Live your love, Love your life

The Surgery
January 20th, 2009:
My alarm rang at 4.50AM as I set last nite. But, I turned it off and went back to sleep. 22 minutes later I woke up in panic and woke Loel up. "Come on, come on, it's time!" I turned on shower and douche and then rubbed Hibiclens antimicrobial soap three times around my belly and arms (well, the direction only calls for twice, but I just want to make sure the site is immaculately clean..he..he...). I dried it with clean towel. We only slept for about 5 hours or less, since we talked a lot last nite. Loel preparing his coffee and some snacks to have while waiting for my surgery. I prayed to God and Holly Mother Mary to watch over me. At 5.36AM, we were all ready to go.

On the way, we rehearsed the worst scenario: if doc says he find cancerous cells and want to do hysteroctomy, or if doc says i need blood transfussion. Loel got all the answers right. Good! But, then he grabbed my hands and said,"You'll be OK. Let's think that everything's going smoothly.OK?"

5.50AM we entered the lobby waiting room. The receptionist told me to sit down and wait. Around 6.10AM a black guy in scrub carrying a clipboard entered the room and started to call everybody on his list. There were about 7 patients with their families. Then we followed him to the second floor where the surgery center located. He gave us short tour of the surgery waiting room, the restroom, and the recovery room which also function as pre-operation room. He explained that for outpatients, the family can come into the recovery room once the patient wakes up. But for inpatients, the family has to wait until the patient moved into his/her own room, which will be on the fourth floor. He then asked us all to follow him into the recovery room.

The room is big, with about 10 beds which each is separated with long thick curtain. A nurse in blue scrub called each of us with our doctor's name then showed our bed. "Dr. Blumhagen?" It's me! She lead me and Loel into my bed. There were two sets of blankets at the foot of the bed and a hospital gown. On the side there were an IV stand with IV bag and tube set ready, also another stand that looks like monitor. On the right side of bed there was a monitor screen on a flexible metal arm. I said,"Aha..we can watch inauguration while waiting here." But Loel said it might be a heartbeat monitor or something. About 10minutes later, another nurse in blue scrub came introduced herself as Jeena. She went through her clipboard, confirming my name, birth date, allergies concern, diet, medications and supplements I currently taking, did I do pre-op prep today, etc. Then she asked me to change into hospital gown and lay down, she gave us hospital bags to put my belongings. Few minutes later, she put some wristbands on my right arm.

White band with patients info and medical record (med rec) barcode, red band for my allergy alert, and yellow band for "Fall Prevention" means I am not allowed to fall. She put compression wraps around my legs. These wraps will be connected to a machine that will pumping air pressure to "massage" my legs. It's a routine procedure to prevent blood clot. Then she asked if I want to watch some tv, i said of course. She couldn't find the power button, I did. So, we had tv to watch while we're waiting for my doctor. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, Loel said doc might be having his breakfast at McDonnald or something. he..he..I saw other patients already in their beds with IVs and monitors on. Some of them already went to surgery rooms. Then a male nurse in scrub came to my bed introduced himself as anaesthesia assistant. He started to find my vein to place the IV line. He felt my hands were cold,"Are you nervous, Maria? Don't worry we'll make you feel comfortable. You won't feel any pain, you won't remember anything during surgery. I promise you that." Three times tries on my left hand with different size of needles, no luck, then he tried again on my right hand, still no luck. He said,"Did you forgot to bring your vein with you? Did you leave it home?" yeah..yeah..i suffer here and you made joke! He called another assistant, who is younger. He rubbed my hand with alcohol wipe, tapped it, and poked it in different site. It didn't satisfy him but he put the line in there anyway since we had to get the anaesthesia medication started. After 30minutes, which was like forever, Dr. Blumhagen came with his smiley face. Ask how was everything and grabbed my hands and promised me that I'll be OK and he'll do his best. He said he'll make a "bikini line" incission and it'll look great. He also said that I will be given 'self-inject morphine' after surgery so I won't feel any pain. I thanked him. One nurse put a clip on my left index finger to check my oxygen level, and a blood pressure monitor on my left arm. Other nurse injected me with test-dose of antibiotic, and anaesthesia medication. When Dr. Blumhagen came back and check on my clip board, he wanted other antibiotic instead. Another dose of anaesthesia injected through my vein and it was painful, like burning. So, he injected some numbing medicine afterward. He said,"Do you feel better now? This medicine will make you relax." Another nurse told Loel it was time to go, he grabbed my hands and we kissed. "Promise me you won't leave untill it's done?" "I promise. You'll be OK." Then, she lead him out.

After series of anaesthesia injections, they brought me into surgery room. I felt so relax and happy and a bit drowsy. I saw a clock showed 6.55AM. The room is big, with 2 big round lamps, wall was mostly glass shelves with blue scrubs, clothes, some metal instruments, etc. I remembered they moved me into the table, put hair cap, put blue mask on my face, and I heard people talkings...and...more talkings...and...

