Surgery Day

I don't know if it was anxiety or a form of distraction because I hadn't eaten or drank anything since 12AM, but I spent much of the morning cleaning. See a new nose is not the only thing I'll be getting this summer, my family and I are renovating the first floor of our house. So there is dust and debris everywhere. Great time to get a septorhinoplasty done, right? Truthfully, the whole not being able to eat or drink thing, wasn't that bad. I'm a filmmaker and we work 12-14 hour days, so sometime I forget to eat. Not having water on the other hand on a rather hot day was a bit more challenging; but believe it or not, just brushing my teeth and swishig around some water in my mouth really helped. 

I took a shower, put on a button-down shirt, sweatpants, and a comfortable pair of sneakers. Note: Although it looked odd, I'm so glad I wore what I wore. The button down was great because I couldn't lift anything over my head, and the sweatpants were easy to get on and off. Finally made it to the hospital in time to check-in at 12:30. I had my parents and best friend there as my support team. 

It wasn't long before I was called into the pre-op room. After answering a few questions, I put on my gown and hopped into bed. (NOTE: The nurses at Kaiser Woodland Hills are awesome. They are kind, assertive, and not afraid to crack jokes.) Two nurses came in, one to get me started on the IV and another to distract me, so that I wouldn't feel the pain (which there was none of). NOTE: THE NURSE NUMBED MY HAND BEFORE PLACING THE IV NEEDLE IN. APPARENTLY NOT MANY HOSPITALS DO THAT. 

Soon after my support team came in and started to take photos of me and began crack jokes at my expense. Not fun when your sitting helplessly in a small bed (I'm 6'1") wearing a ridiculous hat. But I love them. 

Dr. Nettar came in to check-in on me, which was kind seeing that he had been operating all day and was probably really exhausted. 

Going off tangent here... I learned something very interesting today... Apparently right after surgery that wake you up for a quick second to pullout the Tracheal Tube (the one that helps you breathe). I don't even remeber having to go throught that. Here is the interesting thing though... I was told that younger male patients that have a lot of the adrenaline and are excited, tend to through punches and get really physical. My nurse told me with one patient she had to literally jump ontop of the bed to hold him down. She said the team is great at ducking, but she said, "if I punch her, she'll punch back!" Hahaha I apologized in advance if anything were to happen and we all had a great laugh. They said there are many other forms of payback as well, one nurse said, "I'll shave your legs!" (Seriously Kaiser Nurses... They are the best!)

One of the final things I remeber was a nurse putting on (I forgot what they were called) on my legs to keep the blood in my legs circulated, since I'll be in bed for 3 1/2 hours. Following that, I didn't have to wait long before that same nurse and the anesthesiologist wheeled me into surgery. As I was being wheeled in, I was asked what kind of music I liked and if I would like to listen to any. "YES PLEASE! COLDPLAY." I remeber hearing "A Sky Full of Stars" as my eyes began to close. 

I woke up in the recovery room, which happened to also be the pre-op room. I was NOT nauseated or in any pay. I remeber being a little annoyed because I was constantly asked to cough to check and see if my lungs were working... I guess. Another set of nurses (so kind and patient) fed me a delicious first meal of ice chips and apple juice. The worst part of this whole experience was having to wake up. I just wanted to sleep... and sleep... and sleep. But after realizing I was the last patient in the room and that these poor nurses had to return to a family of their own, I finally snapped out of it and with their assurance, but on my clothes and took a seat in the wheelchair. Btw, if your are not nauseated from the  anesthesia, this portion is kind of cool-- it was like a mini ride. Pretty cinematic actually, a nice POV (point of view) through the hospital corridors. 

Finally got in car and made the 20 minute trip home (parents drove). Was helped up the stairs into my parents room-- they have an awesome tempur-pedic bed with the whole adjustable back and leg support. Kind of like a hospital bed. Still no pain, except for an excruciating headache. 

I had some applesauce, took my medication, and then knocked the F-out. I woke up an hour out two later, since I needed to use the restroom. This was a bit nerve-wrecking, only because it was the first time I'd have seen my face in the mirror. A bit more swollen than I thought I would be, but not as bruised as I thought I would be. Let's see what happenes tomorrow. I'm really hoping the Arnica is going to help. 

Went back into bed, where I had a bowl of noodle soup waiting. I couldn't/didn't want to eat, but I ended up dipping some crackers in the broth in order to gain some form of nuritousment. Went back to sleep and then woke up hungry... Go figure. Had some chocolate pudding which really helped. Aside from my headache, the only other discomfort was my soar throat from the removal of that tube. 

Oh btw, I haven't changed the packing since I got home. Felt some blood dripping, but nothing excessive. I'll have to do that tomorrow. 

Feeling a bit of an itch on my nose, but nothing too annoying. 

Going to try and sleep now. Looking forward to Post-Op Day #1.