Spencer's

Spencer's

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Surgery Time!


So the day came! My surgery day was on September 21st. We had to be at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary by 6:55am. So we drove up Tuesday evening after supper. Shelly came and stayed with the kids at our house. We went to Cody and Emily's house to stay the night with them.

The morning came bright and early. We were out of their house by 6:10am. We made it to the hospital by 6:55am. Perfect timing. I got checked in and then the waiting started. They said my surgery was scheduled for 9am. Well we waited for a long time. Richard fell asleep in the chair by my bed. I was playing on my phone until they came and got us. Richard was able to come down to the pre-op room with me. So he was able to be there when the Dr's came to talk to us about what kind of sedation and pain control I wanted. We decided to do the Epidural. That way I could push the button whenever I needed it too. He highly suggested that because he said it's very painful when the stomach is cut. Then Dr. Mack talked to me and said that he was planning on making 2 small incisions to take out the tumor from my stomach. But he was certain that he'd have to open me up from my belly button to my ribs in order to see the 2nd tumor and hopefully take a biopsy.

Anyways, I gave Richard a big hug and kiss and told him bye. To say I was nervous is an understatement. I walked to the operation room and they started to get me all hooked up and started a few IV's in my arms. Then I had to sit up and they had to put the epidural in. That was awesome.....not!! Ha ha! First off, the room was absolutely FREEZING. I was shaking. So they brought a warm blanket and put it around my neck. That helped. Everyone was so nice to me. Dr. Mack had to make sure that everyone knew that I have triplets. So that is always a good conversation piece! Lol!! Then it was time for me to go to sleep!

Richard went into a special waiting room where there was a big TV screen with my ID number on it and they had it color coded. So Richard could track where I was. While I was in surgery my number was green. Then it would change to a different color while I was in the recovery room, etc!! I guess I was in surgery for around 4hrs.

I remember waking up and trying to take off my oxygen mask. Even tho I knew I wasn't suppose to touch it I couldn't stop myself. So they finally took it off and put on the little oxygen hose in my nose! Ha ha! I was really out of it. I really don't remember much. I just remember keep asking about my husband. I kept asking the nurse where my husband was!

They took me upstairs to my room. I was in a high observation room so that means there were 4 people in my room! I was by one of the huge windows so that's good! I was laying there waiting for Richard to show up. I was in a LOT of pain. I kept pushing my button for the epidural. Then Richard came in. I was so happy to see him. I think I scared him tho cause I could hardly move cause I hurt so bad. The nurse came in and decided to give me more pain meds through my IV. Then I was feeling much better. So much better that I was pretty happy! Oh meds make me a little crazy! Ha ha! Then I started to feel very itchy. So I thought I was reacting to the medicine. But they said sometimes that happens with the epidural, so they gave some medicine to help with the itchiness. I had to have that medicine about every 4 hours or else the itchiness would get out of control! So I would ask for my itchy medicine. Ha ha!!

It was a very long night. Richard came back over Thursday morning and was with me all day long. They had gotten me up the night before for the first time. I was very wobbly so they just had me march in a spot by my bed. Then they got me up on Thursday. I was very determined to actually walk this time. And I did! I was able to slowly walk to the hallway and back to my bed. I was kind of miserable with the stupid hose in my nose. It was draining my stomach. I asked the Dr. if we could get it out. So they clamped it for 6hrs and if it didn't drain very much then they could take it out. Well when they unclamped it, it drained a lot. I was so disappointed. My nose was really bothering me. Plus my throat hurt so bad and my ears. I knew it was because of the hose. So to make a long story short, they clamped it in the middle of the night to see how I did. I was on no food or drink so it didn't matter when they clamped it. Well they opened it up around 6am and it hardly drained a thing. So happy! Anyways, back to Thursday night, Richard left later that night to go home. We decided that he needed to get home to see the kids and to be able to work. So we said bye and he left that evening.
This is Thursday night. There's that horrible hose. Plus I kind of have a glazed look in my eyes. Crazy drugs!!

