Tag: gynecologist


You Have Questions, I Have Answers

9
June

It’s that time again. I have to go through my Formspring account to go through all of the questions. I didn’t answer all of them, because some were not questions and/or they didn’t apply to me personally. I figured that instead of spamming the Facebook, Tumblr, or Twitter feeds of other people or posting separate posts on here per question, I would make one big Q&A post. If you have any questions that you want to ask, there are links below for my Formspring account and my Tumblr ask box. If you’d rather ask questions here, then that’s fine, too.

Question: I want you to try to stop saying the word “fat.” To stop saying “That’s so gay” or fag. To stop saying “retard.” To stop telling people you don’t care. Why Because words CAN hurt people. Sometimes MORE than sticks and stones. Don’t cause someone’s scar.
Answer: I don’t say those things. The only time I say the word fat is in reference to myself.

Question: What do you think of me??!!
Answer: I don’t know who you are, so I don’t have any opinion about you.

Question: What are your dreams u die die want to achieve??
Answer:I’m not quite sure what you’re asking, but I’m guessing that you want to know what I want to do before I die. I would like to finally get my act together and finish the novels I’ve been trying to write for years. I would like to get married and have kids. I would like to be able to have my opinions respected by people that I know in real life. (Some people refuse to listen to me because my opinions are so different from their opinions.)

Question: If a person owns a piece of land, do they own it all the way down to the center of the earth?
Answer: LOL! I don’t know, but that’s a good question.

Question: Why does a gynecologist leave the room when you undress?
Answer: I think they do it so that people will feel calmer and more relaxed. I think that if women had to undress in front of their doctors that they might feel uncomfortable.

Question: Formspring has be come very overcrowded recently, we are looking to cut down on our users so please show us that you are active and press “ask followers” (below this question). Anyone who fails to do this within 4 days will be removed from formspring.
Answer: Obviously, since you posted this a week ago and I’m only now even looking at it, this isn’t a legit issue. I would recommend that people not pass along rumors and things like this. Generally, they aren’t true.

Question: If you were able to hang with ASkars for the day, what would you do?
Answer: I could say something perverted or obscene, but I think if I were actually going to hang out with him for the day that I would just want to talk and get to know him. He always seems really cool, and I think that talking to him would be really fun.

Question: What’s your favorite tree?
Answer: My favorite tree is the Weeping Willow tree. I’ve always loved that kind of tree, even before Buffy came along and before we named one of our Basset Hounds after the BtVS character. I always thought they were beautiful, when I was a child. They always seemed kind of magical to me. Also, they’re one of the few trees that I have never been allergic to in my life.

Question: Is there a celebrity you just can’t stand? Who is it and why don’t you like them?
Answer: There are a couple. I think the one that I like the least is Tom Cruise. The reason is fairly simple. He was going on talk shows to promote some movie and his new relationship with Katie Holmes. While he was on some of these shows, he made it clear that he is an idiot when it comes to information about mental illness and mental health care. Though I believe that people have a right to their opinions, I felt that such an influential person going on national television and bashing something that people rely on to survive was wrong. He may have influenced someone to the point that they quit their meds and counseling and ended up hurting someone they know or doing harm to their own body/life. I also am a bit anti-Tom Selleck. He went on The Rosie O’Donnell Show and defended the NRA and the ability to access guns. He did this just weeks after Columbine. Of course, there are also some idiots who think that they can enter the political world. *cough*Sarah Palin*cough* Other than that, I can’t really think of anyone.

Question: Which Greek God and Goddess are your favorites?
Answer: I would say my favorite Greek goddess is either Artemis or Gaea. My favorite Greek god would be Apollo.

Question: If you could trade places with a celebrity for a week, who would you choose and why?
Answer: Probably someone on Glee or True Blood. I would love to know what it is like to be on the sets of those shows and to get to know the cast.

Question: Who’s your favorite twitter celebrity?
Answer: I don’t know. Probably the Voldemort twitter account. It always is interesting.

Question: When it’s hot out, what do you do to stay cool? And let’s assume you don’t have AC.
Answer: I would say being in the morgue would keep me cool. AC isn’t enough to keep me cool. I have to keep ice packs on me a lot of the time to keep me from getting sick from the heat.

Question: What is your favorite cartoon?
Answer: I don’t know. I’m not really a cartoon girl.

