My goodness.... the last week has been so crazy that I didn't even get a pre op post in! And people who say that you are so tired and out of it the few days post op that you can't even get up and get your laptop to post, they are not kidding! The last few days have been pretty rough, but lets jump back to things pre op to start off this long post to catch up!
I went in on Tues the 8th and got my surgical hooks on. Everybody in my orthodontists office wished me well, and my mom who flew in a few days prior got to meet everybody at the appointment. Everybody asked what my last meal was going to be, but I didn't even really know at that point! I've been on a eat-a-thon for the last few months (like...the last 5 months, so don't feel bad for me!), so it's not like I really waited until the last second and had to have a certain something the night before. My mom is in town from Philly and we don't have tri tip out there, so I smoked up a tri tip with some local asparagus and quinoa. It was awesome!
I went in on Tues the 8th and got my surgical hooks on. Everybody in my orthodontists office wished me well, and my mom who flew in a few days prior got to meet everybody at the appointment. Everybody asked what my last meal was going to be, but I didn't even really know at that point! I've been on a eat-a-thon for the last few months (like...the last 5 months, so don't feel bad for me!), so it's not like I really waited until the last second and had to have a certain something the night before. My mom is in town from Philly and we don't have tri tip out there, so I smoked up a tri tip with some local asparagus and quinoa. It was awesome!
Smoked tri tip, asparagus, and quinoa
I got a call on Tues to report to the hospital by 6am on Weds, so we got up around 4:30am to make the hour drive up to the Richmond Kaiser. Oddly enough, I was calmer than I thought I would be. I think at this point I just wanted it done. It wasn't until I was back in the pre op prep and got the IV in and my husband and mom came in to say good bye to me that I started to loose it. This is also when the surgical team came in and chatted me up a few mins and wrote "yes" on each side of my cheeks to indicate where they were going to operate. For me I guess that was pretty easy since they were doing all 4 quadrants of my jaw. When my husband kissed me goodbye the tears came because all I could think was, 'this may be the last time I feel your lips against mine.' Everything was really quick after that, and even though there wasn't anything in my IV making me out of it at that point (I know, I couldn't believe I made it pre op without any good stuff to calm me down!!), it's a blur. I remember being walked to the operating room which was really close to my pre op bay. I hopped up on the table and the surgeons rushed to turn down some hip hop they were listening to. I think I made them laugh when I told them to pump that shit back up. And I think they did. hahahaha. The general anesthesia went just like any IV anesthesia that I've had at an oral surgeons office. The put something good in and you start to float away. I was out before she even got the mask over my face telling me to count down. And then just like that, you're up in what feels like only a few minutes. I remember hearing "she needs a new hospital gown. Her gown is too bloody." And vaguely remember being stripped down and put in a new gown on the operating table before being wheeled out to the ICU/PACU (post anesthesia care unit). That is a weird memory for me because I then distinctly remember thinking "god, I'm glad I showered and shaved last night." lol
Just like any anesthesia, you're pretty out of it afterwards. On top of it, I was also getting heavy doses of morphine through my IV. I remember asking a nurse why my bed was tilted with my feet up and head low, and I think she said it was because my blood pressure dropped towards the end of surgery and they laid me like that to help it out. You're so out of it at firs tin the PACU that you're not really in pain. Discomfort-- like, I could feel I was swelling and my jaws felt tight and wired shut (duh!), but over all so out of it I didn't care. I know for me I usually just sleep and am out of it after any anesthesia, but in a good way. I never get sick luckily! I was never sick feeling except for the one time they got me off the bed and put me on a wheel chair to pee after being in the PACU for a few hours post op-- when I went to get up I got all hot/flushed, felt nauseated, SO out of it, and felt like I was going to pass out. By the time I got back to my bed, I was getting the whole ears ringing and TV closing in thing, so I made it back just in time! It's funny how much you don't care about things in that state. I remember getting to the toilet and there was pee on it. I hopped right on and didn't even care (which is SO NOT like me... I'm a little bit of a bathroom-a-phobe who has to wipe everything down before sitting), and totally left the door open for other nurses and patients to just see. I just didn't care and was so out of it.
Just like any anesthesia, you're pretty out of it afterwards. On top of it, I was also getting heavy doses of morphine through my IV. I remember asking a nurse why my bed was tilted with my feet up and head low, and I think she said it was because my blood pressure dropped towards the end of surgery and they laid me like that to help it out. You're so out of it at firs tin the PACU that you're not really in pain. Discomfort-- like, I could feel I was swelling and my jaws felt tight and wired shut (duh!), but over all so out of it I didn't care. I know for me I usually just sleep and am out of it after any anesthesia, but in a good way. I never get sick luckily! I was never sick feeling except for the one time they got me off the bed and put me on a wheel chair to pee after being in the PACU for a few hours post op-- when I went to get up I got all hot/flushed, felt nauseated, SO out of it, and felt like I was going to pass out. By the time I got back to my bed, I was getting the whole ears ringing and TV closing in thing, so I made it back just in time! It's funny how much you don't care about things in that state. I remember getting to the toilet and there was pee on it. I hopped right on and didn't even care (which is SO NOT like me... I'm a little bit of a bathroom-a-phobe who has to wipe everything down before sitting), and totally left the door open for other nurses and patients to just see. I just didn't care and was so out of it.
