May 31, 2018
As I’m being wheeled down the long hallway to make my way to surgery. A familiar face approaches and says, “you look familiar, where do I know you from?” I agreed she looked familiar, but told her I’d never been in that hospital before. She asked where I work at and I told her the name of my hospital. She said, “Wow, isn’t this a small world! That’s how I know you, I used to work there!” She told me her name and I was able to put her name with her face. We were just acquaintances, at best, but it felt like having a little piece of home with me in the operating room. The surgeon from my hospital was actually going to accompany me in this surgery, but couldn’t work it out with his busy schedule. So, this just helped me have even more peace. She wheels me into the operating room. It’s so cold and I start shivering, they get me a warm blanket. And I transfer myself over to the table. The anesthesiologist is asking me about this person and that person and then that’s it. That is where my memory stops, the nice conversation is done! My best friend works in anesthesia and says this just a little anesthesia humor. I told her I didn’t find it funny, I had things to say daggone it! But I guess I must have talked too much for them. I would say I guess there’s a first time for everything, but I would get called out quick by those who know me.
While I was in surgery there was a stroke alert called. My husband totally freaks out, goes up to the surgery desk and asks if that was a stroke alert for me? She checks for him and tells him it was not. Relieved, my family sits and waits for 2 1/2 hours. They are notified that my procedure is now complete and they should get to see me soon.
As I wake up in recovery, the first thing I say to my nurse is, “there’s something wrong with my right arm.” She tells me she’s going to call the surgeon because she’s never had a patient have the procedure that I had, so she’s not sure what to expect. I feel miserable, like I’ve been hit by a bus. I’m nauseated and I’m hurting from my neck down my arm. I don’t recall the surgeon coming to talk with me, but I’m told he did and that he spoke with my family. He says that what I’m experiencing is the effects of how they had me positioned for my surgery. He says he had my arm dangling during the surgery, but it should be back to normal in no time. My husband comes in to see me, then my parents. I apparently, although I have no recollection, wave my parents out of the room as if I were a queen and they were merely peasants. They later gave me a hard time about this, but I told them it was the meds talking, definitely not me! I remember being wheeled in the bed up to my room and just feeling horrible. Every bump that we hit felt terrible. I should have known then that this would only get worse, I was still under the effects of anesthesia. I had no idea what was in store.
Ami’s Journey 