Question: Who is your favorite superhero?
Answer: Underdog.

Question: One movie that makes you cry every time you watch it… go!
Answer: A Walk to Remember

Question: What would you attempt to do, if you knew you couldn’t fail?
Answer: I don’t know. Maybe time travel. I mean, if you couldn’t fail, then you wouldn’t look dumb when you tried and it didn’t work. Most of the time when you fail at things, no one notices. Usually the only time that failures are noticed is when they are related to something big. So that would be the only time you’d really worry about failure. I figure that time travel is a fairly big concept.

Question: When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?
Answer: People.

Question: Out of your 5 senses (hearing, sight, touch, smell, and taste), which one could you do without?
Answer: I think I’ve answered this question before, but I’ll answer it again. I would probably say sight. Even though I enjoy the beauty of things, I feel like my other senses are more important to me as a person.

Question: Would you risk your life for your best friend? How far would you go to risk your life – even if that meant taking your life?
Answer: It would be nice if I said that I would, but I don’t really know.

Question: Are there any songs with your name in that you like?
Answer: In the title? Only for my middle name. I really like Dirty Diana. In the lyrics, I like Nasty. I guess I kind of like Damnit Janet, but I haven’t really heard it enough to be sure.

Question: Will we ever have flying cars.?..God damn it I want a flyin….NO……. I demand a flying car.
Answer: I don’t know. I guess it is possible that eventually we will.

Question: What makes you angry?
Answer: Ignorance.

Question: When you’re on a date, do you think the man should pay or not?
Answer: If he asked me, I think he should pay. If I asked him, I should pay. The only way I would think differently is if we agreed to something different beforehand.

Question: DO you enjoy asking questioins, or answering them?
Answer: Yes. I love answering them, and I like asking them as well.

Question: What was the last film that made you cry?
Answer: I’m not really sure.

Question: Would you survive if Twitter closed?
Answer: Yes. I don’t have to be on Twitter to survive.

Question: Why do bad things always happen to good people? Why do good things always happen to bad people? Well, not all the time. But I think majority of the time it goes that way? Don’t you think? When will the good people get a ‘break’?
Answer: My opinion on this really changes depending on the day. I think that bad things probably happen because life, by its very nature, is unfair. Bad things probably happen to bad people as well, but we just don’t hear about it. It does sometimes think that good people have really bad things happen more often than bad people, but I don’t know why it would really happen more to one group than the other. Maybe it is because bad people are more likely to take advantage of the niceness offered by the good people than good people taking advantage of the bad folks. Maybe good people are just too nice for their own good.

Question: Glitter or shiny things?
Answer: Glitter!

Question: Could you imagine using this in public – discreetly? http://go-girl.com
Answer: Ew. No!

Question: Would you rather be alone with your own thoughts or entrenched with a million thoughts from others?
Answer: I’d rather be alone with my own thoughts. I think that knowing the thoughts of others might be too much for me to handle. It might also violate the privacy of other people.

Question: What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
Answer: I wouldn’t do anything differently.

Question: What’s something you know you do differently than most people?
Answer: I eat sandwiches and meat differently. Instead of biting like most people, I have to put the food at my front teeth, then pull it with my hands to tear into/rip it.

Question: Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
Answer: Doing the right things.

Question: Do you have any birth marks? if so where?
Answer: No birthmarks. I have freckles and some moles, but no birthmarks.

Question: Do you consider who holds the power of the social networks you use and what impact it has on you?
Answer: Yes. Sometimes it seems like those who run the networks are more intent on making money than providing a good service. I know that they are typically commercial ventures, so I get why they do it. It seems, though, that the quality of some of social media websites has declined because of the desires of those in charge to make money.

Question: Would you rather sweat green liquid out of your pores or fart blue smoke?
Answer: LOL! Ew. I guess the sweat thing, but either would be grotesque.

Question: Imagine that you were isolated in a remote part of the world. No phone, no internet, no social interaction with anyone. Describe your location and how you are feeling.
Answer: I would probably feel sleepy. I know that right after the April 27th tornadoes, when we had no power and intermittent cell service, I did a lot of sleeping. I think that I rely on all of the internet interactions to keep my brain going. Otherwise, it seems to go into hibernation mode.

Feel free to ask me and questions that you have at formspring or tumblr. You can also post questions to the fuzzypinkslippers.com version of this entry. I will try to answer them all.

