The Surgery

Thursday, January 12, 2012

8:35 pm After the surgery: “Hi Mom, where’s Dad? Are they preparing me for surgery?” Mom smiles over me and says, “They took care of that already. Dad will be right back. How are you feeling?” As fast as I tried to reply, I moaned in pain and fell back to sleep. All I remembered was seeing bright lights, a nurse asking how bad the pain from zero to ten was, and feeling incredibly groggy and sore. When I told the nurse the pain was an eight, she gave me more medication and out I went. This lasted for a while until I felt okay enough to go home. I remember every one’s voice was loud and I saying “okay” a lot, as well as feeling cold. I don’t remember much of the ride home, but apparently I sent a Facebook message saying surgery went well. Getting out the car was tough; I began to cry in trying to walk with the crutches. As Mom held me saying, “Its okay baby, don’t cry,” Dad helped me up the stairs imitating the voice of my favorite wrestler, Bret Hart. That always makes me laugh. Before I knew it, I was home with a leg brace I hadn’t noticed before, felt sleepy and nauseous. Mom made tea with lemon, warm bread and apple sauce. I took one bite of the bread, barely touched the apple sauce and drank most of the tea. I lay down and went to sleep. 

8:15am Morning of the surgery: I woke up feeling nervous but ready to get the day going. Mom, who I think was more nervous than me, didn’t say much but asked how I felt. I felt quiet too. Dad met us downstairs at 9:30am where we wished each other a happy New Year. Before I got into the car, the sun peeked out of the clouds. I had to take a picture. I felt that was God’s way of giving me hope. The drive to the hospital was nice, some small talk, and eventually Dad played some jazz. I took pictures along the way. Once we found parking (which was hard) near the hospital, my legs felt weak. 

As we walked inside, the security guard (He was handsome, although that wasn’t a focal point) was nice and pointed us to the Ambulatory Surgery area. The doctor/receptionist, whom I’m sure, could see the nervousness on my face, smiled and said with a burst of energy, “I know why you’re here! Not to worry, I’ve been here many times for broken bones…sports!” We laughed as I signed in and went to the waiting area. Moments later, I had to go upstairs to get my crutches and learn how to use them. When I arrived back to the waiting area, it wasn’t long until I was called in. I hugged my parents and went inside as they said, “Good luck Professor” (Professor is my nickname). 

Its afternoon, the wait continues: I didn’t have my watch so I had no idea what time it was. I met the nurse, who was also nice, and she explained what would happen next. I cried. I promised myself I wouldn’t and apologized for doing so. The nurse was understanding and told me that was normal. Eventually, I was sent to another waiting area where Mom and Dad could sit with me. I was scheduled to go in at 1pm, but wasn’t seen until after 4pm. When I went into the surgery room, it looked like a spaceship. All the equipment and gadgets were cool to see but the operating table made me nervous. The anesthesiologist was kind and made me laugh. I figured it would take a while for me to fall asleep. I was wrong. I remember being moved and holding on to the railing of the stretcher moaning, “Ooh this hurts,” and someone saying “That’s because you just had surgery.” My eyes were closed. The next thing I remember was feeling the breathing tube in my nose, and saw the clock say 8:35pm. 

The Aftermath: This was an interesting experience. Although the pain is no joke and recovery will take a while, I’m glad this two year nightmare is over. I feel renewed knowing I survived this procedure, and I will walk well again. That was my wish. I feel God has washed away any lingering bad things that surrounded me prior to surgery. I’m grateful for Him and my parents for being there with me. It meant a lot and I love them for it. I feel Life will be different going forward, I feel different in a good way. I’m on the road to being completely healed, and that makes me smile.