In the recovery room????

I've had three surgical procedures in three months, first time I woke up in the OR and was wheeled to a recovery room where they placed a curtain around me. My sister was allowed in after about an hour and after two hours I was released and sent home. Second time I woke up in the OR and told the anesthesiologist I had to poop. LOL Then I realized I was cramping, he began giving me morphine and they put those lovely warm blankets on me. They then wheeled me to the recovery room which was filled with other patients. They stripped me, changed me, put warm blankets on me and gave me drugs. After an hour they wheeled me up to my room. Third time was the hyst, I woke up in the recovery room with a nurse giving me warm blankets and drugs. I can even remember the guy in the bed next to me who had his leg operated on. I was jealous because they gave him two cans of Ginger Ale and I couldn't have anything. When they wheeled me to my room I became nauteous (sp?) and they gave me drugs. The nurse set me up with my pump and got me a belly pillow and she instructed me how to use it and to make that and my pump my best friends.

I wasn't allowed anyone in the recovery room for the last two operations.

Good luck with your upcoming surgery!

Mary Ellen

The only thing I don't like is waking up....

I have had two outpatient surgeries, it does feal like the nurses were yelling, to get me to wake up. The first time I was confused and a little scared, the second time I was confused but I knew what to expect and was not scared. That is the one thing I've been thinking about lately, being able to remind myself that everything is OK.

Since these were outpatient proceedures I had to wake up, I just wanted to sleep. This time I won't have to go home so maybe they will let me sleep. It is such a deep and peaceful sleep.

I woke up seemingly quickly....as far as my memory permits it was like sudden eye opening and feeling pain something terrible. I was groggy and admittedly VERY WHINEY saying I hurt real bad. I was scared to death of complications...I was scared to know my outcome....but I was trying to think whatever happened it was done and over. There was a nurse who asked me on a scale of 1 - 10 what I would rate my pain. I said "15". She didnt like that, she seemed rather flustered, disorganized, kinda like she was being given alot of us patients at one time and she was trying to get us all under control. She hooked me up to something....I couldnt tell you what...she kept clicking something. I >assume< it was my morphine clicker. She kept asking me if I felt relief yet and I had to keep waiting....as if she kept clicking something for me (morphine?). I could hear some poor old lady crying and I felt bad of for her. We were in recovery together separated by the curtain. The nurses didnt seem very "caring"...almost as if they knew we were out of our minds on anesthesia and would never be able to name names or point them out later to complain. I felt the oxygen thing at my nose but I was afraid to reach down to my belly. I kept begging for water.....my mouth was soooooo dry. They wouldnt give me anything. EVen though it seemed like alot going on and confusion my pain subsided rather quickly......just a few minutes it seemed...after the clicker was working. Next thing I knew I was being wheeled into an elevator, out of the elevator, into my room.....I was dreading having to change beds because I felt sooooooo comfy the way I was. I was very happy to know I was already in my bed...they just wheeled it in and gave me my clicker to hold in my hand....at that time they confirmed my suspicians....it WAS morphine. My boyfriend was right there waiting on me and the first thing out of his mouth was JUST what I wanted to hear! ""Everything went perfect!!! There were no complications!! The surgery went as planned!!"" At that point I was elated!! Ecstatic!!! Then I started feeling wierdly normal in every way..more coherant. I started checking out my room....was happy it was private....BEGGED FOR WATER AGAIN....my boyfriend got them to give me some crushed ice right away. He went to the nurses breakroom and got it I think since it was faster. I had him close my curtains....it was too dang bright and sunny. Turned off the lights in my room and had the TV on for dim lighting. In about two hours I was more alert.....enough to plug in the laptop. I ate the liquid lunch...or part of it.....till the jello made me slightly nauseous. My boyfriend sat next to me in his recliner holding my hand. He asked if I wanted to see the pictures.....I said ""OH GOD,,,,,, NO,,,NOT NOW!!!"" (men!!!!) I sent him home when visiting hours were over. I couldnt handle him sleeping in the chair all night and not eating decent food. Besides, they were in my room every 90 minutes checking my blood pressure and temp and at 4am they TOOK BLOOD!!! My boyfriend was back at 8am. I didnt look at the pictures till my doctor showed up the next morning at 9am to discharge me. She removed my bandaids and told me to not cover them anymore. They painlessly removed my catheter...I walked as far as my IV would allow me.....to my bathroom....I was plugged in to the wall....I guess the pre-measured morphine needed electricity. I thought I used alot of "clicks" but they said I didnt use much at all. They removed my IV at about 10am. By 11am I pee'd my required 100 milliliters on my own and I was OUTTA THERE!!! I waddled to my wheelchair and covered my belly with a pillowcase. I took a pair of shorts that were a size too big with a drawstring.......they didnt quite cover my swollen belly. I begged for bandaids just to wear home....they gave me some (prolly charged me $50 each too, LOL).

