My "Piece of Cake"

[bassin_bug]

I just wanted to tell you guys my first surgical procedure is over and here is how it went. The doctors and nurses assured me it would be a 'piece of cake' and I had NOTHING to worry about. Oh, really? That was my first clue to sit up and pay attention. My very smart Egyptian doctor came in and explained, in detail and broken English, everything he planned to do to make my injuries heal enough, in one month, for the next step in preparation for repair of my neck fractures. Important things like "we put anti-static shoes on you feet to prevent static electricity, a head cover to keep the surgical area sterile, (nobody told me I was having a brain transplant), a needle with tube will be inserted in back of your hand so we can give you anesthesia when we get to operating room. Nurse fill tube with saline to keep tube open to run anesthesia during surgery." Major details like that were not what I wanted to know. As he stood up to leave the room I asked him to give me five minutes to pray before the nurse came to wheel me to the operating room. He said, "I give you time to pray to YOUR God for help then I send you to OR." FOR HELP?!! My piece of cake was quickly losing its flavor.

The nurse came in with a wheelchair and my chart. As we were going to the prep room, she stopped in the hall and checked my ID bracelet and read the procedure aloud. "Mrs. Bug we will be doing surgery on your lower back this morning." I asked her to read it again; she did and didn't change a word. I got up out of the wheelchair and backed my butt against the wall and refused to move, not saying a word. I started peeling tape, removing needles, and watched the blood fly as I threw the crap down on the floor. She grabbed me by the arm and asked her most intelligent question of the day, "Mrs. Bug, what's wrong, are you okay? Please come sit down!" I said, "No, YOU need to be the one sitting down right now. You have just violated every rule of the medical profession in existence and I just saved the jobs of everyone involved in my care. I don't have a back injury, I am not scheduled for back surgery, and you are one of the luckiest people alive right now. If anyone had done back surgery on me, I would own this whole freaking hospital and you would be working for me for the rest of your life. If you had read my chart like you were supposed to you would have been familiar with my case and not had someone else's orders in my chart."

I looked over at my husband who had stood by silently, his eyes the size of huge cups of coffee. Nurses were running all over each other, some looking for records, others trying to pamper me. Within 5-10 minutes they had everything in order and I was in the operating room. I wasn't afraid because I knew, after my explosion, I would be getting some very good care.

Fast forward....the doctors had to use a mixture of steroids and two other meds to make the splintered nerves heal. That is liquid fire! They explained the side effects and I thought, 'after all I've been through, this will be another 'piece of cake.' I lay in bed all night staring at the ceiling with my eyelids stuck on "OPEN." My nerves were wound up as tight as a $2 Timex and I'll swear I think I heard the Russian army marching through my head. Then the hiccups started right on cue and lasted for 8 days and nights; they were accompanied by acid reflux that seemed to be dripping out of every orifice. I felt a weird kind of heat start in my chest area and spread throughout my body, I was hotter than Clint Eastwood's handgun. First I threw off the quilt, later the blanket, then the sheet. Next went my gown and I was still roasting from the inside out. I was naked as a picked bird and had nothing else I could remove unless I shaved my head and eyebrows.

Ahh! I remembered there was plenty of snow outside so I got up and held to the wall to sneak out onto the patio. My husband heard me and came to see where I was going in the middle of the night, barefoot, naked, and walking around in the snow. I told him I was just looking for an igloo to sleep in. Bless his sweet heart; he offered me a blanket to keep me warm.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for me and please keep me on your prayer list because this has only been the first of 4 steps in the process. The toughest is yet to come.

[Tyme2fish]

Great post Bug. I'm glad it all worked out in the end. I was hoping you'd post soon as I was worried about you. Get well soon.

[mhall]

Hang in there Miss Bug you know your buddies here at fishin.com are in your corner.
To a speedy recovery and all going well.

[psprowler]

They now do what is called a "time-out" to prevent wrong patient/wrong site procedures. It sounds stupid, but what happened to you is the exact reason they do it. You might have been already under when the "time-out" was done.

Best of luck in your recovery process.

[DJD]

My goodness your post about had me tearing up...I hate to see anyone (and family) go through this kind of trauma after seeing what it did to me and mine with my Dad. I'm very happy for you that your Husband is an awesome dude plus you have always glowed on here with your faith....Sounds like you have a great team on your side! I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Don

[RoadToad]

Glad to hear you're doing okay now. Let's hope the rest really IS a "piece of cake."

[bassin_bug]

They now do what is called a "time-out" to prevent wrong patient/wrong site procedures. It sounds stupid, but what happened to you is the exact reason they do it. You might have been already under when the "time-out" was done.

Best of luck in your recovery process.

I am very familiar with "time-out" that's why I called my own and looked at my records first along with medical personnel. If doctors had done it with my aunt, they wouldn't have removed the wrong leg.

Thanks for your best wishes.

[psprowler]

Sounds like you did call your own timeout, and a full one at that!

[kyfanatic]

Wondered why you hadn't been around much lately,I'll say a prayer for you.
Did you hurt yourself celebrating Alabama's win J/K
Hope you heal up quickly Bug.

[roadrunner]

Bug I have not been on the board much and had no idea what you were going through I will be thinking and praying for a complete recovery. I did think of you while I was watching Tide football game.

[bassin_bug]

Bug I have not been on the board much and had no idea what you were going through I will be thinking and praying for a complete recovery. I did think of you while I was watching Tide football game.

Thank you for remembering me. About the only body part I could move during the Tide game was my mouth and it was rattling 90 mph and at high volume. lol

Seriously, I appreciate your prayers and the prayers of everyone; my entire body is aching deeply this morning. No pity party for me; I just have to fight harder today and keep on pushing through this challenge. "This too shall pass."

[Tom523]

I hope everything works out for ya. My wife was in the middle of surgery last tuesday and the doctor said the machine that they use for the procedure was broke. She has to go through it all again . We'll find out on Feb. 8.