I went to mine today. So, for all of you wondering what this is... I know I didn't really know what to expect... here's what happens:
You start the day off by going to the admitting desk in the hospital which is in a really weird place. You'd think it'd be close to the front door right? Ya, not so much.
Next you go to the Testing Department. There, the Vampires.. I mean lovely nurses suck out all of your blood from your left arm so that they can test it. Next, the ECG - where they stick all sorts of stickers on you and then a paper prints out of a machine - i'm pretty sure my heart had a earthquake today - at least that's what the paper looked like to me... or maybe my heart was lying... all those squiggly lines, it's hard to say really. Then, chest x-ray. Ahhh hello Radiation, I haven't seen you in a while.
After that, you go to the Pre-op ward, which at this hospital is on the 2nd floor. There, I watched a video about how to cough and wiggle my toes to avoid mucus build up and blood clots. I then got asked my life medical history by a nurse and 3 doctors - all at different times.
The nurse by far collected the most information - to which she said I basically had no medical history - in fact that was a common theme. All of the doctors and nurses can't believe the lack of medical history that I have. She gave me two special sponges wrapped in what looks like the inside of a chip bag (you know that metalic finish). I have to shower with them - the night before and the morning of my surgery. They must be covered in antiseptic or something.
The second person I saw was the Anesthesiologist... and sorry, but if I wasn't married, I would have tried to book a date with hottie anesthesiologist with the incredibly firm hand shake.
Thirdly, I saw an intern whose specialty is actually anesthesiology, but he was doing his rounds in Internal Medicine, so he came and did his thing. He was the only one that actually bothered to listen to my totally cool and totally normal by the way heart murmur.
Next, we waited for the intern to review with his 'boss', then we had to wait for his boss, the actual Internal Medicine doctor who came and said "I don't even know why they had me see you" basically again because I was young and healthy and it was a waste of his time to even bother seeing me because there was no reason. They wished me well and were on their way.
Lastly, the nurse came back and said we were free to go. Only 4 hours. Not bad.
1 week and counting. Have to be at the hospital by 6:15 the day of surgery. Oh how that's just WAY too early... especially considering I have to have my sponge bath before that!
zzzzz,
Kristie
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Pressing On
So, today was a good day all in all I'd say. Although I had very little sleep last night - just takes me a while to get back into that going to work groove after a long Christmas holiday - I had a good day.
Work went well, and went by fast. In the morning I caught up on the happenings between Christmas and New Years at work - emails to read etc etc. In the afternoon I started training my good friend and co-worker Dawn to do my duties while I'm away. Thanks Dawn. You didn't even complain about having to do ucky puky Service stuff... by the time I come back you will be! I couldn't believe how fast the afternoon went by for me. Yay!
My boss (who has been probably more than understanding through this whole thing) has also been great. Told me that all my emails will be re-directed to someone else while I'm gone - I won't even get all of the carbon copied emails that I usually do while I'm gone. Ahhhhh. It might seem like a little thing, but not having to come back to literally upwards of about 2,500 emails after 4 or 6 weeks or whatever the case may be - just a clean slate - is a relief and a joy and something that just totally made me feel good.
After work, I checked the mail. A card of well wishes and thoughts from really great cousins and friends, and a long anticipated CD from my mom's friend who has gone through kidney cancer herself this past year. It is a meditational CD filled with guided imagery and affirmations specifically aimed to help prepare your body for surgery and healing afterwards. Now to be quite honest - I was skeptical. I even thought I might laugh at it the first time I heard it... but I didn't. I really enjoyed it and I can actually see myself listening to it quite a bit in the next week and a half... It reminded me a lot of what my Yoga teacher did in the last part of our class during the meditation phase, so a big, BIG thanks to Arlene too, for sending the CD. I am going to download it to my iPod so I can listen to it whenever I want and more importantly so that I can send the CD back to her, so she can forward it on to the next deserving person who it may help.