 

Comment » | Facebook, Formspring, Friends, Goodreads, LiveJournal, Music Stuff, Plans for Life, Q and A, Tumblr, Twitter, Weekly Q&A

I’ve Learned to Live Half a Life

2
June

I feel like I’ve been angrier than usual lately.  I’ve been more depressed than usual, too.  (Those things tend to go together with me.)  I don’t know why.  Everything and nothing is causing it, I guess.

Most of my offline friends are married or pregnant or both, or they’re about to get married or they’re trying to get pregnant.  Most of the guys I’ve liked have gotten married, and I know I never had a shot with most of them, but it makes me sad to know that I will definitely never know.  Of course, I should’ve known that sooner because I have given up on ever finding anyone.

I’m obnoxious.  I’m opinionated.  When I’m not being one of those two things, I’m closed off.  I have 2 settings–outspoken/mean and quiet/shut-off.  It’s easier on others for me to be the latter, but its easier on me to be mean.  That tends to lead to me losing friends and ending up feeling like a total shut-in.  Of course, it doesn’t help that I don’t leave my house.  Whether I can or not, it doesn’t matter.  Staying in the same location around the same two people doesn’t help my social life.  So, I’m lonely.  I’m afraid to not be lonely, though.  Not being lonely leads to having some kind of relationship (friendship/romantic/etc.) and that leads to one thing: abandonment.  People don’t stick around.  There are no BFFs.  There is no forever.  There is no eternal anything.  People leave.  It’s what they do.

And its not just the real world that people leave you in.  Online people do it, too.  And in dreams.  I’ve had so many dreams lately that my friends that I’ve known forever tell me that they never really liked me or that they always thought I was pathetic or something like that, and I accept it because that is what I’ve come to expect.  I don’t think I am lovable or even likable.  I have to reason to think that I am either.  I have the same spiel going through my head that I’ve had since I was eight years old.  I hear that I’m not pretty, that unless I’m skinny no one will ever love me, and I hear that I have no values.  Then I think about other things that happened, and I don’t want to allow any kind of pain to be added to my life.  Things that I don’t talk about, that I should, but that I can’t.  Things that occurred a lot earlier and that I still can’t face.

I wanted to get married and have kids, and I know it won’t happen.  I’m seriously considering the gynecologist’s suggestion that I have a hysterectomy.  I’ve had my period for over a month now, and it has gotten really bad.  (You know the size of a half-dollar?  That’s the size of the clots I keep having.)  It’s the first one that I’ve really had since the D&C in November, and I don’t know how much longer I can deal with it.  What’s the point in going through the extremely heavy bleeding if I won’t go out?  What’s point in going through all of this if I know that I will never will have a kid?  And even if I do end up finding someone and trying, I’ve got the PCOS and that seems to make it more difficult for so many folks to conceive.  And if I do have a kid, what happens when I pass along all the bad crap to them?  Wouldn’t it be selfish for me to do that?   I’ve had  problems for so long and it would be wrong to force those problems on someone else.  I’m sorry that I’m whining.

But you know, if I weren’t whiny or whatever, then my opinions wouldn’t be talked about by others in fairly open settings  If I weren’t obnoxious or socially inept or suffering from some illness, then I wouldn’t be entertaining for other people to read about and complain about. And if they didn’t complain, then I wouldn’t get to feel even more paranoid than I already am.  I wouldn’t get to rehash the bad memories of my youth.  I wouldn’t get to sit around and feel even more useless and pathetic than I already do.

You see, when I go around thinking that everyone is out to get me and that people hate me, it makes me get more defensive and more agitated.  It makes me wonder how sincere the next friendship is or how caring that little token of advice someone will give really is.  People screw you over more than they do anything good for you.  Family, friends, the internet have taught me that.  I used to be the hopeful girl who thought the world was really shiny and happy.  I got over it.  The only thing I know how to do is cry or scream.

I’ve cried so much lately.  More tears than I could ever imagine, which is weird because I cried all year when I was in 3rd grade.  Every day, I cried.  But now, I just keep crying.  I keep feeling like my life is somehow gone.  Like I died at some point and my life just ended.  That’s what I live with every day.  And yeah, that shows that I need therapy, but the best I can do is see my therapist once or twice every two or three months and my psychiatrist every 4-6 months.  That is the amazing health care that people seem to think that folks on Medicare and Medicaid get.  I get to go to a clinic where they rush you through as fast as they can, pay attention to things that don’t even matter, and disregard everything else.  Why don’t I go elsewhere?  Find me a private doctor and therapist that accept both, and I’ll go.  I’ve tried before, but they ended up not filing things properly and I still am paying for it.

