Want2Lose: My husband and I drove to Nashville last night from Knoxville because I had to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m.!! Ouch. I was called very quickly and the staff escorted me and my husband up to the hospital room where he could wait on me, and it's where I went after recovery as well.

A nurse came in and took my temp, gave me two pills to take orally, and gave me a shot in my arm that thins the blood... the shot itself didn't hurt, but the medicine sure felt like something was pinching me or biting me. She also measured my legs and brought me some knee-high sock things, something about helping with the blood clots. I still have them on, supposed to wear them until tomorrow.

After that nurse was done, she told me they would come get me about 25 minutes before surgery time, which was 7:45. They arrived exactly 25 minutes early, took me down to the preop station. There I met the anesthesia team and saw my doctor. I was in the preop room getting my IV and fluids for about 30 minutes, I would say. Then they told me they were going to give me some relaxing medicine and that I probably wouldn't remember much after that. After they injected it, they said "This is the time when you spill alllll your secrets to us." I hope I passed out quickly. The last thing I remember was being wheeled to the surgery room, but don't remember anything after that.

When I woke up, I think I was just worried about breathing. It's really foggy now, but I think they still had the tube thing down my throat when I woke up. They were watching closely because I know when I woke, I coughed and they took it out immediately, or did whatever to make the pain go away. My mouth felt like a cotton ball (still does).

So then I go to the recovery room and they give me morphine for pain. By the way, the surgery ended around 9:30-10:00, and then I was in the recovery room for about an hour. That was fine with me, I was dozing in and out and letting them give me all the morphine allowable. lol. I really didn't feel much pain in the recovery room. I'm pretty sore right now, but that's a different story.

After the recovery room, they took me back to where my husband was, the hospital room. Once they did a couple of rounds to check my BP, temp and made sure I could use the restroom, and of course walk, then I was able to go home! So I was done at the hospital at about noon today. It was a very fast experience.

I'm feeling okay right now, I felt better earlier in the day. nasty Liquid Hydrocodone is not nearly as effective as morphine, nope. I've been using the heating pad that I picked up the other day, and it feels really good.

Sorry for my lengthy novel! Good luck to everyone who has surgery this week!!

Mallorie

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Banded: 9/5/06
Dr. Charles Morton: Nashville, Tennessee

Highest Wt: 193
Goal Wt: 135
Ht: 5'1"