Well the surgery to fix the Thoracic Duct Leaks went well, it seems they are fixed and I am breathing a bit better, but I never want to go through that pain again. Let me take you on the adventure.
Got a call saying that a surgery was put in front of mine so rather than be at the hospital at 11 AM be there at 12:30. Sure no problem. All the while thinking, sure no problem no water, or food after midnight Tuesday, which means also no tea or coffee so from a minimum time of midnight I can't have anything, and it is those days you always want.
Then I get a call my surgery is back to the "normal" time be at the hospital at 11 AM. Me, I'm still thinking about what I can't have starting at midnight. But 11 is better than 12:30.
I get up Wednesday morning early, but stayed in bed an extra hour or so watching TV, because there really wasn't anything else to do. Got up took a shower, wanted to drink the water coming out of the shower, I felt dry pipes like I hadn't had water in days. Get dressed walk out into the kitchen. I sit down, all I can think of is I feel like I am starving, I want eggs, I want toast, hash browns, all I know is I am starving and I want to eat.
We end up leaving a half hour earlier than we needed to, good thing too as we pull up to the hospital and I am getting out of the car the doctor's office calls, where am I? Out side the hospital you said my time went back to the normal time. I hear, good they are looking for you your time got moved up. Great.
Get to patient admitting, tell her the name is Lee, she looks for the last name of Leek. Can't find it. I say Lee, LEE, she looks for Leek. Let's try this one more time, and I spell it very slowly, L E E. Wow, she finds my paper work and I am escorted to the surgical waiting are, within 3 minutes I am called bad to the area to be weighed and change into the "paper" gown, yep it is paper.
Got to see Jasmine, then the anaesthesiologist came in and told me that Dr. Sherwood wants to do this with an epidural. Thoracic surgery one of the if not the most painful. Have I had them before? Yeah two weeks ago, I was given a drug so I wouldn't remember it, but I remember it because it didn't kick in till after he was done, I remember the scrapping, crunchy noises as the catheter passed through the spine. He promised I wouldn't remember this one, and he was right I don't.
What I DO remember was coming to in the recovery room for a minute feeling OK, and passing back out, came to later and was in intense pain. Seems I had some "issues" with the epidural during surgery. The pain I cam to and felt was indeed the worse pain I had ever felt in my life, topping the labor I had with Jim, and topping the pain I felt back in 2003 while I had to spend a week on my stomach.
While in surgery they used and and when the anaesthesiologist used a small dose of the drug my blood pressure dropped. Now it is normal for a persons blood pressure dropping during the use of an epidural, but mine dropped to systolic rates, so bad they turned it off, pumped me full of fluids, and put me on a drug to raise my blood pressure. (My blood pressure normally runs a bit low but not that low). They started using a drug called duloted on me (not spelled right) it would knock me out for 20 minutes and I'd wake up in intense pain. Jasmine was there trying to talk me through the pain. All I could think of was concentrate on my breathing, keep breathing, but even with that I would ask for help because it hurt so bad.
They got me into ICU and started to slowly get me back on the epidural and watch the blood pressure. Trust me I was so grateful that the intense pain has easing up. But on the up side 24 hours later pain was controlled and I was sent to a regular room.
The thing about being in a regular room is you must sit up and walk, which I do understand it helps with recovery. And I really didn't mind it if it weren't for all the "accessories" I had.
Not only did I have to deal with accessories, but because of all the fluid they used to keep myblood pressure up my hands look like puffed pasteries, and my fingers are fat little sausages. AND the right bood is a D cup while the left is a b/c.
For me to walk they either got a wheel chair or a walker and hung things on them. I had two chest drains (which are the most God awful things to deal with they cause the most discomfort once the pain is controlled) two containers that are collecting the drainage from the chest, one container that is connected to the catheter, oh and let's not forget the IV, and the pain pump. All that made standing something you want to avoid. But we'd do it. And walk in a circle.
The drainage tubes seem to "scrape" and "pull" and since I could feel mine through the back it was impossible to get comfortable to really sleep. I know sleeping and getting rest in a hospital is about impossible.
Oh yeah, the epidural fell out, so they put me on a PCA that fed the pain meds through the IV, which was already burning my vein. Not fun, but with a couple of hits of the pump button the vein numbed and so did the spots where the drains were and some sleep could be found.
They removed a drain Friday, the catheter on Thursday. That helped lots. The drain they removed was the one I could feel along my right shoulder blade. Having a drain yanked out hurts. But the relief you feel afterwards is amazing.
Doc told me to eat fatty food, because it was a fatty substance that was leaking. I am in a hospital, the use I can't believe it is not butter (trust me I can believe it is not butter) so I tell my wonderful daughter to bring me a strawberry shake from Carl's. Fatty comfort food.
The fluids looked good Saturday AM, so I get to go home. The drain is yanked out, paper work is done, pain pill taken for the ride home. By lunchtime I am sitting having a cup of coffee at my dinning room table and Jasmine is making lunch.
The house is quiet, and the smell of the stir fry veggies is wonderful. She brings lunch over and surprise, there are mashed potatoes. Comfort food. Exactly what I needed. I don't know how she knew but I needed mashed potatoes. They were delish! After lunch I took a two hour nap.
I am working on going places and staying moving, Part of me wants to just stay in PJs in the house and the other keeps saying I need to go out because if I let the side that wants to stay in win, I lose.
So there is the story of the week, not well written but at least it got written. Me, I am going to make a small batch of pasta sauce, because tonight we will have baked ziti. Simple, and keeps me active.
Hope your weekend was wonderful.
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