I don’t say these things for attention.  I don’t expect attention.  Like I’ve said, people let you down.  That’s what happens.  That’s how life is.  I say these things and whine about these things and make posts about these things because this is the only way that I get to deal with them.  This is my only form of therapy.  Otherwise, I sit around rehashing them in my head or talking about them to myself.  I end up sitting in a corner crying my eyes out over something that I could’ve just spent my time whining about.

I have no idea if any of this makes any sense.  I don’t really care if it does or doesn’t.

Comment » | +acquaintances, +ex-internet friends, +internet friends, 10 Years of Madness, Confessions, Facebook, Friends, Mental Health, Rants, Sickness and Health, So Damn Special, Tumblr, Twitter

I No Haz Cancer!

9
December

My gynecologist said that the tissue taken during the D&C was normal. He said it was old, but normal, and that there were no cancerous or precancerous cells. So he was happy about that, and I was more than happy. (Please note: Happiness–reported or otherwise–is a rare occurrence and should be celebrated with balloons, confetti, and cookies.)

He went through my options, and told me that if there was a blood clot risk that he didn’t want to do Depo shots (thank God!) or any other type of hormone replacement. He said that if the bleeding continued, then he could do an IUD or ablation. I don’t want ablation, especially if I ever have a shot at having kids.

He wants to see the records from the ER visit where they were concerned about future clotting. If there is no real threat of clotting, then he may put me on a hormonal therapy instead. He just wants to make sure what’s going on first.

He told me that I may not have bleeding issues anymore after the D&C. He just wants to make sure I know what to expect and what to look for beforehand.

2 comments » | Sickness and Health

Start a Revolution

9
December

Today, I have to go see my gynecological for the follow-up of the D&C/hysteroscopy. I will also get to go over whether or not I want to continue having periods, aka do I want (at the age of 26) to have a hysterectomy? The gynecologist kind of suggested to my parents that I really needed to think about that, and I have been trying my hardest not to. I don’t want to have it at the same age as my great-grandmother. I don’t really want to even have it as early as my mom (age 41), but I would rather that than earlier.

So, I’ve seen that there are demonstrations in Britain over tuition fees. (I know that there are ties into the health/education system that some are demonstrating about.) I read that the maximum would be £9,000, or about $14,000. Now, if I were to go back to UAH at full-time status, the tuition cost for me (as a resident) would be about $4,000 per semester or around $8,000 per year. Instead of being in the 3 year system that would accrue £27,000, or around $42.5k, a new student here would face 4 to 5 years which would be up to around $40,000. Of course, if someone from out-of-state tried to go to UAH, they would face $10,000 per semester or $20,000 a year, and almost $100,000 in tuition over their undergraduate program. The UAH costs are prior to the addition of fees/expenses that are subject to change without the student knowing. At Alabama A&M, a resident would pay $6,140-$7,040 per semester if they were staying in a dorm or $3,509 if they were staying outside of one. A non-resident (out-of-state) could anticipate paying up to $10,000 per semester to study.

I just find it weird to think that people are that upset about their fees when they’re actually quite similar to what people here pay for a public higher education. I understand that fees are higher than what you’re used to, but just think, there are kids over here who have very little and they still have to pay these rates, though some of our schools are definitely not anywhere near as high quality as the ones in the British system.

Now, as for some of the proposed cuts that folks might be facing, that I can understand. Maybe it has to do with a difference in the places we’re from?

Comment » | Alabama A&M, School, Sickness and Health, Twitter, UAH

Work All Day, Sleep All Night

23
November

The day after the D&C, I was back to cooking dinner again. Mom is still struggling to get around, and his royal highness couldn’t be bothered to quit playing Farmville long enough to cook dinner. Admittedly, a D&C isn’t really major surgery. (Though, when I had what was considered major surgery, I went through the same stuff.) This time he was a little bit perkier since he didn’t have to wake up in the middle of the night to take me for surgery.

