March 14, 2014: Surgery Day!

Surgery #2 was finally here!  Of course I was a bit of a nervous wreck but I felt a bit more calm than my previous surgery.  I guess because I was a little bit more familiar with how things would take place.  I was instructed to take 2 weeks off of work to recover this time around, which was a bit longer than my previous surgery.  I didn't have to wake up until 7am, but I woke up way earlier anxious to get this over with and thinking it was time to go.  Of course I wasn't able to go back to sleep.  We got to the surgery center and they did all my paperwork, you know, the usual protocol.  I felt like everything was just going by so fast.  After my paperwork was done they quickly got me dressed, put in a bed and my iv was in place.  My family came back to be with me until the doctor came, and all the anesthesiologsts came to talk to me.  Of course I told them my fears as usual.  I was a nervous wreck.  They were doing their best to keep me calm.  Before I knew it, it was time to be rolled into the operating room.  They had given me a little something to calm my nerves, but it definitely did not feel like enough, because I was still sort of mentally freaking out.  When we got into the operating room, they had me wiggle onto the operating table under the big lights.  I kept thinking, when are they going to knock my ass out??!!  I felt them strap my legs down into some massaging bands.  The next thing I knew, I had an oxygen mask on my face, I looked back and saw my doctor, and I was out!  

Surgery was done!  I woke up in a panic.  I've never experienced anything like this from medication before, and I've had several procedures done.  I woke up with my body feeling very suppressed.  I couldn't move or talk.  I still had an oxygen mask on my face, and I started to hyperventilate.  I just felt like I couldn't breathe deeply enough and I couldn't really talk.  I ripped my oxygen mask off and started to freak out trying to take deep breaths.  The two nurses in my recovery room were very calm and put my mask back on.  I kept taking it off and they kept putting it on.  Once the panic left and I felt somewhat normal, I got the shakes.  When I googled this, it said that it is called post-anesthesia tremors.  I'm not 100% sure if this is what I had, but I could not stop shaking.  My entire body was just shaking like crazy.  The nurse asked me if I was cold and I told her no, and that I didn't know what was going on.  She said that it was my body's way of metabolizing the medications and that it is normal to experience this after anesthesia.  Although I wasn't cold, they put this huge heated blanket on me.  It basically blows hot air inside of it and puffs up.  I loved this blanket.  I wanted to take it home.  Sure enough, it changed my body temperature and the shakes subsided.  I was starting to feel as great as I could for just having a surgery.  

I stayed in recovery for quite a bit, but the nurses were very impressed with my progress.  They made sure that I was able to use the restroom and drank enough water before I was released.  Soon after that, I was released and heading home.  Surgery #2 was complete!