I don't remember a thing after that. Neither that they asked me to count down from 10, or "ok, it's time to pick the island to land" or something like that. It happened so fast. When I woke up, I already back in my bed in recovery room. Oxygen tube in my nose, different kinds of cords and tubes on my chest and both arms. I heard hissing from my legs. I heard people talks. I felt confused, numbed, drowsy, and groggy. "Why am I still laying here? Did they cancel the surgery?" A male nurse came and checked on my vital and said,"Welcome back, sleeping beauty. How are you?" I said I was groggy. He said,"It's OK. You just came back from deep sleep. You're doing great!" Then I saw the clock showed 9.33, then I passed out. Then I heard voices tried to wake me up. It was Dr. Blumhagen,"You are doing great, Maria. We took the mass out. It was pretty big (he made a figure of a ball with his hands)." I asked if everything was OK, he said yes. The first appearance shows it's benign. But to make sure, he sent eh mass to the pathology lab for further evaluation. "OK. You need some rest. We talk again when you are fully awake. OK?" I thanked him, and passed out, again. I spent 2 hours in the recovery room. It was funny how it felt like. I was in stage between conscious and unconscious all the time. I could hear people talk, but somehow it was blur, like a dream.

Out of Recovery Room

At last, I heard a nurse said they found room for me and they're gonna take me to my room soon. He told a female nurse,"Go tell her husband we're gonna take her to room 419. I believe he's in waiting room right now." Then I heard they unplugged my chest monitors and get me ready to go. I heard one of them ask if I was OK. I opened my eyes and said yes. I saw the time was 11.20. I was off again. I felt they pushed the bed out of recovery room, into the elevator, and into the room. Then I saw Loel was there! I smiled and relieved. The nurses asked if I can move myself into the room bed. I said I'll try. Loel helped and I moved successfully into the other bed. Then I was off, again:( But before long I heard nurse told Loel, "She's OK. She'll be on and off for a while. You can go home and come back later when she's awake." I heard him said something then I lost it...


When I woke up again at 12.00 nobody was in my room. My lower abdomen was numb and sore. I heard hissing again and found out it came from compression wraps on my legs. I explored my room, there was a clock on the wall, a cross with corp under it (made me wonder if this hospital is owned by a catholic charity), a sink on the right wall, a bathroom behind that wall, a huge window with nice view to I-183 traffic, a tv. TV?? Suddenly, I remember the inauguration of Barrack Hussein Obamma must be happening now. Then I looked around for a tv remote. Nothing. Then I learned that my bed rail was equipped with all control I need: the reading light, room light, tv control (channel and volume), nurse call, bed adjustment control (for back and leg comfort). Cool! So, I turned tv on, adjusted my bed, and chose the channel. Yes! It was just in time when Obama said his swear after the minister. And apparently he said it too fast, then he forgot the line, then he had to repeated the line. ha..ha.. He must be nervous. He is the first African-American president in US history. If only I could vote I'd vote for him. He's intelligent, smart, confident, and love his family. But he's gonna face lots of pressure, too in today's situation where US economy was badly damaged by Bush, Jr. and his crownies.

I could only stayed awake for about 10-20 minutes then drifting out again. That was my afternoon felt like, pretty much. I was so thirsty, my lips dried, and my throat sores. I called nurse to see if I can have a sip of water or something. Nurse came with a cup of ice chips. I couldn't drink water until anaesthesia drugs wear off. Once the ice chips melted in my mouth I felt so good, it was like finding oasis in the desert. Thank God!

I heard knock on the door, a priest in black suit came in and introduced himself as Father Richard. We had some conversation. Latter on we found out I am catholic and he is catholic priest. He serves in the chappel at the lobby. Every Wednesday, they have mass at 11.30. But, I don't think I can make it to the mass tomorrow. So, he asked if I want to have anointing of the sick sacrament, I said I do. He said prayer followed by Our Father, then he anointed my forehead and my palms with oil and skipped the communion. Father Richard stayed for a while, he said he's gonna send communion minister to serve me while I was here. Aah...another oasis in this desert island...Thank God!


I woke up again around 2PM, I think, when I started to feel pain and sore in my abdomen. It was like sharp stab randomly around my lower abdomen. I called nurse asking for pain killer. She came in and put what looks like trigger device with a little button on the tip in my finger and said, "If you feel any unconfortable pain, just press the button. It will run the morphine drips into your IV line." Gosh, I forgot all about this 'self-inject morphine' he..he..This morphine drips was controled by a computer that will deliver certain amount of morphine each time I press the button. The machine only allowed me to push button once every 10 minutes or so. To prevent illegal usage, both morphine bag and the controller were encaved in a locked-hard plastic-container, as you can see in the pic.
Alright, morphine drips, let's have some fun! Hesitatedly, I pressed my morphine drips. It only took less than a minute for the drug to get into my blood. I felt calm, comfy, and drowsy. I fell into a neverland....



I woke up when a nurse came in to check something underneath my bed. I then realized there was a urine catheter inserted into my urethra. I also realized that they removed the IV line into my left arm, just 3 inches below my wrist. Glad they did it when I was unconscious, it must be painful. Nurse checked on the thick dressing they put on top of the incision,"Looks like the wound is drained pretty good."


When I woke up again around 4.30pm, Loel was already there. He said he'd only been there for 10 minutes but did not want to wake me up. So, we were excitedly exchaged stories. Loel said it was faster that he thought. We watched Simpsons, then he went back home. He is still struggling with coughs. I told him to go to a doc and get antibiotic but he refused. He hates doctor. After he left, I fell asleep for a while until a nurse came to check my incision and my vital. His name is Greg, young and handsome,"Ma'am, I'm gonna change this dressing with the thin one." It hurt when he pulled out the tape, even he did it very gently. I need my morphine drips!