Post Surgery - Remembering Thursday

I have been home from the hospital for two days now.  I will try and re-cap what I remember from my 5-day stay.
Thursday: The hospital called. A surgery has been cancelled and mine can be moved up.  I am glad because waiting until the afternoon is absolute torture.  Jeff is on his way home and we left the house at 11.

When I get to the hospital, the receptionist greets me with a gift that she made.  It is a cute little doll made from a towel and I find it very comforting.  My surgeon walks by as we wait to head upstairs to the surgical unit. He says hi and is calm. I wish I was calm but I am screaming on the inside. As soon as all the paperwork is done we head upstairs and when I get to the unit I am whisked away quickly.

I am barely in the surgical gown, which has to weigh 10 pounds (it feels like there is lead in it), when I am poked by a nurse who is trying unsuccessfully to insert an IV. At the same time, there is another person putting compression hose on my legs and another is trying to attach an oxygen sensor to my finger and yet another is inventorying my things. I feel like I am in an episode of ER, they are all working so quickly. My surgeon's staff stops by to say hi. That was nice..more really calm people.

My husband is finally allowed in to say good luck and I am moved to the surgical suite.  I made sure to look around. I remember doing that but I do not remember what I saw. There was no counting back from 100, just a hello from the anesthesiologist and I was out. When I woke up a few hours later, I remember coming out of a groggy sleep and announcing very loudly to the nurse, I CAN FEEL MY TOES! It has been so long since that occurred.  She smiled, even chuckled a little and looked over at someone that I could not see. I think they were all happy that I was happy.

As I get back to my room, Jeff is there waiting and looking relieved.  I tell him I am in no pain and feeling pretty good, all things considered.  Even though my surgery was only two hours, by the time I got back to my room is was close to 5.  He looked tired.  I convinced him to head over to the Legion Riders social that was being held only a few blocks away at 6.  After all, he needed dinner and a beer would probably help relieve some of the stress of the day.  And after he left, I felt a sense of relief knowing that he wasn't just sitting here in the hospital watching me sleeping between the doctors and nurses poking around.  It was a very restful and pain-free night.