I had the sore throat I complained of for a couple of days. My temperature was borderline-high over that weekend, but I figured I just had a cold. I was sleeping as much as I possibly could, because I was completely wiped out and because I just felt really bad.

Then, on Monday, I had to see my new (old) psychiatrist. She was the one that I had seen in 2007 at the infamous appointment. She was really nice, and was asking me some basic questions. She needed to know why I’d left the last psychiatrist. (I said I didn’t feel comfortable with her. I didn’t mention that I didn’t appreciate the old psychiatrist insulting me.) She had a nurse practitioner in on the appointment. She didn’t ask if it was okay, and I guess I could’ve asked the nurse practitioner to please leave. I didn’t, though. The psychiatrist asked what medicines I was on. I told her just the Effexor, but I hinted at some of the older medicines. My mom wanted me to see if I could be put back on anxiety medicines, partially to control my tachycardia episodes. I mentioned being on Klonopin, but didn’t push it. Around the time I mentioned it, I had broken out in a sweat and felt like I was about to fall over. I pretty much struggled to get through the rest of the (brief) appointment and then trudge out to the cart in the cold, wet November rain. We had to go get dog food (because we’d run out and it would’ve inconvenienced my dad to come back) and pick up medicine from the pharmacy (again, so he wouldn’t be inconvenienced). By the time we got home, and I could finally figure out if I had a fever or what, it was about 5:30 (past the time when any doctor around here will answer their phone) and my temperature was 100.1°F (37.8°C). I chugged some ice water, took 2 Tylenol, and rested on ice. Thus began a week of sleeping, Tylenol, and icing myself down. (I kept forgetting to call the doctor.)

I slept a lot. I was sleeping so much that I was waking up with horrible pains in my hip/back area, and I eventually decided that I was going to have to sleep in shorter intervals. So, I slept about 3-4 hours at a time, which helped the pain some. It didn’t help the sickness or the fever.

I was going to call the gynecologist yesterday, but I slept through office hours yesterday, and ended up calling today. When I called today, I was told that it would be sometime in the second week of December before they could see me. So, I’m going back for my re-check then.

I’m hoping the weird sleep and fever will get better. It shouldn’t continue that long, should it? And hopefully, by then, the period, the one that had gone away and has now come back, might be less flow-y and clot-y, except that it’s me and that’s how mine roll. Gotta think positive, right?

Oh, and one last thing, has anyone seen Jonna (aka Jojo from plinsessa/hellfrozenrain/bubblecandy). It’s been around 2 months since I’ve heard anything from her. I was wondering how she’s doing.

Comment » | Alabama A&M, Family, Friends, Internet, Mental Health, Sickness and Health

A Personal Appeal

21
November

So, if you’ve been on Wiki lately, you probably have seen dear Jimmy Wales’ “personal appeal” for moolah to keep his beloved Wikipedia running. I think it’s kind of weird that he is doing a “personal appeal” to the users of that site to donate $20, $35, $50, $75, $100, $150, or $250. How many avid Wikipedia users have that much money that they can fork over to someone that really doesn’t need it? It seems like a guy who went to one of the most expensive schools that Huntsville (when I was a kid, it was the most expensive school in town) has to offer would know that the bigger money might come from computer illiterate people who have lots of money and no eBay or Amazon or porn sites to spend it on.

Oh, speaking of Wales, I was reading his bio the other day and saw that his mom is Doris Ann Dudley Wales and his father is Jimmy Wales. Well, once upon a time, there was this sweet older couple who ran a pharmacy. They started their own pharmacy about 12-13 years ago. It was a nice place to go to and see their wall of postcards from where they liked to travel. (They traveled a lot.) One day, about 8-9 years ago, they disappeared. Not literally. They had sold their pharmacy to another local pharmacy without telling any of their employees or customers. Then, they left town. I think they went to North Carolina. The couple was named Doris Dudley Wales and Jimmy Wales. I remember because I have this tendency to look at the licenses and degrees of pharmacists, doctors, etc. So, yeah…I figured out that Jimbo’s parents ran a pharmacy that I’d used.

I was supposed to call my gynecologist this past week to find out what the results of my D&C were. I forgot. I was also supposed to schedule an appointment for 2 weeks from the procedure date to go back to see him. I forgot, but I’m fairly certain that I couldn’t go back in exactly 2 weeks after ’cause it’s Thanksgiving.

