By Pam “Gates” Johnson
Well, I made it to the other side of surgery. About 4 weeks post and to say it has been a challenge is an understatement. Let me walk you through the last few weeks.
My surgery was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. December 8th. Had to be at the hospital at 5:30 am, so my daughter and I decided it made more sense to get a hotel room. We reserved a room at the Best Western near SeaTac. It is about ten minutes from my hospital. Had to do the special antibacterial shower the night before and the morning of, no food or drink, blah blah blah. Too much stuff to do in addition to the ferry. It was a good thing to get the hotel room.
My daughter and I don’t spend much time running around SeaTac. She lives in Chehalis, so when she flies, she leaves out of Portland. That being said, we are not familiar with the SeaTac layout. We managed to get on the main road leading into the airport, but couldn’t figure out how to get to the hotel.
Of course, we goofed and ended up at the six-lanes arrival place. As we creeped through the car maze, we saw the sign directing us to where we wanted to go. The lane we wanted was about four jam-packed lanes over, and we ended up back on the road we came in on. Had to find a way to turn around, guess what lane we needed, and try again. The second time we were successful and found the hotel.
I still had a small window of being able to eat and I just wanted some egg drop soup. Daughter found a place near us, so off she went. The restaurant was supposed to be about five minutes away. She was gone for about 45 minutes. Turns out the restaurant was inside the airport. She searched around and finally ended up at the food court in South Center Mall. No egg drop soup. She got me something, but I don’t remember what.
The next morning, we got to the hospital, checked in, and waited to be called. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I recall a bunch of people coming in and out, taking vitals, asking questions and starting an IV. My hand veins are squiggly and can be a pain to get an IV started. The first one went in relatively easily, then the nurse said she needed to put one in my other hand, too. What? About that time, the anesthesiologist came in. Turns out, the second IV could be put in after I was asleep, so that’s what we did.
The surgery took over five hours. I came out with about a ten-inch incision and eight pieces of metal in my back: a rod, bolts, screws, and who knows what else. I had no idea my back was so screwed up. If I ever have to go through security at an airport, the alarms will go off like a siren.
I will skip all the hospital stuff. They kept me there for two nights. Had me on my feet the first night. It wasn’t painful because I was whacked out on goofballs. The one interesting thing that happened was the drain on my incision came loose. I felt something wet on my chest, reached down, and came up with a handful of blood. Dripping down my gown and into my hair.
I couldn’t find the nurse call button, so I started yelling, “Help! I’m bleeding!” The hospital was understaffed, so it took a few minutes to get someone in there to figure out what was going on. By then, my hair and gown were soaked. They ripped the gown off and wiped my hair a little, gave me a new gown, and that was that. My hair was still bloody.
I got home a couple of days later. There were a few hiccups and one 911 call, but now it’s all going well. My doctor says I am doing good. My physical therapist says I am doing well. My daughter stayed for two weeks, but I’m on my own now. It’s been a learning experience. The three big rules are: 1. don’t bend, 2. don’t twist, and 3. don’t lift anything over five pounds. Try getting into a bed or a car without twisting. Not easy.
Anyway, I am getting better. Still housebound, so I have to rely on the generosity of friends, who have stepped up and really helped me out. The holidays were weird, but managed to get through them. I was lamenting the fact I had no Christmas tree, so a good friend brought me a little 4-footer to put on my front-room table. That cheered me up. Two good friends came over and wrapped the Christmas presents I ordered online. My Vashon kids had Christmas dinner here with me. My Chehalis kids are coming up soon.
I see the doctor on February 2nd and hopefully he will tell me I can go back to the pool. Until then, I am sitting here watching TV, dealing with bouts of self-pity and tears, and knitting a little. I am so thankful for my family and all my good friends who stop by to cheer me up and bring me goodies to eat.
Doc says it will take a full year to heal. One month down, eleven to go. I can do this.