I was worried (still am a bit, but less I suppose) about how this week and a half left would go. Worried that my pessimistic self would come out in full force, but I think this CD will help... parts of it already have. As odd as this may seem, I don't think it would have ever occurred to me to try to imagine the operating room in a positive light. Until tonight, I didn't even want to be awake in that room. I was actually kind of dreading seeing the inside of it because for me that would make this whole situation VERY real... and when you read that the operating room is going to be a physically cool/cold room, full of sterile equipment and technology that I could never fathom understanding, it's kind of a scary place. But when you think of it in a new light... as a room filled with really smart, talented and caring people that are about to do a really great thing and suddenly your mind is envisioning this bright yellowish white aura of kindness and humanity that surrounds them, it becomes a warm, friendly, and kind healing room, a healing room, rather than a scary and cold place, and that is very good... very good.
So tonight, I'm Pressing On... a great song written by Bob Dylan and sung by the Chicago Mass Choir. Jann Arden's bleak song is out tonight and Pressing On is in. Please give it a loud listen in a quiet room. It's worth it.
And in other good news, in the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, Canada just kicked USA's butt 4-1 for the chance to play in the gold metal match on Wednesday night versus Russia. Yay Canada!
Kristie
Work went well, and went by fast. In the morning I caught up on the happenings between Christmas and New Years at work - emails to read etc etc. In the afternoon I started training my good friend and co-worker Dawn to do my duties while I'm away. Thanks Dawn. You didn't even complain about having to do ucky puky Service stuff... by the time I come back you will be! I couldn't believe how fast the afternoon went by for me. Yay!
My boss (who has been probably more than understanding through this whole thing) has also been great. Told me that all my emails will be re-directed to someone else while I'm gone - I won't even get all of the carbon copied emails that I usually do while I'm gone. Ahhhhh. It might seem like a little thing, but not having to come back to literally upwards of about 2,500 emails after 4 or 6 weeks or whatever the case may be - just a clean slate - is a relief and a joy and something that just totally made me feel good.
After work, I checked the mail. A card of well wishes and thoughts from really great cousins and friends, and a long anticipated CD from my mom's friend who has gone through kidney cancer herself this past year. It is a meditational CD filled with guided imagery and affirmations specifically aimed to help prepare your body for surgery and healing afterwards. Now to be quite honest - I was skeptical. I even thought I might laugh at it the first time I heard it... but I didn't. I really enjoyed it and I can actually see myself listening to it quite a bit in the next week and a half... It reminded me a lot of what my Yoga teacher did in the last part of our class during the meditation phase, so a big, BIG thanks to Arlene too, for sending the CD. I am going to download it to my iPod so I can listen to it whenever I want and more importantly so that I can send the CD back to her, so she can forward it on to the next deserving person who it may help.
I was worried (still am a bit, but less I suppose) about how this week and a half left would go. Worried that my pessimistic self would come out in full force, but I think this CD will help... parts of it already have. As odd as this may seem, I don't think it would have ever occurred to me to try to imagine the operating room in a positive light. Until tonight, I didn't even want to be awake in that room. I was actually kind of dreading seeing the inside of it because for me that would make this whole situation VERY real... and when you read that the operating room is going to be a physically cool/cold room, full of sterile equipment and technology that I could never fathom understanding, it's kind of a scary place. But when you think of it in a new light... as a room filled with really smart, talented and caring people that are about to do a really great thing and suddenly your mind is envisioning this bright yellowish white aura of kindness and humanity that surrounds them, it becomes a warm, friendly, and kind healing room, a healing room, rather than a scary and cold place, and that is very good... very good.
So tonight, I'm Pressing On... a great song written by Bob Dylan and sung by the Chicago Mass Choir. Jann Arden's bleak song is out tonight and Pressing On is in. Please give it a loud listen in a quiet room. It's worth it.
And in other good news, in the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, Canada just kicked USA's butt 4-1 for the chance to play in the gold metal match on Wednesday night versus Russia. Yay Canada!
Kristie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)