TRIP TO THE CLINIC:

Today I went to have my surgery in Thousand Oaks, CA with Dr. Feiz. At first while driving, I was a little nervous because the area was quite residential. We make a turn and there's a bunch of run down offices on the side and I was thinking, "Great! This is where I'm going?" After realizing the office buildings weren't the correct address I proceeded to this super nice, new building labeled "Beverly Hill Physicians". Whew! close one.

PRE-OP:

Everything was nice, almost like a upgraded dentistry. After about 20 sheets of papers and consent forms I was admitted and brought into the locker area. I had to strip butt-naked, put on a gown, booties, and hair cover.

I then stepped into the recovery room and it was COLD! I lay on this bed and after several failed attempts to get an IV in place, they just said, "we'll just do it in the O.R.". So, I have to get up again, and move into the operating room.

They lay me on this table and strap me to it like I'm about to get tortured (I've never been under anesthesia so maybe it's necessary). They get a new person to attempt to get my IV in place. Success first try! They hook up an IV and proceeded to strap me in. They were talking to me and introducing themselves, I was joking with them and next thing I know I'm waking up in the recovery room. Whoa! I time traveled!

RECOVERY:

I wake up confused 3 hours down the line. I don't know what happened, all I feel is incredibly cold. As people walk by me, I'm trying to ask for blankets but words wont come out. Eventually someone brings me some blankets, but it doesn't help. I'm FREEZING!!! As I lay there and return to reality, my pains start sitting in. First notable pains are my chest and legs. My calves feel super sore like I had been cramped up for 3 hours, and they're still sore and I've been out for about 3 hours. I am having difficulty breathing. There is so much gas in my torso that the pains is making it hard to breathe (or do anything for that matter). I eventually start to have the stomach pains where the incisions are made. That pain in faint, but I feel it. I ask the nurse about the gassy pain and she made a remark along the lines of "you need to walk a lot for it to go away". So, I'm not insisting on letting me up so I can walk. I decide I want to sleep but there's too much commotion and nurses joking and laughing (and this one super loud nurse with an attitude and keeps doing the "mm hmm"). After 30-45 minutes of me just sitting there watching the nurses play horse-ass and me begging to get out of there, they eventually take my IV's out and monitors and let me get dressed. Thank God! Get me out of there. I need rest.

I get back to my hotel and the pain in setting in more and more. My prescription for pain relief isn't ready yet (they didn't even order it until I left). I am sooo tired I say "screw it" and sleep through the pain. When I'm sleeping, the pain isn't as bad. Once I woke up the pain wasn't as bad. However, I do need to walk around. So, I'm going to walk to the pharmacy and get my pain meds.

I just wanted to let everyone know I'm still alive and I made it!

Congrats! And thanks for all the detail...it really helps us pre-ops! Feel beeter soon. -BG

Yes, congrats and welcome to the best journey of our lives! Hope you feel better soon, take your meds and sip , sip, walk, walk. Things get much better sooner! God bless ya

Thanks for your "reality " story. i have read tooo many sugar coated ones. mine was a little more like yours. i think the operating room did look like a torture chamber and it was freezing and i was annoyed by the some of the "personal conversations" the nurses were having. geesh, glad it's over. my problem was i couldn't wake up from the anethesia and i was there till 10:30 pm... all other fellow banders that day were long gone... i was wearing out my welcome.

so happy for you, your gonna do great.

Congratulations and thanks for the experience sharing ! All the Best.