Friday morning the Resident Dr came in around 6:30am. I happily told him that I did good with the 2nd drain. But he didn't seem happy that the nurses did it in the middle of the night. I was so let down. But then a couple of hours later Dr. Mack came in and told me that we can get the catheter out and the hose. YAY!!! He said that I need to slowly drink liquids but no food yet. Not even a full fluid diet yet either. I have to take it slow.

So the nurse came in and took care of everything. She told me to take a big breath and start to slowly blowing it out of my mouth and she quickly pulled out the hose. Oh my heavens it was the weirdest feeling EVER!!!! But then it felt so good after wards!!

So my mom showed up just before noon and I was getting up and walking around my room on my own! Yay!! I was SO HAPPY! Plus I felt like I could totally focus better.....not perfect yet, but way better. Before I couldn't focus on anything and I had a hard time keeping my eyes open. In the afternoon I was ready to go for a walk. I stood up and mom kind of gasped. I looked at my bed and there was a big blood stain. My back was bleeding where the epidural was. So we called the nurse and she looked at my back and said she was paging the anesthesiologist team right away. She walked out and I walked to my bathroom (it's a swinging door, because of the high observation room). Anyways, I went pee and then was walking to the sink when the whole team came running into the bathroom. Uh, what?! It was kind of crazy, as I was washing my hands the team was looking at my back. They all agreed that they were unhooking the meds to see how I did without them over night. If I did good then they would take it out.
So happy to be walking around. It felt so good!!

By Friday night I felt way better. I could focus better and I could actually have a normal conversation!! Ha ha!! It was because I didn't have the meds going through me constantly. I loved that I could actually focus on things now. Makes a huge difference. I could actually pick up my book and read! Ha ha!!

So Saturday morning they agreed that I could get my epidural out. Yay!! So the nurse came in right away and took it out. Yay I felt almost free. I still I had drag along my IV pole but that's it!! My mom came and took quite a few walks, even long walks! It felt so good. We played some card games too. It was a fun day hanging out with my mom!
Playing cards with my mom!


My awesome view from my window. Loved all the fall colors!!

Then around 6pm we were able to pull up the Women's Conference on my phone and we watched most of it. I couldn't sit too long. So we would watch and then walk a little bit and then watch some more. It was very good. I loved all the songs they sang too. I'm glad I was able to see most of it. It helped me a lot. Helped me feel peace and feel good about where I was.

Glad mom was able to come be with me. After the broadcast she left for home. My kids went home with their Grandpa Paxman when he was coming home from the Temple. That way Richard could keep working hard on the house. It's amazing how much work they are getting done.

Richard came and spent the day with me on Sunday. I had missed him so much. So happy to see him and spend some time with him too. I got to show him I far I could walk around. Big difference compared to Wed and Thursday! We played some games together, went on lots of walks and I had a nap. It was just so nice to be with my hubby! Cody and Emily and their family came and visited us. We met them at the couches so we could visit and not worry about all my roommates!! Ha ha!! It was fun to visit with them and they also brought me a little cupcake. It was yummy!

Monday morning I woke up, or I should say I was still awake. It was the WORST night ever. The guy beside me had his TV all the way up and the speaker must of been turned towards me. I asked the nurse to please turn it down but she didn't. It was horrible. I was so tired and just ready to go home. But the Dr. said he wanted me to stay one more night! That was the Resident Dr. Dr Mack came in and talked to me around 10am. I told him that I was able to lay on my tummy so they could do the biopsy through my back. He said OK that we will get that done Tuesday morning before I went home. So that was the plan. Since they couldn't get the biopsy during the surgery the plan was having a needle go through my back to get a biopsy that way. But I have to lay on my tummy. So I was ready to grit my teeth and just get it done.

I was then moved from the high observation room into a different room. But it still had 4 people and I actually got a window again. So I was happy with that. I was able to get settled in and relax and read and have a nap. Then I walked around a bit. Breakfast and lunch were disgusting so I decided to walk down to the cafeteria (oh I got my IV out too). So I could walk anywhere. So I did, I walked down to the cafeteria and bought myself a salad and some chocolate milk for supper. Eating was not an easy thing for me. It kind of bothered my stomach. But I was able to eat a bit. Plus it tasted delicious compared to the hospital food. That stuff was nasty! After supper I walked down to some benches at the main doors of the hospital. That way I could facetime my kids. They were all excited to tell me what they did that day with their Uncle David and Aunt Jill. DJ was super tired so it made him sad and he was bawling. He just wanted me to come home. I told him I was coming home the next day.
My delicious supper!

