Thursday and Home Again

It's been an experience, that for sure!

I got down there at around 6:00 AM  and didn't have to wait long to go to the pre-surgery room. I was prepared for surgery and the anesthesiologist came in with his assistant. They visited with me about the anesthesia and when I asked what sort of recovery I could expect, they told me Dr. Peaster would be in to discuss that with me. But that didn't happen. They took me right into surgery and put me under.  I awoke in my room and felt fine. Leslie was there and I told her I was feeling fine and had no pain.. just a little stinging feeling.  We talked for awhile and then she had lunch with me and afterward left to go home..

This morning I woke up at 3:00 feeling that I needed to go to the bathroom. I was catheterized but I sat on the commode anyhow. Then I noticed quite a bit of blood and fluid on the bed. I didn't know if that was to be expected or not.  The aides that were in there were new and they didn't know either. Evidently the nurse was involved elsewhere so I just asked them to change the draw sheet and that big pad on the bed and I went back to bed when that was finished.  I figured I would ask him about it when he made rounds in the morning. Surely he intended to give me some post op instructions.  That didn't happen either. I told the nurse I needed to talk to him and I wanted the IV and catheter taken out so I could go home. A catheter is an invitation to an infection. She said if he didn't come by 9:00 she would call his office.

He came at quarter of 9:00. He asked me how I felt and I said "Fine..no pain of any kind, I am happy with the surgery . But I do have questions." First I told him about the experience at 3:00 AM.  He said that was perfectly normal,  I said that would have been good to have known at the pre-op period before the surgery......if there had been one.  He ignored that comment. He asked me what I took for pain and told him anytime I had pain, which was seldom... I took Aleve. He suggested Tylenol since he did not want my blood thinned. I said fine,I would get some. I asked him when he was going to remove the packing and get me ready to go home and he said, as he was going out the door, that the nurse would do that. I had lots of other questions but he was leaving. It was 9:00 and I was really angry. He spent less then 15 minutes with me.

I asked the nurse at 9:00 when she would be able to get it done and she said she was dispensing meds and would do it when she finished.  It was 10:30 before she finished. When she came in and heard my story, she suggested I had a valid problem with him. The woman in charge of Patient Relations called him and suggested he had better call me since I was angry. He called me and told me that he had had that discussion with me in recovery.  I told him that I didn't even remember recovery...had no memory of it at all. He insisted that I was perfectly lucid at the time. I told him my first lucid memories were in the bed in my room. I was perfectly happy with the staff. They did everything they could to keep me comfortable. But that doctor has a lot to learn about patient relations.

The nurses instructions: I am not to drive for a week. I am not to lift more then 10 pounds. I will need to shower instead of bathe. There's more but that's the gist of it.  She also said I could do my sermon on Sunday.

I am perfectly satisfied with the surgery but any doctor should know that the recovery time is no time to give instructions to anyone.  I am to go back to see him in two weeks. If everything is going well, I may just skip that.

Leslie took me to lunch and then sent flowers.

Here are the flowers:

Aren't they pretty?

I have been working on Sunday's sermon. In the excitement of the week, I forgot I was scheduled. 

So more later...