MORNING COFFEE

Did you ever have to lay completely still for an entire day. Twenty four hours without moving your legs, hips, back, or raising your head. I don't know what the heck I was thinking of when I decided to have an ablation done on my heart. All the literature I was provided stated that you were not put to sleep, but were awake to "help" with the leads and cameras. Turns out, that since I decided to try this procedure to burn the nerves that emit the bad electrical impulses in the heart, my doctor changed his modus operandi. Everyone always assured him that they could remain still and quiet. Yea, right. It should take 4 to 6 hours to complete the ablation, but it was turning into an 8 to 12 hour job with people not being able to remain still.
Now, he doesn't take any chances. He does it his way with the patient out like a light! I despise being put to sleep.
I feel miserable upon waking up and have thrown up in the past. The nurses promised lots of Verced and something to help with nausea. The sleep culprit was fentanol. Upon awaking, they keep after you to breathe, breathe, breathe. I just want to be left alone to sleep. To boot, I have a sinus infection and all the gunk was running down the back of my throat and I could not sit up to clear it away! I felt like I was choking and then someone decides it is time for me to take some pills. On my back, unable to move and with the gunk in my throat! I already felt like I was slowly smothering. The pills just sort of laid on my chest and I could feel them slowly melting down into my esophagus.
The good doctor knew about my back problems and left orders for what ever pain meds I would like
along with sleeping pills. I had a chat with a very nice nurse that evening about what could be given to me through a needle so I didn't have to swallow pills. She fixed me right up with a couple vials of goodies.
When you are under an anesthetic, you have no control over what they do to your body. I am very sensitive to the adhesive on tape and monitor lead patches. I was asleep, what did they care. RIP......off came the leads and off came the tape. Thank you. Now I have large raw areas all over my body that hurt. A very sweet nurse got me some vaseline soaked gauze and covered the raw spots. It helped! Next, she went over to Children's and picked up some patches for sensitive skin. Maybe next time, I will just go to Children's. (I don't plan on ever being put to sleep again.)
I went into the hospital on Monday for some pre op tests. Immediately, they descended upon me with IV's for both arms. Yes, you do need two. After surgery, I look and I see 4! Plus 3 purple spots where they tried to insert the needle but failed and a place on my hand where they did put an IV but it must have blown. People pay big bucks to get these tattoos! I am guessing it will take 3 to 4 weeks for my arms to return to normal.
Tuesday evening was made quite tolerable with the sleeping meds and pain killers that Lori put in my arm. Wednesday morning I was rolled back to the cath lab to have the leads taken out of my groin. It took about an hour and I couldn't have moved had I tried. These 2 bruisers of men were removing the wires, and holding the incisions closed with all their body weight so they would clot over and not bleed. After that, it was back to the room to continue flat on my back until 6 hours later. It could not come soon enough. When 3 o'clock rolled around, I dashed from my bed. I combed my hair and brushed my teeth. Ah, much better. From that moment on, I was out of that bed and sitting in a recliner to read, eat, watch TV (horrible channels picked be Pitt students).
On Wednesday, I had an MRI to make sure my heart was healing as it should and did not contain any fluids. That was cool, but a nodule was found on my lung and my thyroid. Holy crap! Scared the daylights out of Joe & me. The nurse practicioner blamed second hand smoke. Poor Joe felt so bad. Claims he will stop smoking.....We will see. (He went to light up in the diningroom last night and I hollered. It will be mighty cold outside this winter.)
There was a beautiful outdoor garden on my floor. It contained a water display, flowers, planters, and lovely teak benches and tables with market umbrellas. It was quiet to go there and read. At night, it was lit with lights hidden in the shrubs. Cool.