Oh, and Nana called this week to tell us that Aunt Barbara is going to prepare the Thanksgiving dinner (lunch) this year. She decided that since my mom has been off her feet/not feeling well and I’m not feeling well that she would do it. I thought that was really sweet. So, that’s a bit of a load off my mind.

This coming Friday is the Iron Bowl. It is also Black Friday. In the State of Alabama, Black Friday will probably be observed the next day, since Auburn vs. Alabama is like two Mafia families battling it out or Michael vs. Lucifer (Supernatural style) or Buffy vs. the First or Haley vs. Robert Pattinson. Basically, shit’s about to get real.

Ooh, I need to do the music thing.

First up: Top Artists for the Past Week

  1. Kelly Clarkson
  2. Sisqó
  3. Megan McCauley
  4. Eminem
  5. AFI
  6. Rihanna
  7. A Fine Frenzy
  8. Britney Spears
  9. Natalie Imbruglia
  10. The All-American Rejects
  11. Justin Timberlake
  12. Melanie
  13. Amy Winehouse
  14. Anna Nalick
  15. Jules Gressier
  16. Cobra Starship
  17. Malena Ernman
  18. Florence + the Machine
  19. Beck
  20. The Dandy Warhols

And now: Top Songs for the Past Week

  1. Natalie Imbruglia – Come September
  2. Melanie – Brand New Key
  3. Megan McCauley – Porcelain Doll
  4. A Fine Frenzy – Almost Lover
  5. Malena Ernman – La voix
  6. Florence + the Machine – Drumming Song
  7. Eminem – Love the Way You Lie (feat. Rihanna)
  8. Jules Gressier – Orphée aux enfers : ‘galop infernal’ (musique du french cancan)
  9. The Beatles – In My Life
  10. En Vogue – Free Your Mind
  11. The Dandy Warhols – Bohemian Like You
  12. Meredith Brooks – Bitch
  13. Justin Timberlake – Like I Love You
  14. Annie Lennox – A Whiter Shade of Pale
  15. Ace of Base – Everytime It Rains
  16. Boyzone – No Matter What
  17. Shawn Mullins – Lullaby
  18. Shawn Colvin – Sunny Came Home
  19. Andrew Lloyd Webber – All I Ask of You
  20. Mariah Carey – My All

Of course, I’m having some issues getting the scrobbler to pick up certain plays, so these lists are slightly off. (Not that it’s really a big deal or anything.)

2 comments » | +qc, Alabama Weirdness, Family, Friends, General, Haley, Internet, Music Stuff, Sickness and Health, Top Artists, Top Songs

Unintended Consequences

11
November

Today was my D&C with hysteroscopy. I scheduled it for noon, because I didn’t want to deal with my dad ranting about having to get up at 3 or 4 in the morning for a 7 AM appointment. (You have to arrive 2 hours prior to the scheduled time.) My dad still ranted, even though his wake up call was at 8:30. (He is a strictly 10 AM kind of guy.)

Before we left, my mom had me go get her some water so that she could continue to get in her beloved ice water. (She drinks several 32 oz. cups full of water in a day.) I thought that was a little unfair, but I tried not to hold it against her. I knew that she is still a little skiddish on her feet, especially in the house.

When we got to the hospital, I didn’t have to do mountains of paperwork, since I’d had the pre-op appointment. The guy who called me to the back asked me, “Have you had a hysterectomy?” I almost laughed in his face. (How many people get hysteroscopies and D&C’s when their uterus and other female parts are gone?) Since I hadn’t, the guy made me pee in a cup. (I’m fairly certain that I was not at risk for being pregnant–heavy bleeding + my continued virginity = no pregnancy, y/n?) I did as I was told, though I hate to do the peeing in the cup thing. When I got out of the bathroom, he had me change into the pretty purple paperish gowns that keep you warm and put a blanket on my lap. I was supposed to do all of this and open the door to let the nurses know I was ready at the same time. Apparently, I’m supposed to be supergirl or Jesus or something.

