This is the Barix Clinic building or Forest Health Medical.

Layout of second floor......my room was the last room to the left of the "You Are Here" arrow (or if you can't see it very well--look for the red blob toward the top of the diagram).

DAY TWO: You want me to get up? I'm very content to just lay here, actually.

Just outside my room now: You want me to walk HOW FAR? You've got to be kidding. I'm ready for another nap.

BJ stayed close by mom to be sure I didn't fall. Let's see......you will just have to picture THAT in your mind.

Much of this day was spent with me hearing, "Mom/Susan, you've got to wake up!!" My reply, "I am awake." But I was really thinking, "Now, just be quiet and let me go back to sleep." Bob continued his reading of the book The Shack while waiting for me to wake up and hopefully be discharged so we could go home, since I was only supposed to be in overnight. Well, that didn't happen until Day 3 which I will put in another entry! (He started and finished that book, during this hospital stay. He says as everyone does, who have read it, that it is a very good book.)

Surgery

The guys waited in the waiting room..............and as two hours went by, Bob said he was getting pretty nervous. At the three hour mark, Dr. Nunn came out to talk to them, providing a much needed feeling of relief for Bob that all was okay.

Dr. Nunn explained that he had repaired my moderate sized hyaetal hernia (diagnosed as small) and that my stomach was pushed way up into my chest wall and he had to "bring it down". That took an extra hour and he apologized for the delay. He said I would be up to the floor out of the recovery room in about 45 minutes and they could come up to see me.

I don't even recall being wheeled into my room, but here's how my room and I looked at first. One of the wonderful nurses is over to the left looking at my chart. This is Meela.....although I could never remember it correctly and always called her Meeka (I think I have those names in the right order now but wouldn't bet the farm on it!)..............I talked to her on the phone a few days after getting home and ONLY then realized that I had been wrong all along; she must have just given up on me and let me call her by the wrong name! She was a hoot! I'll put some more of my stylish in the hospital pictures below.
I don't remember this either; but I do remember being in pain, pushing the button for morphine, wanting to move but not wanting to move and being thirsty as all get out.
You can't have anything to drink until after they do a barium X-ray to make sure you don't have any leaks! So sucking on these swabs dipped in ice water and ice chips were the only source to get some wetness in my mouth.

It's time to get you up for X-ray and for a little walk. My willingness to go was ONLY because I wanted something to drink.

I made it half way across the room and that was enough. Back to bed and then the X-ray guy came with the wheel chair. Quite a hoot down in X-ray; hold on to this box up here--as I am still falling asleep; now drink this down quickly--egads! First thing I get to drink and it is nasty, gritty stuff.....with no water chaser either! But I was now good to go and could have a drink at last!

Surgery

I have been so neglectful in my blog--I had intended to be right on the mark but then surgery hits and knocks the wind right out of you. I am back to work and got my wheels back today!

But let's digress and go back to two weeks ago today. First, I was able to go up to the second floor and visit another gal from the Barix Boards who had had surgery the day before. Sandra was having a rough day but I also talked to the gals at the nurse's station and said to them, I'll see you a little later--but I won't be vertical then!

Not long after returning to Bob & BJ in the waiting room, I was called to go to pre-op.

It didn't take long there and Bob & BJ were called to come where I was. (They only allow one person but I explained how BJ was pretty nervous and special needs and could they both come. They were very understanding and agreed. I was so thankful.) The name of my nurse in pre-op was Aster, a great guy who loved to kid around alot which of course made me more comfortable. Aster made the mistake of calling me "Sue." And so I said to him, "I prefer to be called Susan. How would you like it if I cut your name off after the first syllable?" He laughed and said, "Okay, Susan." (I told the other gals in pre-op I would put this on my blog--one of them even came up and visited me after I was in my room!) When he was going to put in my IV, I asked him, "Are you good at this?" He said, "You have nothing to worry about; I'm staying at the Holiday Inn Express and I watched the video last night how to do this. You'll be just fine." I think he did have to do it twice because I have such roly poly veins!

