Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Surgery

For most people, having a surgery is a an unfamiliar, somewhat scary, event to occur. This isn't a bad thing in that it's not needed to correct a problem. For me, that's not the case.

I had a minor surgery done this morning. It was to get rid of a bladder stone and correct other problems in the plumbing. As soon as I rolled up to the counter to check in, the receptionist met me like an old friend and already knew my name. In the family waiting area, the main volunteer that gives updates knows my parents on site and doesn't need to ask for my name.

When I added today's procedure to my list of records, it came to surgery number 23. For some quads, this is a low number, but it's still a good amount. With familiarity, and not being able to feel below my head, I actually have fun with these little outings.

Unless it's an extreme emergency, you have mountains of questions and paperwork to go through for every procedure. That means I often get nurses that have never seen me before and are new to my jokes, needs, and abilities. The diaphragm pacemaker system is a novel to doctor and nurse alike and therefore gets explained about a dozen times. I don't bother with telling my meds anymore and just give them a printout of my current list. Anesthesia is where the real fun comes in play.

Just after getting rolled into the OR the doctor says what mix of drugs he'll be giving. He makes it sound like he's some sort of server in a restaurant, "Today we'll be starting with med A and mix it with a hint of drug b." As they start to get in your system the room seems to slightly warm up and it's interesting to hear how slow your speech becomes. The next instant you're in a recovery room with none of the same people nearby.

For me, my mind is fully awake, even if my body doesn't care to be, so I get to play. After one procedure, a person in the bed next to me was being asked to move their arm, make a fist, etc. So every time the other nurse said, "Can you move...," I would shake my head no. It took a bit for my parents to catch on, but they eventually figured it out.

Another regular part of the quad life is in the books for next time. It's an odd way to have fun, but it's hopefully for the better.

3 comments:

  1. I used to be a vet student and worked in a clinic for a while. I used to love practicing surgery each time I had the chance to. Unfortunately, the pharmacological protocols for animals are sometimes not very good - especially in developing countries like mine- so there are times in which only few anesthetics are available and some animals experience side effects after the procedure. I know in humans all those things are more controlled, but, have you experienced any weird sensation (feeling too tired, etc.) after surgery?
    What major surgeries have you endured?

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  2. Theory says it doesn't happen but, do you dream while under anesthetia*?

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    1. I have dreamed once while out for surgery. No, I haven't had any major problems from anesthesia. Most of my procedures have been due to pressure sores.

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