that overall, despite being in a lot of pain, I'm feeling very happy about my life. The surgery is over, I don't have to dread that anymore, and I have hope that I'll have a good outcome. I have a wonderful family that loves me, and a future of being able to do a lot more things that the coccydynia has prevented me from doing. I have friends who care about me. I think things are going to start looking up a lot. And for once in my life I have the luxury of being able to rest and recuperate, at least for a couple of weeks, without having to leap back into work.
And yes, I'm up way too late. Poor Maggie is having night terrors - probably a mix of stress and worry over me, excitement of Grandma and the Tyras visiting, and a disrupted sleep schedule. She had some last night, tonight is worse. Karl was downstairs cuddling her for a while, and has been exiled to sleep in there with the kids to try to keep them soothed. I offered to bring her in with us, but he pointed out that would put her little kicky feet right at incision level. Right.
