Today is the big day! As this is my first surgery ever, ever, ever, I am a nervous ball of anxiety. Jeremy and I head to the hospital around 5:45am (in the pouring rain in his tired old SUV with broken windshield wipers), with his mom and grandma following close behind. I go through the check-in process and am suddenly extremely cold. Like teeth-chattering, can't stop shivering cold. And I almost NEVER get cold! I guess pregnant ladies don't get offered any sort of calm-the-f-down pills.
After checking in, we're taken to a holding area where Jeremy and family are taken to a waiting area while I change into a hospital gown and get an IV started (first IV ever, a lot of firsts today!). Someone comes to check my vitals, and also to get a quick check on the baby's heartbeat. Dr. A. stops by to say hello and sign my boob, I guess so there's no mistaking which one we're about to annihilate. Jeremy is then allowed to come back and visit with me until it's time to get the party started. About 45 minutes to an hour pass, and finally someone comes to wheel me back to the pre-op room. Ok, so this is the scary part, mostly because I have to give up my glasses which means I can barely see anything! Jerm later tells me that he wanted to run after me yelling, "She can't see without her glasses!" like the movie My Girl. So anyway, I give him a teary kiss goodbye and am wheeled into an elevator and then down a long hallway with all kinds of random medical equipment (at least it looks like equipment through my squinty eyes, for all I know they could have been vending machines).
I end up in a crowded room with a lot of activity going on. This must be where all the suckers are taken to wait their turn to be cut open. There are two nurses assigned to work with me and I immediately have to nervous pee so I ask to use the bathroom. They tell me where it is but I explain that I can't see well so one of them helps me shuffle along with my IV pole. She tells me to pull the emergency cord when I'm done and she'll help me walk back. Suddenly I'm an 80-year-old! But I get back into the bed and they proceed to ask questions and hook me up to monitors and sticky patches and then the anesthesiologist introduces himself and talks about which drugs he'll be using and how they're okay for the baby and he'll be sure to take good care of me and I believe him.
At some point, I'm given something in the IV that's supposed to make me drowsy. I can kind of feel it taking effect but not really. I also get a shot in the belly, something that's supposed to prevent blood clots (at least that's what I think they told me). After waiting a bit longer, it's time to be wheeled to the OR. So I'm still wide awake for all of this and all I can see are hallways covered in ugly "hospital green" tile, some people in scrubs washing their hands up to their elbows as seen on TV, and then I'm wheeled into a big room with big circular lights above (but not turned on yet) and soft music playing. They help me scoot off the bed and onto a table and prop me up on my side using a wedge. This was one of the recommendations from the perinatologist, because keeping me propped up slightly will increase blood flow to the baby. This is also why pregnant women are supposed to sleep on their side as opposed to their back. But anyway, they get the wedge in place and then I see my doctor. She starts asking me what I like to do for fun and I tell her "travel." She asks me about my favorite place, while rubbing her hands along my shoulders and collarbone. I tell her I really love Switzerland while thinking to myself, wow, I didn't expect this much small talk in the operating room. Then she tells me to think about Switzerland, as someone else slowly places a mask over my face. I was about to inquire whether I'm supposed to breathe through my mouth or my nose, but I guess it didn't matter because I don't remember a damn thing after that!
Fast forward four hours or so and I woke up to a lot of commotion around me. A nurse was making me sit up and then I heard someone yell something like, "chest x-ray, bed 4!" and everyone back away. Because I had a port placed, it's common to take an x-ray afterward to ensure it's in the right spot. They were going to skip the x-ray for me, by the perinatologist said she'd rather have me get it and have the piece of mind that the port is done right. Then I must have dozed off again for a while. I woke up again and was being wheeled somewhere and I remember asking if I was being taken to my room (I think the answer was yes?). I end up in my room and the nurse leaves. Next thing I see is Jeremy at my bedside, and my immediate response is intense vomiting. Apparently this is a common occurrence after surgery, but I'm sure it made Jeremy feel pretty terrible. The rest of my family waited in the hall until I "got it out of my system" and then came in to visit. I was still a bit out of it and couldn't see much but knew that my mom, dad, mother-in-law, and grandma were there. I was told that I'm quite hilarious on drugs and glad I could provide some entertainment for everyone. I may or may not have asked the nurse if I was receiving the same kind of drugs as Michael Jackson. According to Jeremy, Dr. A. spoke with him briefly afterward and said that everything went well and there were no surprises. The baby's heart rate was also checked at some point (I don't recall when) and that was fine as well.
So, me and Sweet Potato (our current nickname for the baby) did it! I felt like I got pummeled from all sides, but was so glad it was over with, finally! The rest of the day was a lot of napping off and on and sweet, sweet pain medication. My right eye was continuously watering and at first I thought I was just crying a lot but then realized that something must have gotten in my eye and was irritating it. It actually ended up bothering me more than the soreness from the actual surgery. I let the nurse know and she eventually got permission to give me some saline drops. Can't wait to see what the bill for that will be!
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