M and I’s surgeries were adjusted back a little with some type of hospital function, so Kathy and I only had to be there by 9am. I changed into the gown, reviewed paperwork with the nurse, and had the IV entry port placed into my arm.
After a while, they wheeled me down to the surgical waiting area that I fell asleep in last time. Mary-Lou, of Cocoon House lore, stopped by to tell me she would be in the OR with me, as well as Pam, who also stopped by. Dr. O also stopped by to check up on everything, said M’s surgery went excellent, and that he would be in his office until things were ready to go.
So, Pam wheeled me down to the OR, a trip I didn’t get to see last time. Yeah, I finally got to see the OR. It smelled very sterile; sterile in more of an anti-septic way than a “fresh” way. I moved from the gurney to the OR table. They hooked up the IV, put my arms in these little pads along the sides of my body, placed a bunch of blankets over me, placed sensors on my chest to monitor my heart, placed these gooey pads on my legs (which they said were to ground me for the cauterizer), and then called Dr. O to tell him things were ready. I felt calm, but yet, I was also nervous a bit, evident by the small amount of shaking in my legs.
The nervousness began to dissipate as the magic juice in the IV ran thru my veins. My legs stopped shaking. With the different sensation, I asked, "Is the magic juice flowing?" I think I heard someone chuckle.
Dr. O looked at my hairline and I again mentioned that the right side was higher up than the left, which made the right side the place to start. He shot me up with the local anesthesia, and after it had taken hold, he began to use the cauterizer to cut thru my skin. I knew this as I heard the popping sound of the electric knife cut and sear my skin at the same time. He’d initially told me that he’d probably get 15mm out of each side, but as he worked on my right side he said, “I’ve got good news, it looks like I can get 17mm on this side. No wait, 18.” Nice!
After he made cuts along the upper and lower portion of the skin he would remove, I kinda felt him peel it away from my head...actually, heard it more than felt it. He sewed the incisions together where there was open skin on one side, then used the staple gun in areas where there was only hair to keep it together.
He then moved on to the left side and I think he said he’d get about 16 or 17mm for it after he’d already sliced and diced. Again, the cutting and popping, along with the peeling away of the skin from my head. He sewed the opening together, then used the staple gun again. Before I was even out of the OR, it started to feel very tight and began to hurt. Dr. O looked over the results and said it was very symmetrical, and that I was a great patient. Awww...thanks.
They then stuck my hair in a plastic bag and washed off the area he’d worked, to get rid of the blood and goo around the surgical site. The surgical area and the rest of my head was then wrapped in gauze and I was shipped back to the room I started in. We met Kathy on the way back, and we all rode up in the elevator together.
The recovery nurse made sure I was well taken care of with apple juice and some graham crackers. I was thirsty since I hadn’t had anything to drink since the night before, even though I peed a ton right after getting back to the room (likely from the IV hydration). I was feeling the pain pretty good, so she gave me a Percocet after I ate a little. Unfortunately, things felt a little off in my stomach. I was able to walk around pretty easily and was still quite conscious, so I was ready to go home. Kathy pulled the car up and the nurse helped me downstairs. We waited in the lobby for a few minutes for her to pull up, and at the same time, saw the Scott Peterson guilty verdict posted all over the TV screen. The results of the trial were far from the thoughts running through my head.
I then guided Kathy out of the hospital area and back home. I’d brought some of my stuff along in a plastic bag, and had that as a back up...just in case. As we pulled near my place, I felt my stomach start to rumble. I cleared everything out of the plastic bag as soon as I could before I let forth the first of four solid pukes. It was all apple juice and graham crackers. I felt a lot better after that, and Kathy didn’t seem all that grossed out, but was happy that I had the bag to throw up into, instead of her car.
I took a Vicodin about 3pm since I figured the Percocet probably came up with the graham crackers...but I took it alone since I worried about puking it up again. I snoozed for a few hours then tried eating again...this time applesauce and water. About 30-45 minutes later, I was puking in the garbage can again. This time it even came out of my nose. Do you know how nice it is to have applesauce dripping out of your nose? Not very.
I tried some hot cocoa a few hours later and was able to keep it down. After that, I went to bed...sleeping about 1-2 hours before waking up each time. I got up around 5am and ate a little Cheerios...which actually stayed down. Yeah!!! I slept a few more hours then ate a little more cereal which seemed pretty easy on my stomach.
The pain is much better than yesterday, but I’m still taking an occasional Vicodin. I just took the head dressing off about 2pm today, and showered to get the rest of the goo out of my hair. I’m very swollen in my forehead...all the way down to the upper portion of my cheeks on the sides of my head to the upper area of my nose at eye level. My right eyelid is turning black. My new hairline isn’t as good as I thought it might be, but it’s also still very swollen. I guess I’ll compare the results when the swelling goes down. As for now, though, I look like a Vulcan...except for the ears.
As for the areas of sensation, it’s very strange that I still have a very small triangle of feeling in the very front that exists between the two incisions. That triangle of sensation ends about 4cm back from my hairline. The areas around the new incisions and up towards the crown of my head, however, are numb like before.
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| Live long and prosper. |
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