Today was surgery day. I’m recounting most of this from memory, and I was pretty drugged-up for large parts of the most relevant portions, so apologies in advance for any misinformation.
We got to the hospital at 6:15am. (Yuck!) We had to check-in, then meet with someone about insurance (thank goodness we have good insurance!), then check-in somewhere else…. After I was sufficiently checked-in and wrist-banded, I was called in for pre-operation preparation. That involved answering a bunch of questions (I verified my name, birthday, and procedure at least a dozen different times), then dis-robing and getting into a hospital gown, then getting under a paper blanket they filled with warm air (I have to get me one of those!), then getting my blood drawn (the guy did a terrible job, it really hurt, he moved the needle all around, my vein allegedly “collapsed” so he had to do it again), getting an IV, etc. Once that was done, hubby came back. Throughout the process I met with a nurse, a phlebologist (the terrible blood guy), another nurse (for the IV), an anesthesiologist, a nurse anesthetist, another person involved with the anesthesia, my doctor, and probably some other people. It occurred to me that almost all of the prep related to the anesthesia. (If we were doing it in a clinic and I was not going to be totally under, we would not have needed most of these people. I can’t imagine what that portion of the process did to the cost….) Anyway, everyone we met was super nice and thoughtful and understanding, and when I occasionally started crying they all rushed to give me tissue, hold my hand, etc.
We had a few requests for my doctor: (1) handprints and footprints if she could get them, (2) take a blanket back for the baby, and (3) take some tissue from the baby for a study (more on that later). She said yes to all of them.
As they rolled me towards surgery, I was told that they were first going to give me something to make me forget (maybe midazolam?) and then something else that was going to totally knock me out during the procedure. I vividly remember arriving in the operating room, but then I have no memory of anything until my husband was walking into the recovery room a couple hours later. My husband and I discussed later why they had to give me a drug to make me forget—we think it’s because they had to insert a catheter when I was conscious (not pleasant) and didn’t want me to remember. (Well, I don’t remember!) {edit: I spoke to my doctor later and she said the use of the medicine is for anti-anxiety, as it allows patients to be more calm on the front and back ends, and allows the doctor to use less anesthetic, which makes the procedure safer. She assured me I was asleep when they put the catheter in.}
Apparently after the procedure was done and the doctor went out to talk to my husband, she asked him to join her in a private area. Because he had seen other doctors talking openly with family members in the waiting room, he briefly freaked out that something bad happened. But there was no need to worry. The procedure went smoothly, according to my doctor. She used an ultrasound to confirm that she got everything out. She also managed to get two little handprints and two little footprints at our request. They’re so tiny—no larger than the tips of my fingers.
I spent a fair bit of time in the recovery room (an hour or two?). I was groggy at first, and then just wanted to rest before leaving.
I came home and rested for the remainder of the day. I actually feel pretty good. When I pee it hurts a bit (I’m assuming from the catheter), and my calves are really sore. (They put something on my calves before I went in—I think sequential compression devices to prevent deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.) I have a bruise from where the guy brutalized my vein, and both of the needle marks hurt. My throat hurts and I have a cough, both from being intubated. I feel a little bit constipated from the meds. And I’m bleeding a fair bit. But other than that I feel pretty good… although I’m on pain meds for now. The nurses said it’s easier to control pain than to reduce it later. We’ll see how I feel in the morning. My stomach is also noticeably smaller. I suppose the removal of my placenta, baby, amniotic sac, etc. will do that.
My meds are ibuprofen (for pain and to reduce swelling), Vicodin (for pain), methergine (anti bleeding), antibiotics, Colace (Vicodin constipates), prenatal vitamins, and folic acid. My husband is acting as my personal pharmacist and monitoring my meds for me.
Physically I’m doing as well as can be expected. I plan to rest for the next few days (although I’ll probably walk around more than I did today). Emotionally… I also feel pretty good. I mean, it goes without saying we’re devastated, but I cry a little less every day.
We’ve gotten a lot of support from family and friends. On one hand, I don’t really want to see or talk to people, but I love getting voice messages, texts, emails, etc. from people. We have several friends who have sent flowers, food, etc., which is also very nice.
Hopefully I won’t have any complications. One author working at a clinic in Denver wrote a short piece about the procedure and small chances for complications: http://www.drhern.com/outptsecondtriab.htm
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