The mean post-op nurse

Well from the subject you might have guessed that I had the surgery, and if you didn't guess - well I did. On Tuesday morning I went in at 6am and had the surgically assisted rapid palate expander surgery and it sucked. The morning went ok, got to the hospital ok and did all my processing fine. The doctor was a little late, something about a tractor trailer slowing him down. The nurse anesthetist was a girl I went to High School with.

After surgery I woke up and my whole entire head hurt! I asked for my mommy (it's times like these when we revert to childhood) and was told I couldn't see her until I left post-op but I don't remember what I had to do. But she gave me meds and I went back to sleep. Then I woke up again looking for mommy again and was again told I couldn't see her. She was tough, I was pathetic. Finally the pain killers were making me ill and I was actually sitting up when the Dr. S came by who berated the nurse for not having ice on my face. After that I pulled myself together so that I could leave post op and see my Mom and Dad. Probably 2 hours had passed. Then in the get ready to leave area I was still in quite a bit of pain and constantly in and out of sleep. It's all a bit of a blur but once I decided I was ready to go I got a last bit of medicine and then mom helped me get ready to go. I think it was close to 2pm by the time we left. I did get a bit of a chuckle when I was riding through the hospital in the wheel chair with ice packs on my face and people would almost walk into me.

I'm writing this on Friday and am doing ok all things considered. I'll write some more about the experience in the next few days but wanted to give a bit of an update about the surgery and the mean post-op nurse.

Ready to expand

I went on Wednesday and had the palate expander put in my mouth. I'm not a fan. I spent the first couple minutes trying to figure out how to swallow and in the end needed a tip from the girl in the office. slurp. I've gotten much better at swallowing though it still something that I sometimes have to pay attention to.

Talking has been another issue. I took off of work on Thursday but went in on Friday. I'm pretty self conscious about my speech, though it is steadily improving. Thursday I had to call tech support for my Tivo, then Cable, then Tivo again. I did manage to be understood.

I figure when I finally get this thing out I'll have finally mastered it.

I was taught how to expand it, but will not start expanding until after surgery on Tuesday. A couple teeth are a little sore from either the expander or from the bite being a little off. That will all change as I expand, I think and hope.

But a greater challenge has been that on and off all week I've had a cold threatening me. Earlier in the week I was just tired and a touch of sinus congesting, then I was feeling ok and the sinus congestion didn't seem as bad. I'll never know if I was actually getting better or just wishful thinking. Saturday I woke up with my ear bothering me from congestion. I've continued to baby myself hoping that this will all clear up. I'm feeling better today then yesterday but am quite concerned. On top of all of it I might be starving to death. The first 2 days I was having some real issues with eating, and although doing better I am still having issues which have left me eating less then I should be. Yesterday I really started to feel the affects of starvation. I seriously wonder how the people on Survivor survive with so little food. I've had headaches, fatigue, dizzy spells. I've been doing better at eating today.

Here's hoping I feel better tomorrow and the Doctor says I can continue with the surgery this week.

A fitting of sorts

This week I was back to Dr. F. He he fitted me for my palate expander. He took out the spacer and fitted my two (one in from the back) molars with rings and took a mold of my upper teeth. It would seem those rings will be attached to the palate expander. Then in an evil twist of fate he put new spacers in. My teeth have been a little tender, though not too bad, but now one of the spacers digs into my gums whenever I bite into it. I suppose that wont seem so bad when I get the palate expander in... That's just a week and a half away.

So exactly how much blood do they think I'll lose

The other day I got a nifty letter in the mail from Dr. S's office, it has all this info about my appts leading up to the surgery. It also recommends that I take an iron supplement for a month before the surgery. This could very well be a standard procedure since women do tend to have low iron counts, or it could mean I'm going to lose a lot of blood. Losing a lot of blood sounds much more dramatic, though hopefully it isn't true.

I did call my primary care physician regarding the iron because I have hemochromotosis, I absorb too much iron, but my iron levels are on the lower end right now. My doctor said it wouldn't hurt and so I'll be adding some iron to my diet soon.

Wide Open Spaces...

Ok, Dr. F added some spacers in on the top. It wasn't an easy process, it seems I have some very stubborn teeth, they take after me. The little plastic ones wouldn't go in on the right side of my mouth and I got jabbed a couple times on the roof of my mouth with the several attempts. Dr. F ended up putting in a different type of spacer in the right side.

Up next?

First week of February I am getting fitted for bands, I think. I overheard Dr. F talking to the secretary he didn't actually say it to me. Then the Wednesday before my surgery I go for the palate expander, I can't wait! They really do need to make a sarcasm font.

Did I mention that my surgery was approved by my health insurance? It was and I now know I made the right decision regarding that, I'm thankful that something is working out and not stressing me out.

I can't take the drama in my head

Years ago I took the Landmark Forum, part of Landmark Education. The short story is that it's a life improvement class, though that makes it sound really cheesy, it is much more then that. One of the lessons in it is about how your brain and mind are always thinking and talking to you. Too bad they don't tell you how to shut it up. They just tell you that it's stuff your mind makes up.

Well my mind wont stop talking and creating all this drama. I mentioned in my last post that I am considering staying at my parents house right after my surgery, and I'm 99% sure I'll do that, I just don't think I'll be able to handle icing my face that first day. I'm thinking this might end up being a good opportunity to listen to podcasts and cheesy movies I know every line to (but I wont mention any names). Today my Dad mentioned me staying for a couple days, WHAT, put the breaks on, who said a couple days? I was hoping to get out within 24 hours!

I'll have to admit that I personally don't enjoy spending large amounts of time with my parents simply because when they are together they fight non-stop. I can't deal with it... But also there is the whole, I'm sick I want my bed, and my couch and my stuff... I've been completely out of my house for 2 and a half years (mostly out for another 3 years before that.) It's my childhood home, but not my home. I love my little apartment, it's warm and fuzzy and has my stuff in it. That's where I want to be when I'm sick, even when I'm moaning I want my Mommy.

In the end I know I'll figure it out as I go and at some point I'll simply demand to go home, my Dad will comply and my Mom will probably yell at me. But in the meantime why can't I stop the fight in my head about how long I have to stay?

Stuff they don't put in the brochure

First, my wire on the bottom of my braces shifted last weekend so I was back at Dr. F's this week to have it moved back, it seems to be staying place now.

More importantly I was at Dr. S (Oral Surgeon) on Wednesday. The good news - my surgery is approved! The bad news, the stuff they don't say at the first consultation... I'm scheduled for late February. Dr. S went through his whole thing on how he cuts into my gums on the outside side of the teeth at the root line and cuts into the bones to break them - I'm almost adjusting to the concept of this though it's one of those things I think I would rather not know. After the surgery I'll apparently be very swollen and will have to ice my face all day and night and overnight. I'll be in pain for about 3 days, but I'll have pain killers for at night. I'll have to sleep upright the first night. The swelling will last 2-3 weeks and there may be some bruising. I'll start on a liquid diet the first day and then add foods over that next week, but mostly soup, and ice cream types of stuff. Ugh, this was not in the brochure!

I always knew I would be miserable, but this is sounding way worse then I thought. I'm actually considering going to either my parents house or my sisters house that first day and night. But I did place an order with mom for her homemade soup, I'm going to add an order of her apple sauce too. I'll make my own pea soup before hand.