OH GAWD!!! Im sorry this is soooo long. Good thing I was only in ONE NIGHT, huh?!?!?!?

Luckily the rest is previously documented history....LOL.

I am scheduled to visit the castle 12/15/03 but I do have some recovery memories due to having my thyroid out two years ago. My first surgery I had a terrible headace when I woke up, morphine took good care of that. When I got back to my room, I told the nice young man who "drove" me there that I had to tinkle. he helped me to the toilet and I couldnt go. My best girlfriend showed up as I was getting into bed and I made her put my face on, told her it was in the bag on the counter. She had a ball stating that I was like her very own barbie doll. I had gotten a pair of glasses from a halloween store that made myeyes look like MIMI from the Drew Carey show. One nurse almost passed out she was laffing so hard. I could see them thru little holes in the eyes. No one knew when I had dozed off, they would just wake me when they laughed. I remember talking to my son and he was holding my hand laughing, said i was right in the middle of a sentence and I would fall asleep. My nurses were wonderful, except for the crabby one. My second visit 21 days later to remove the left side of my thyroid was basically the same, not as fun tho. I knew I had cancer so I was not so chipper, I tried but the two surgeries back to back pretty much wiped me out. I so hate when you just get to sleep and they are waking you up to take your temp and bp, I know it's necessary, but geez. I was very annoyed at the roommate I was given the morning after my second surgery. They were having a party and if I had been able to speak above a whisper, I think I would have been quite rude. A customer of mine from the bank I work at is a surgical tech and she was with me both times, it sure helped alot to have someone I knew there with me. Bless her heart. I am concerned about the upcoming gas i read about after the hyst. as I am quite the lady, NOT, but never do that in front of anyone! All in all after my long story is the nurses were great, caring and right there when i needed them. I did tell my surgeon that he had on the stupidest hat I'd ever seen, was the drugs talking. Best of luck, Mari

Feisty, what's this about pictures? Who takes pictures?

Lana
SAH next week

Lanarae:

When I checked in for surgery I signed a consent to photograph and I guess by using the Laparascopic camera they took pics of my insides as they did the surgery. I was happy to see everything else was in textbook picture perfect health. I saw EVERYTHING...uterus, cervix, ovaries, liver, etc. It showed before and after of the removal of my uterus and I could see the tools they used inside me.

The only thing I remember in the recovery room is the nurse telling me she was putting on the estrogen patch. I don't even remember being moved to my room. Since I had an intrathecal injection prior to surgery, I don't recall being uncomfortable.

I've had surgeries before and usually I remember someone saying my name and actually trying to wake me up but I sure don't have any of those memories this time around!

alto1

You lucky LAH ladies that have the laparoscopy pictures!! How I wish. Unfortunately, laparoscopy is out for me. Gotta be the ole open abdomen procedure. Sigh. No pics. I wanna SEE! Sigh.

Hey Limbo....I to apparently am allergic to the tape, because all 4 corners of where the epidural was taped down it blistered and scabbed up. have scars now. hmmm....but as far as my memory of the recovery room, I remember a nurse I think yelling at me to breath, slapping my face lightly, and tipping my bed so my head was lower that the rest of my body, then I was out again, then I woke up in my room. I was in recovery for about 3 hours, apparently my blood pressure was too low to take me to my room. My friend was waiting in my room, and I can't remember a thing we talked about...nothing.

I have very few recollections of recovery -- I think whatever they use to put you in lala land is a wonderful thing. THe first and *only* bad memory I had must have been in recovery because I woke up and could NOT breathe. It was scary and I realize now they taking the tube out of my throat. I kept trying to talk and of course I couldn't and batting at it. They put the oxygen mask on me right after that and I drifted off again. I don't think I ever opened my eyes in recovery! My eyesight is so bad I couldn't have seen anything anyway. SInce I had a spinal, I do remember the nurses coming by and asking me if I could move my toes, then my knees. Then they rolled me upstairs and I vaguely remember seeing a very bad mural on the hospital wall. Don't remember my husband being there, but he was. Slept on and off the first day, enjoyed my ice chips. Kept numb with the spinal until the next morning and it never really hurt after it wore off!