Heart Surgery
A little less than a week ago I had an operation to correct my ASD (aseptal defect). I had been looking forward to that day for months and when the day finally came, I was stoked. Everyone wanted to know whether or not I was scared, but honestly, I really wasn't. There was a small fear factor that things could go seriously wrong and the doctor might have to open my chest up to fix me, but the chances of that were way slim. The doctors were going to do a heart cath and through that place the "Amplatzer" into my heart to close the hole. We went to the hospital and I got all prepped. The last thing I remember when they gave me the sleepy medicine was kissing my dad. After that nothing until I woke up and they told me to breathe some grape scented oxygen (which is way gross!) I awoke struggling to breathe, shivering uncontrollably, and with the worst upset stomach ever. After about an hour of the nurses monitoring me they finally sent me up to my room where i was in complete bed rest for about 6-7 hours. I couldn't move my legs at all basically just lay there in a half daze. My parents were there and they talked to me and slowly i began to wake up. Then my brother and his fiance arrived and brought me a card and a pegasus beanie baby. Mom made me eat some food and i just sort of lay there. I tried to take a nap but I couldn't. Then my friend John arrived from church to pay me a visit. I still felt really wierd and it took forever for me to get warm and for my stomach to settle down. I hate when my stomach is upset. It's on of the worse feelings ever. Eventually everyone had to leave, but Mom stayed with me. We watched "Anna and the King" and then the nurses came in to let me get up and move about. It was so nice to be able to do things on my own again and have the ability to move my legs. It was late into the evening by then and I figured I should sleep. I lay there for a couple hours quite uncomfortable. At about 2 am I was finally drifting off when the nurse woke me up to give me my antibiotics. She had to give me a new IV but to make up for it I got a milk shake! Way better than any Dairy Queen could ever make. I drifted in and out of sleep, probably getting about 2 hours total. Morning came and the doctor arrived. I had another chest x-ray (probably my 4th or fifth of the year), an EKG, and an echocardiogram. This is when the most painful part of the entire visit occured. The nurses came in to remove my bandages. You want excruciating pain... try that. It felt like my skin was being ripped of my legs. It was horrible! But they came off, the doctor inspected me, and we were free to leave. I've been sleeping ALOT since then and slowly making a good recovery. Well not really slowly. Friday night, the night after my surgery, I was at church again praising the Lord. Thank you Jesus! I am whole!
A little less than a week ago I had an operation to correct my ASD (aseptal defect). I had been looking forward to that day for months and when the day finally came, I was stoked. Everyone wanted to know whether or not I was scared, but honestly, I really wasn't. There was a small fear factor that things could go seriously wrong and the doctor might have to open my chest up to fix me, but the chances of that were way slim. The doctors were going to do a heart cath and through that place the "Amplatzer" into my heart to close the hole. We went to the hospital and I got all prepped. The last thing I remember when they gave me the sleepy medicine was kissing my dad. After that nothing until I woke up and they told me to breathe some grape scented oxygen (which is way gross!) I awoke struggling to breathe, shivering uncontrollably, and with the worst upset stomach ever. After about an hour of the nurses monitoring me they finally sent me up to my room where i was in complete bed rest for about 6-7 hours. I couldn't move my legs at all basically just lay there in a half daze. My parents were there and they talked to me and slowly i began to wake up. Then my brother and his fiance arrived and brought me a card and a pegasus beanie baby. Mom made me eat some food and i just sort of lay there. I tried to take a nap but I couldn't. Then my friend John arrived from church to pay me a visit. I still felt really wierd and it took forever for me to get warm and for my stomach to settle down. I hate when my stomach is upset. It's on of the worse feelings ever. Eventually everyone had to leave, but Mom stayed with me. We watched "Anna and the King" and then the nurses came in to let me get up and move about. It was so nice to be able to do things on my own again and have the ability to move my legs. It was late into the evening by then and I figured I should sleep. I lay there for a couple hours quite uncomfortable. At about 2 am I was finally drifting off when the nurse woke me up to give me my antibiotics. She had to give me a new IV but to make up for it I got a milk shake! Way better than any Dairy Queen could ever make. I drifted in and out of sleep, probably getting about 2 hours total. Morning came and the doctor arrived. I had another chest x-ray (probably my 4th or fifth of the year), an EKG, and an echocardiogram. This is when the most painful part of the entire visit occured. The nurses came in to remove my bandages. You want excruciating pain... try that. It felt like my skin was being ripped of my legs. It was horrible! But they came off, the doctor inspected me, and we were free to leave. I've been sleeping ALOT since then and slowly making a good recovery. Well not really slowly. Friday night, the night after my surgery, I was at church again praising the Lord. Thank you Jesus! I am whole!
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