Sedation Dreams

Last night I woke up about every 4.5 to 5 hours needing to use the restroom. Liquid diets will do that I suppose. But it was also just about on time every time for my next dose of pain medicine. And apparently the pain meds I'm taking give your brain a chance to be super creative.

For instance, last night I dreamed that I was going back over-the-road and was at a company terminal that was the most magnificent thing I ever saw. Shiny perfect trucks and trailers all over the place, a state of the art garage and handsome mechanics everywhere. (silly part of that was two or three of the guys I knew through my old trucking company were in the dream)

I was of course still recovering from my surgery in my dream and was kinda doped up and not really sure where I was or what was going on. I just knew everything around me was fancy and shiny and clean and...well... cute. ;o)

Luckily my mom was with me and was helping me get settled. She took me to the garage and helped me get the keys to my truck, which was sitting right beside the front desk. It was a huge silver condo that looked like a Freightliner Cascadia but for some odd reason it had a Ford logo on it.

But once we stepped up inside I fell in love. It was like the size of a single hotel room, with all the amenities. And storage galore. After ogling the inside of the truck my mom and I went to find her car and get my things to transfer them from (yes, the old station wagon we had growing up) her ride to my new shiny ride.

However, after we both had armfuls and armfuls of my crap we couldn't find my truck. We went back to the garage, gone. To the front lot, the side lot the back lot... gone. And since there wasn't any more truck the dream shifted quickly to me being in the hospital hurting....and then I woke up, actually hurting and had to wake my hubby to take me to the restroom and to find more pain meds.

So you may or may not be wondering how the surgery went yesterday. I'm going to tell you either way. I started the day off starving and dying of thirst as I wasn't allowed to have food or drink after midnight. And my surgery was scheduled for 12:30 in the afternoon. Yeah, me without food or drink for over 12 hours isn't pretty. I got pretty darn grumpy. But I tried to tone it down as much as I could. I was grumpier than everyone observed.

Around 10:30 hubby and me went to the grocery store to buy stuff for my liquid diet requirement post-op and some microwave meals for him to nosh on since we won't be cooking meals for a few days. After getting back home with the goods and stashing them we headed up to the hospital. They wanted me to be there and hour early. Which for me means an hour and fifteen minutes early. Of course, my daddy still beat us there. He was in the main waiting room just about to ask a desk attendant if I'd checked in yet when he happened to turn around and see me and my sweetie walking through the door.

When I was a few paces from him he threw a bag at me, total dad style. The bag contained a ladybug Pillow Pet, a get well gift. It was the sweetest thing ever. We greeted, hugged and then headed up to the surgery center. After checking in we sat for a bit waiting for my name to be called. It was scary when they did call me back because for the first time I had to go alone. I didn't know what to expect or if I'd get to see my hubby and dad again before I went under.

I filled out papers and got my vitals taken then was directed to a dressing room where I was to change into proper surgery wear. I then had to give a small sample for a pregnancy test (mandatory for all women of childbearing age) and then led to a reclining chair to wait for the IV nurse and anesthesiologist to stop by for prep.

It was then that I started getting nervous and upset. I was calm up until I had the hospital gown on, then my heart kicked up a notch and I started sweating a little. Then when the nurse came to put in my IV I started to crumble. Once the nurse got the IV started she asked the surgeon if she could give me something to calm my nerves. Whatever it was made me instantly loopy but tears still flowed as my dad and hubby came back to wish me luck.

I'm sure that was a natural reaction for a surgery virgin. I was a little ashamed but once the drugs kicked in I didn't really care anymore. I barely remember the kisses my visitors gave me before I was walked back to the operating room. I think the last thing I remember was one of the nurses removing my robe like gown that covered my backside and me joking about "watch my fanny" before being positioned on the table in a christ-like pose, arms splayed and my tushie freezing on the thin green sheet that covered the metal table.

After making another joke about being "strapped down" and hoping I didn't wake up mid-surgery screaming, I blank out. Remembering only vaguely that I was in recovery post-op and asked to see my gallbladder. I think they held a jar up to my right eyeball and I may have seen a slimy dark red mass in it. But I can't be certain.

I know I did have a little trouble coming out of the anesthesia. I was apparently super bitchy too and I may have offended the nurse who was trying to get me off the bed and into a chair. The first try I ended up hyperventilating and couldn't catch my breath. I remember her kinda talking to me like I was a terrible toddler throwing a tantrum. And honestly I may have, but I was doped all to hell and hurting like hell and well... a case of the terrible two's was, in my mind, slightly warranted.

I remember shaking uncontrollably also, part shock and part just plain cold. She brought me a couple warm blankets and once I had stopped shivering she tried again to get me out of the bed. It was slow going but it finally happened and I was put in a chair to drink some Ginger Ale and eat a cracker so I could take the pain meds by mouth.

I had the WORST case of cotton mouth EVER! Every nibble I took from the cracker instantly turned my mouth into Death Valley and I kept choking on it. Even taking gulps from the Ginger Ale didn't really knock it back. And the dry mouth lasted pretty much until late last night.

The rest of the day is kind of a blur. I remember getting wheeled out to the car and getting home. I remember getting put into bed at the house and then waking up a few hours later to use the restroom. I need help up and down the stairs and I have a lot of trouble getting in and out of bed but honestly I feel much better than I anticipated. My abdomen is very sore and full of the air they blow you up with during the surgery which makes life quite uncomfortable.

I had to sleep propped up to a nearly sitting position which was annoying at first but I'm glad I did it today. It's much easier to get pulled up out of bed that way than laying flat. I slept on and off like I said last night, waking every 4-5 hours just in time to kill the pain a little more with another dose of medicine.

Today I feel more sore. Still bloated from the air but I'm making little burps that is helping to slowly relieve the pressure. I'm a little weak, probably from the pain meds, but doing well. I may even let hubby take me for a car ride later to get and deposit my paycheck. I think the vibration of the car ride will help move the air around more and get it worked out. But for the most part I'll be sitting or laying around recovering, snuggling with my little ladybug Pillow Pet.



My sissy said she may come by at some point for a visit. She was at the hospital while I was in surgery but had to leave before I was allowed visitors. I'm glad to know she came though. And look forward to seeing her.

Let the recovery continue. More blogs to come I'm sure. Right now, gonna rest.