When the nurses came in, they were ready to do the vitals, the remaining blood work, and the IV. I told them, fairly quickly, that I was both a hard stick and a person with hard to hear blood pressure, including with machines. They marveled at the thought, until I explained that these were common traits in my mom’s side of the family. That was interesting to them, but I think they thought at first that I was making this up. (Why would I make this shit up?) Well, the blood pressure came back fairly easily. (125 over 63, pulse of 92, O2 saturation of 99.) The blood/IV was another story. The left hand didn’t work. The left arm wasn’t having it either, though they did get enough blood to check my sugar (105) and my calcium (very low), sodium (normal), and potassium (normal) levels. The right hand also wouldn’t allow for threading the IV tube. (Apparently, they were getting the flashbacks on each, but the veins wouldn’t allow the catheter to be inserted.) So, the anesthesiologist was called in. (I suggested a Cardiac nurse if one was in the hospital, but they weren’t at Women’s & Children’s–they were all at main on the heart floor.) He used a different type of needle and went in on the bundle of veins at my wrist. He got it to work fairly easily.

During pre-op, I had to confirm my name so many times, as well as my birthday and social security number. I also had to explain what was going on and tell them who was with me. I also had to make sure that they had all of my allergies down repeatedly. It was really annoying to repeat the same things over and over. I had my 4 arm bands (ID, latex allergy, drug/food allergies, and fall risk) checked every time a new person came in the room. Once my parents came back, they reminded the CRNA that I get hyper with anesthesia and that I have the staple line left from my gastric bypass surgery. The CRNA said that hyperactivity happens a lot with kids because they have opposite reactions to sedatives, but I don’t know what that means for adults. (I do know that I tend to have the opposite of a normal reaction to a lot of drugs, though.) Because of my history of nausea with anesthesia and problems with GERD, I was given a patch of nausea medicine, a shot of some more nausea drugs, and a shot of Pepcid.

Because of all of the questioning being repeated, my dad asked the pre-op nurse what would happen if they had someone back there who couldn’t answer the question. The nurse asked if he was referring to people who were in a reduced mental capacity and my dad nodded. She said, “We get their family.” My dad said, “So, if they think they’re God–” and she said, “we defer to the next of kin.” I quietly said, “You ask Jesus?” My parents laughed, but the nurse didn’t seem to get it.

When I went to the OR, I had to go over the information one more time, after being scooted onto the table. I was also given something to “take the edge off” or, in other words, keep me calm and maybe shut me up. I felt my brain fighting the sedatives, which is a fairly normal feeling for me. I was trying to hang on to my waking state, but eventually it became too hard and I fell asleep.

I woke up in recovery with a very sore throat. (I had a similar feeling with the sinus surgery/septoplasty.) The recovery room nurse told me that I should calm down and rest, but that wasn’t going to happen. I begged for ice chips, because I was so thirsty. I couldn’t have them until they were sure I wasn’t nauseous anymore. (I had apparently complained before I realized I had come to.) The nurse got me some a few minutes later and then gave me some 7-up and graham crackers. As I ate and drank, my energy began to boost quickly and I was talking quite a bit–not as much as last time. The nurse ended up giving me some Lortab, which I was still a little too groggy to protest to taking. My stomach was cramping really bad and the nurse asked me what kind of dogs we had. Apparently, before I woken up, I had mentioned that my stomach felt like I had a basset hound on it. So, the nurse wanted to know how I knew what that felt like. We talked about dogs until she was sure I was pretty much ready to go to post-op. Before we left my recovery room, she helped me get dressed. (I don’t think they’ve ever helped me dress before leaving recovery.)

In Post-Op, the next nurse was going to hand my parents a script for Lortab. My mom threw a fit, because Lortab causes me to have chest pain. The nurse claimed that it wasn’t anywhere on my file and I hadn’t told them that anytime before. I thought that was funny since I had mentioned it prior to the surgery at the pre-admission appointment, it was in my hospital file before the appointment (I had gone to the main building of the hospital with the first reaction), and it was on the front of my chart. The nurse went out to the desk complaining, and one of the other nurses said, “Well, it is on the front of her chart.” So, she had to call the gynecologist to get his okay to prescribe something else. So I have a few doses of Ultram now. That I can take. Before the squabbling over the prescription, she had checked my BP and it was 123 over 43. I was a little worried about that, but she said it was “good”. I’m still a little skeptical about that.

I got to leave fairly quickly after that. And I am now at home, trying to get comfortable, which is really quite difficult. I still feel like my throat is dry and raw. I think that they might have used the wrong size breathing tube because I came out of surgery with a really raspy voice. (My voice may be quiet, typically, but it almost always smooth–unless I’m sick or have scratched my throat on food.)

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