Don't you just love my outfit--especially the hat. I had to do this breathing treatment because of my allergy to latex. That's Aster beside my bed. His outfit is cute too; loved his cap!

Aster's good work on my hand.
Breathing treatment. I was getting light headed from blowing so much in it!

It looks like Aster is ready to wheel me away but I haven't had my good drugs yet so I won't remember anything!

Ahhh! YES! The happy drugs ready to give me after I see the anesthesiologist and my surgeon, Dr. Nunn.

This is Jeanne who came up to the floor to visit me the next day (I think that's when--I was so groggy the whole while!) She laughed so hard at my comment about Aster's name and calling me Sue! This was the time of having to wait patiently--Aster had gone to lunch--he assured me the soup wasn't any good--since I had nothing to eat or drink since before midnight and this was about 11:15 a.m. or so. He also explained they had to clean the OR; at least get all the blood mopped up off the floor! He was such a riot!

This is Dr. Adams, the anesthesiologist. I thought he was cute and too young to be a doctor and told him that, as well.

The recovery room nurse came to talk to me and I told her I would probably be a "BAD" patient in recovery and would not want to wake up. I don't remember seeing her ever again! I'm sure I did but those happy drugs cause amnesia! I'm so grateful for that!

Enter handsome Dr. Nunn:I asked him if we could pray with him and we did. I mostly prayed for his skills and stamina to be just what he needed for my surgery and thanked God for this opportunity and for the staff and for Dr. Nunn. When I said, "Amen." He said to me, "I should have had you for the first patient today to get me started off right!"

He explained to us that my surgery would be 1-1/2 hours to 2 hours long and he would meet Bob & BJ in the lobby after I went to recovery.

(I am going to publish this now and pick up here on my next post.)

Today Is the Day!

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers and e-mails and phone calls!

It's been too long since I have posted but I have been so busy getting everything ready to take off a week or so from work and home and everything!

Today at 11 a.m. I have to report for duty! (Surgery!) It is so exciting. We had a get-together of pre-ops and post-ops last night and it was really great..........inspiring and relieving and assuring.

I'll have Bob report right after my surgery when he's back to an internet connection or I will when I am out and home or wherever! Stay tuned..............for me to be on the losers bench!

Susan

PATs Today!

I passed PATs today! Surgery is for sure scheduled for Feb. 11th! I'll write more later about today's adventures but right now I am really tired. It was a long day and weekend and a long drive back home today. But it's a relief to have this step out of the way!

Ankle Continued: Three Weeks & 2 Days til Surgery!

I kept that cast on for two or three days and ended up with snow in it. Bob & I decided it was not good to have a wet foot and get sick right now so close to my surgery so I took it off for the time being, although it did feel better. It's starting to hurt again now. My Physical Therapy place is getting a new equipment system that they are sure will help my ankle. I went to the podiatrist today and he wrote me an Rx for PT, so we'll see. I just hope the machine arrives real soon so we can get started.

I have been drinking some protein shakes and although I don't crave them, they aren't too bad. I also have been trying out various protein bars. I can't believe how filling they are. But they do say that your taste preferences may change quite considerably after surgery so we'll see.............I can't imagine not liking ice cream! But who knows?

Ankle Cast/Brace

I went to see the orthopedic doc yesterday. He confirmed Posterior Tibial Tendonitis. He put me in an ankle cast/brace. He wanted to do a real cast but I balked because of my surgery coming up. I'm supposed to be in it for 6-8 weeks but I can already tell it is goofing up my knee, hips and back. He also looked at my knee and said there might be a miniscus tear which is causing it to lock. He wants me to get through my bypass surgery before we do any MRIs on either my ankle or knee. Maybe this brace will train that tendon to get into the right place. They are getting an ankle/foot surgeon on their team in August and so he said that might be what I will end up having to do. He said there is no hurry for any of this; other than my discomfort. It is much better than it was almost a month ago when this started with my ankle. But I'm on celebrex which I can't take after surgery nor after two weeks before surgery.