It has been 3 weeks since my surgery and I'm feeling optimistic!! I don't want to jinx it so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it was a success and there will be no more surgeries for me :) I go for my first set of bloodwork post surgery next week and will see my endocrinologist as well...I sure hope she has good news for me. I didn't see her during my hospital stay but I saw a team of endocrinologists and they said my cortisol levels dropped like they wanted to see, they seemed very hopeful! In fact my levels were too low at one point so they have me taking cortef to raise the levels. I would rather have levels that are too low thats for sure. I don't mind taking a couple pills every day but I don't want to go through surgery again.
Not that the whole experience was that horrific, I can just think of more enjoyable things to do! Mom and I were up at 4am once again to make the trip to the hospital...at least we know the routine pretty well now and know where to go! My procedure wasn't until 9:30 but I had to be there by 5 to be admitted and have an MRI. There was an old man in the waiting area with us in admissions, I can't imagine having to go alone, I'd be so scared and sad. I actually knew the girl who did my MRI as well...I recognized her from when I helped Brandi move into her basement a few years ago! Small world. My surgeons had 3 surgeries that day and the guy ahead of me was getting an MRI at the same time and his did not sound as easy! I overheard something about numbing and spine and oh my goodness it was freaking me out and I felt a bit bad about being nervous about my own procedure! After my MRI I had to go and hang out in the pre surgery area for a couple hours with mom and try not to think about it too too much. I took some funny pictures of myself with the stickers they put on you for the MRI and sent those to a few people to distract myself haha. I looked like I had white lifesavers on my face haha. Then they wheeled me down to the OR where I hung out on my little bed with mom waiting to be taken away. Thats always the worst part, saying goodbye to mom because she gets teary then I get teary and I try not to get teary because I don't want her to know I'm scared...even though I know she knows. The doctors stopped by to say hello on their way in again and then the anaesthesiologist resident came and did her speech and then I got wheeled in - with one of the dr's patting my foot saying not to worry they'd take care of me. I hate being put out, its so weird, but at the same time I remember just laying there wanting to go to sleep so I wouldn't have to look around the room anymore. They had trouble getting my vein again, a trend that would continue throughout my hospital stay! They put IV's in both my feet too just because I'm such a hard start yuck...and because they like to do an MRI and the foot is the best place to put in the contrast dye during surgery apparently. Anyway I remember them struggling to get the IV's in my wrist and then I remember waking up in recovery. Apparently they wake you up in the OR but no one ever remembers, I certainly didn't! I just remember the resident waking me up and saying it went well and then the neurosurgeon standing by me saying he found a tumour and removed it successfully! I didn't catch the details but mom later told me when he called her to say I was in recovery that he went into the other side of the gland this time and found a tumour right away, sent it away to be tested and confirmed that was the cause. He said he got all of it so here's to hoping he's right!! I spent a long time in recovery but I didn't care as I wasn't too with it haha. Coming out of the anaesthesia is so yucky, I just remember feeling a bit ill and shaking so much until they gave me magic medicine in my drip. I had a few nurses tending to me who seemed really nice, one was sat by me pretty much the whole time. I remember other nurses coming over to check me over and saying they'd been sent to admire my toe nail polish haha!! Thanks for doing my nails mom :) Gotta primp for the hospital stays haha. Anyway they finally had a bed for me on the neuro ward at 430 and I got wheeled away to see my mom - busy floor I guess. My nurses were all so nice on that floor, very friendly and helpful. Apparently I wasn't too much trouble for them either which is good to know, they didn't want me to move rooms b/c I was an easy patient haha.
I had no visitors except for mom the first day which was just fine as I could barely keep my eyes open - poor mom must've been bored, but she sat by my bed until visiting hours were over reading her book. We gave dad a call as well, he was the only one I talked to on the phone that night because I was so tired but I wanted him to know I was ok. Mom texted and called everyone else, her phone was busy that day! For the next few days actually. I started texting again pretty soon afterwards too but I was later told my texts weren't too clear haha and they were very short haha. In my defence I'd just had brain surgery!!
The next day people started stopping by and bringing gifts...I have some pretty great people in my life! I got lots of cards, some flowers, and other treats to cheer me up - even a penguin and some St Paddy's day garb! I started messaging people more too but I wasn't using my phone too much just because it was tiring and I hate doing much with my hands when I have the IV in my wrist :( It was a couple of days before I could play cards with people.
I was in the hospital for 4 nights all together and in 3 different rooms haha. Apparently its good when they move you though because you're well enough to move! My first room was private but after that I had to share. My first roommate was a patient of my surgeons as well. Poor woman had cancer on her olfactory gland and had it removed, she was all the way here from Moose Jaw. She was very friendly though, I had a good chat with her, she seemed kind of sad and wanted to talk about it so I'm glad I could lend an ear. They moved me just a few hours later though...at 5am I got a flashlight shining in my eyes with a voice saying "Sarah? we're moving you" and i was just like right nowww? boo. I'd just gotten to sleep. it is so hard to sleep in the hospital. I had to get mom to buy me one of those sleep masks for my eyes. My second roommate was a man in his forties I'd guess who had two kids. His story broke my heart. He'd come in with a sore shoulder and was now going for all sorts of tests. Well, his wife had just left and he was sleeping finally - apparently he hadn't slept in weeks b/c of the pain - and mom and I were sat quietly on my side of the curtain when a dr came in and woke him up and started telling him they suspected he had lung cancer. Well I'd finally become mobile the day before and was allowed out of bed (the occupational therapist and physical therapist came to see me and everything to make sure everything was working ok...kinda funny, I always put kids in my class forward to see these specialists and now i was!) so I just said to mom, lets go for a walk so he could have a bit of privacy poor guy. imagine being woken up to be told that, alone, with strangers on the other side of the curtain. When I left the hospital I gave him my rock Stacey gave me that says "courage" on it. Mom brought it to the hospital for me and when we heard his news we both looked at each other and thought the exact same thing, he should have it. I didn't need it anymore. It was heartbreaking to give it to him as he thanked me with tears in his eyes but it was a good thing I think.
It was mom's birthday on the 18th - and the hospital gave her the best present ever! My release! I was happy I could celebrate with her at home. One of the endocrinologists had stopped by the day before with the good news that my levels were still dropping like they wanted to see and he'd been in touch with my dr. They just had to monitor my levels a bit longer til I could go. We were home just in time to have Desiree and Lynn stop by with the birthday dinner Des and I had arranged to have in the hospital but could now enjoy at home!! I asked her to get balloons and bring mom's presents too to make the day as fun as we could and it was so much better celebrating at home.
All in all the hospital stay wasn't so bad mostly thanks to all of my visitors! Its hard to compare my experiences but I think this one was relatively good in comparison. The first time I wasn't allowed to lay flat because I had so much bleeding, then the second time I wasn't allowed to sit up for 2 days because there was a leak, and then this time I just don't think they cared either way so I got to do both! Yay! It was my longest stay but that wasn't so bad. I had my laptop and dvd's from Dee and my phone, oh and TV was free this time for some reason so that was a bonus. I still wasn't so sad to say goodbye to Foothills hospital for awhile though. I'm determined to only go back for checkups!
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