pre op
Out of surgery in the PACU
For some reason they were short on beds, so instead of transferring right out of the PACU, I was there for 6 hours or something! My poor family was stuck in the waiting room all that time after the 3 hours they waited through surgery. But, the room situation wasn't rockin, so the wait didn't get any better anyway. I finally got up into a tiny ass room that I ended up sharing with the woman who was next to me in the PACU for the afternoon-- this woman who I couldn't wait to get away from! She was so whiney, loud, and pretty rude. I was happy to see her go from the PACU, but then couldn't believe my luck when I showed up in my room and she was there! Ugh! My husband got chased out since they didn't want a guy in there overnight, but her husband got to stay for whatever reason. Made it super awkward a few times when I had to get up and pee or try to walk down the hall with my ass hanging out of my hospital gown. My mom was a trooper-- she stayed with me through the night and slept on an upright uncomfortable chair. Thank god she did, because the nurses had to be reminded when my ice packs needed changing or when I was in pain so they could dose me some more morphine. Overall, my pain level was OK. I tend to have a high pain tolerance, and I don't have much to compare this to, but I would say an abscessed tooth technically hurts more. This surgery was more discomfort. You're terribly swollen, you're bloody/mucousy in your mouth, stuffed in your nose, wired shut, and the worst if it is feeling like you can't breathe through all of that. I'm very sore to the touch, but already off of the heavy pain meds now at day 5 post op. The only hiccup I had after being in the room was a noose bleed that just wouldn't quit. I know they happen after surgery, but I wasn't sure how much was too much. This one lasted for hours!
Nose bleed bandage
The night was rough. I've never been on IV fluids before, but you do have to pee a bit on them! Getting up was just so rough. I was still having the waves of hot and felt like I was going to pass out, so I decided the 24+ hours of empty stomach, blood loss, and heavy doses of morphine were probably not a good combo. I stopped taking the morphine in the middle of the night so I could make a lap around the floor and get cleared for discharge. I felt good enough for all of that by the morning and after the surgeon saw me during his rounds, he agreed I could head home!
The past few days have been rough too. They say up until day 3-4 it's the worst thing you've ever experienced, and I have to agree at this point. I would have to say this is the toughest thing I've ever been through. My mom and husband have been awesome through everything making sure I have fluids, ice in my packs (going out back and breaking it up with a hammer manually since the gel blocks they gave me pre op absolutely sucked!), and just over all taking great care of me. I think today is finally getting over that 3-4 day hump. I definitely feel better than yesterday. Up to this point I am more numb on my right side up to the bottom of my eye-- even only the right half of my nose is pretty numb and the left is fine. My left side has been pretty good since I got out of surgery, but my lips have been in and out of it and at times more tingly than numb. Definitely think my right side is going to take a while, but hopefully I get all my feeling back. I started getting zinger pain in my front teeth and could tell that was some nerves already waking back up. That happened days 2-3. Today has been much better with that. It sucks, but at least I have nerves coming back this fast! I'll take it! Overall everything is just so swollen, numb, and tight. Less mucousy today and less stuffed up so that is making it more comfortable to breathe. The breathing thing really sucked the last few days! Looking forward to a shower today and maybe taking a walk outside. I've had ZERO energy. Probably the pain meds in combo with having maybe 600-900 calories if I'm lucky. It's just been hard to get food in.
The past few days have been rough too. They say up until day 3-4 it's the worst thing you've ever experienced, and I have to agree at this point. I would have to say this is the toughest thing I've ever been through. My mom and husband have been awesome through everything making sure I have fluids, ice in my packs (going out back and breaking it up with a hammer manually since the gel blocks they gave me pre op absolutely sucked!), and just over all taking great care of me. I think today is finally getting over that 3-4 day hump. I definitely feel better than yesterday. Up to this point I am more numb on my right side up to the bottom of my eye-- even only the right half of my nose is pretty numb and the left is fine. My left side has been pretty good since I got out of surgery, but my lips have been in and out of it and at times more tingly than numb. Definitely think my right side is going to take a while, but hopefully I get all my feeling back. I started getting zinger pain in my front teeth and could tell that was some nerves already waking back up. That happened days 2-3. Today has been much better with that. It sucks, but at least I have nerves coming back this fast! I'll take it! Overall everything is just so swollen, numb, and tight. Less mucousy today and less stuffed up so that is making it more comfortable to breathe. The breathing thing really sucked the last few days! Looking forward to a shower today and maybe taking a walk outside. I've had ZERO energy. Probably the pain meds in combo with having maybe 600-900 calories if I'm lucky. It's just been hard to get food in.
These squeeze bottles are a life saver!
I'm absolutely not hungry (kind of a good thing, IMO), and it's just such a chore to try and get it in through my squeeze bottle. Speaking of calories and weight loss, I walked into surgery on Weds at 135 with my clothes/shoes on. I weighed myself this morning in my PJ's and I'm 126 now. Most of that is water weight and I imagine I'll eventually plateau soon in terms of the rapid weight loss. Already got a green smoothie in today (probably 250-300 cal) and will try some pho broth and maybe some broccoli cheddar soup later.
Some of them not the most flattering, but here are a few pics through the journey the last few days!
Some of them not the most flattering, but here are a few pics through the journey the last few days!
looks like I'm being cool/goofy, but I'm really just nervous as crap pre op
Drugs are good, Mmmkay
discharged home, looking stylish
started counting days split since I wasn't sure if day 1 should have been the day of surgery of the 1st day post op...so this could be day 3 or 4 depending on how you look at it ;)
RSS Feed