So happy!!

I had a really good sleep that night. Way better then beside a self absorbed guy who didn't care about anyone but himself. I was not impressed with him at all. Anyways, it felt good to get more sleep that night. I had to go without food and water so I could have my procedure Tuesday morning. I had a shower so I could be nice and clean to go home!! Ha ha! I was pretty excited to be going home.

Well, the nurse came in around 9am and told me that she just got a phone call saying that everything is cancelled (meaning my procedure) and that I wasn't able to go home today. I was absolutely devastated. She had no answers for all my questions. She didn't know anything, she was just telling me what was told to her. She said the Dr (the resident) will be up after clinics but she didn't know when that was. Well to say I was crushed is an understatement. I was going to start bawling. So I grabbed my phone and went for a walk. I called Stacey, because she was coming up to take me home. I told her not to come and then I started crying. I was so upset. She kept trying to calm me down and told me after the Dr talks to me to call her. She can come up anytime to get me.

Then I called Richard and cried even harder. He was upset too. So he told me he was coming right now. I didn't argue with him. So we hung up and I went back to my room. But I was crying most of the morning. I couldn't stop the tears. Sheesh! Dad called and I cried to him, and Mom and Jill called. They all got to hear me cry! Ha ha! I called Richard and he told me he was just coming to the elevator. So I walked out my room to go wait on the couches by the elevators. I was sitting there and out walked the Dr. He saw me and came over, then Richard walked out. So we had a meeting right there on the couch. He said that the CAT scan team said it was too dangerous to do the procedure because the kidneys vein ran right on top of my tumor. The needle would go right through the vein. I asked why I couldn't go home. He looked at me and said, you can. I was a little confused and told him so. I told him I was upset all morning because I was told the procedure is off and I can't go home. Then he said that he wanted to tell me himself. I was not really that happy with him. He had no peoples skill. So he said I could go home. He asked what meds I was on and I told him. He said to go get dressed and he'd go sign my release papers. So away we went!

We got back to my room and I changed into my own clothes and we finished packing everything up in my bags. I went to the bathroom and when I walked out my nurse was standing there. The look on her face was shock. She said, "Oh I see you're in your street clothes." Ha ha.....I think she was scared I was going to bolt. I laughed and said yes, I'm going home. The Dr is out there signing my papers now. So she hurried out to go get them. She was feeling so bad for me that whole morning. Anyways, she came in and had me sign the papers and she gave me a prescription for Tylenol 3's. I was kind of annoyed by then because I told that Dr I can't take those. She was a little annoyed too. I told her that that particular Dr doesn't listen to me! Ha ha! Anyways, she said she'd get it changed and fax it to the pharmacy in Raymond. She told us to go! So we did.

We walked to the elevator and got in. I was standing there so happy to be going home. I kept thinking, these people have no idea I've been in the hospital. Then I looked down at my arm and without thinking held it up high in the air and yelled, "MY IV!" Ha ha ha, I think I shocked everyone in the elevator including Richard. Then we all started laughing. Ha ha! Well we had to go back up and I was walking back to my room and the nurse saw me and I held up my arm smiling. She smacked her hand to her forehead! We all had a good laugh! She came and took it out and told us to go home and she didn't want to see me again!! LOL!
Walking back to my room to get the IV out! Ha ha!!

So away we went. By the time we got to the car I was completely exhausted. So tired. I layed the seat down and immediately fell asleep. I was so tired. I slept soundly till Claresholm. Where we stopped and got something to eat. Then we kept heading for home.
Yay, going home!! I was very happy....and tired. What an emotional morning!!

We got home and I came downstairs and all the kids were so excited to see me. We all missed each other so much. I told DJ to get the scissors and that he could cut off all my hospital bracelets. He happily did it. That's been his job anytime I come home with hospital bracelets on! Which, lately, has been a lot!! So happy to be home!! Now to heal!
Ha ha, DJ ready to cut off my hospital bracelets!! So happy to see my kids!!


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