Surgery Day

IT´S BEEN days since my last post mainly because I did not want to bring the mac to the hospital. My blogging nerves were already shot with worry. But here it is, as much as I can remember. The last days went by like a blur.

September 8

Adam and I spent a cosy evening: cooked a nice meal, put on music (a flea market find from the day before, a CD of torch songs) and quietly talked about our plans. It was a feeble attempt at diverting our tension to more productive pursuits.

Eventually, Adam gave up and went in to rest, praying for sleep to claim his worries... at least for a few hours. Not me though. I could not sleep. Instead, I watched TV and read a book. Not one show or line I can even remember now. I was happy that the pre-op guidelines did not forbid me from eating anything after midnight, so at 3 am I rustled up a shrimp omelette and had it with rice. Went to bed afterwards.

Got woken up at 6:30 am and as Adam reviewed both pre and post-op guidelines, i gathered my thoughts and whispered a prayer. I must admit though that I even briefly entertained the idea of just skipping the surgery and taking my chances. Getting into the car was tough.

Walking into the waiting area, I saw 4 other patients. All of them elderly and apparently used to the pre-operative process. I saw a 70 year old man taking the arm of his sick wife. Really heartwarming. What really lifted

my flagging spirits was that a rainbow appeared. A rainbow is always a good sign.

My surgery was to happen right after lunch, so to relax while waiting we decided that it would be a good idea for me to proceed to the clean room and just read. It was tough seeing Adam go (since he cannot be in the clean room). Tried reading a book, which did not work since my mind was running 100 miles a minute. I was promptly given a sedative by the nurse. Three hours later, a team cam in to wheel me into the operating room. I found out that anesthesia is a sleep light switch, the next thing I knew I was being wheeled into the recovery room (RR). There, I was in a state of half-awareness. I was conscious but pain and medication blurred the concept of reality. I do remember being asked about where I work and if I have family here in Iceland. Also, that I tried to take off my oxygen cannula because oxygen made my nose and throat dry. When they kept putting it back on, I asked what my oxygen saturation was before I stopped taking it off. It was also strange to hear the recovery room nurse en

dorsing me to the post-surgery ward nurse and knowing that this is something that I would´ve normally done myself as a nurse. It was a surrealistic experience being on the other side of the fence. I was learning.

A lovely day for blood tests

WEATHER forecast: sunny with a slight chance of rainshowers. Perfect day for blood tests and interviews with the team who will do the surgery.

Yes, I was irritable and this landed squarely on the shoulders of my significant other. Adam has been really patient with my mood swings and pent-up stress that would come out once in a while as a smart-alecky comment. Sigh.

Walking into the hospital for the first time as a patient was a series of surrealistic incidents. I had been there the day before when Adam´s sister lost consciousness at a mall while on a shopping trip with her son. They found a mass right behind a major artery and she too will eventually have to have surgery. It was strange to know that someone close to you is somewhere else in the building and having follow-up tests. Then, as we neared the the surgical admissions department someone softly called out my name. Turned out another Filipino had injured himself at work and was there to have the wound sewn up. Iceland is so much like a small town.

I never thought about how much waiting was necessary before everything is over and done with. The process included:

waiting

1. Reading and signing the health history form (concise but in Icelandic). You can ask for one in English. Actually, you should definitely ask for a form in a language you fully understand. Write down everything that is pertinent and important TO YOU. Nothing is too silly or trivial.

waiting

2. Interview with the assisting surgeon (I already had one previous interview with the main surgeon). She was particularly helpful and clearly marked out what is going to and could happen. It turns out that my surgeon will try to take just half of the thyroid but if something seems off or a few more suspicious nodules are seen, he will most likely talk the whole thing off or even do a radical neck dissection. For me, it is important for surgeons to be aggressive. True, I asked him to be careful about saving my recurrent laryngeal nerve (that being important for karaoke hahaha), I would rather lose my voice than my life later on because of metastasis. It also comforted me to know that this particular doctor did 70% of thyroid surgeries in Iceland! He apparently is a very busy man.

waiting

3. Interview with the anesthesiologist. With her, I made sure to emphasize that the strongest medication I have taken was probably diclofenac for arthritic symptoms after that effing Atkins diet (which worked but I ate too much fatty pork). I did not want to be overmedicated and not wake up. I used to drink a lot (as some of you very well know) but in the last year or so, I have not gone to too many social events or dinner parties so wine consumption has definitely gone down. Now, one light beer gets me sleepy.

waiting

4. Interview with the shift nurse. That went well too. She was funny, kind and listened closely. Thumbs up to this woman. I was told to be back at the hospital at 8am and although I´d been scheduled for 1pm, it is likely that the surgery will be done a bit later than that. I can have something to eat up to the early hours of the morning and maybe something clear to drink at 7am. Nothing after that. Wondering how I will hold up with lunch and its appetizing smells just before surgery. Hopefully, I will be asleep and dreaming of beer and beach by them.

waiting

5. paying for the waiting....sorry, for the process. Was a bit disappointed there because the hospital has apparently stopped giving discounts to hospital employees. It seems to me though that receptionists all over the world seem to have a crotchety character. Adam pointed out that they are also the people who deal with really rude people on a daily basis. So, please be nice to them...and smile. It´s important that you smile with your face AND voice.

The whole process was done in Icelandic. I do recommend though that for those who have doubts with their command of the language, bring an interpreter. Sometimes, a friend who speaks better Icelandic (or any other language for that matter) than you may not be adequate. The working vocabulary you hold might just be confined to what you use for work and home. Health terms are slightly a bit more specialized. I was lucky because I work in a hospital and my working vocabulary was particularly useful this time.

All this waiting however, allowed me to calm my fears. I had been apprehensive that no one had previously asked me about my health history. I had to volunteer that information to the GP and surgeon. Please volunteer your health information! Make sure that from the get go, your health care provider should know the following:

1. Previous health problems (heart, respiratory most important)

2. Medications you are currently taking (even illegal substances, you don´t want to gamble with your life. This, I emphasize with my patients after someone denied having taken anything and promptly went into life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. Plus, for those who take strong medications, you could be undermedicated. Think slightly awake WHILE surgery is going on. No, no, no...that you definitely do not want to happen.)

3. Food and medication allergies. This bit of information I kept repeating to everyone who would hear me. My parents once brought me to an allergy specialist when I was around 6 years old.

4. Family history (family sicknesses and whether anyone in your family had problems when under anesthesia). The only

That´s it in a nutshell. If you think of anything else, let me know.

The nurse offered me Sobril. Leery of benzos, or any other strong medication for that matter, I promptly said "no" except that she saw how that monkey called Panic was trying to get out of the box in my head.

At home, Adam began coaxing me to take Sobril which I reluctantly did (he even asked me to open my mouth to be sure that I took it..LOL). Fell asleep 5 minutes into a movie and woke up because of nightmares. Returned to sleep and woke up after a couple of hours. Now, I am calm but cannot sleep.

Which reminds me...I gotta sleep. Only 4 hours between now and the time I have to be up and heading for the hospital. I don´t know when I can get back online again but will make sure to update this regularly.

Thanks for all the love. I know that heaven is going to be stormed with prayers...or is being stormed with prayers. n

*Picture taken right outside the house just before we headed for the hospital.