POST OP appointment 12/7/2015

I woke up early Monday morning and started to get cleaned up and ready to go, only to realize I would be ready about three hours before my ride would be here.  So what to do?  go back to bed.

I finally left around 10:15 am when one of my many amazing friends came to drive me to UCLA.  MBN was kind enough to drop me off and pick me up for my surgery.  Mind you this amazing, lady lives in Aliso Viejo which is about 40 miles south of Cypress.  I have known her since high school and met her in a math class.  I remember I enjoyed knowing her than and we would do silly things and laugh in that class.  We may not be teenagers but we sure do laugh.  I was simply in awe that she offered to take me.  We were talking and she offered and said it's on my calendar and it was settled.

One of the first stops was to go pick up some treats for the nursing staff.  We went to the Great Dane Bakery but just so you know it is closed on Mondays.  So we were going to head over to Edible Arrangements but we weren't sure about traffic so we opted to just head up to UCLA.  I was like a little kid on a car ride sitting in the back seat.  Proof that I was back there soaking in the sun and taking pictures and just staring out the window.

We arrived at UCLA in about an hour or less; MBN assures me she was going 65 or less. We decided we would park in the emergency patient drop off and pick up while she took the thank you cards to the two nurses who took care of me pre and post op.  

When we drove up we drove right past the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house that has provided such great service to 12 year old Lexi Brown (Lexi has sacorma and the cancer has spread to her lungs). They responded to a sign on her window requesting pizza and she had no idea what great service she would receive

When I saw the house, I did get that warm feeling of imagining how much the service this fraternity has done for Lexi and probably touched her heart in a way we can only imagine. As I type I am getting teary eyed. Her name is on the roof of the house and I saw it which gave me chills.  I finally can say I saw one of the places that is part of a viral FB post. Most important it is a reminder and lesson to me and others - no matter how scary things are in the world we live in - if some young college fraternity boys can be kind - why can't we? Michelle came back and told me while she didn't get to hand the cards to the nurses - they were both there and the lady at the front desk went back to provide it to them.  

We then headed to our final stop the medical plaza.  We still had an hour so we had lunch at the UCLA grill.  It was fun to watch people.

Appointment time well they took the brace off and the dressing (which was gross) and he started to remove the stitches.  I tried to watch but opted to lie back down and wait. This what I saw when the dressing was removed.  The fellow said my leg looked good.  I didn't have much flexibility but it looked good with no swelling. 

Dr. Hame came in a few minutes later and showed me my pics of my knee.  They are kind of cool.  She tested my bending another way and I did much better.  She started to ask me about degrees and I told her I didn't know I needed to increase the degrees to which she said yes 5 every day.  I looked at her funny and said how.  That is when we realized I did not go home with a CPM machine.  I was very sad to learn I cant drive for a while.  I was given my RX for PT and asked to come back in 4 weeks.  Oh the fellow also said i was doing better than average since I can hold my leg up.

Mardi , Novembre 24 Partie deux

I remember seeing 3:15 on a wall when I was groggy as I heard someone say hearing everything went ok and how did I feel.  I think it was Yoon.  

I slipped in and out of sleeping and when I was fully awake they asked me how I felt.  I said I felt fine.  They asked if I wanted them to order me dinner.  I said no thank you and asked for some ice chips.

I was asked if I felt like I could go home or did I want to stay and if Michelle was still here.  I said I felt fine and could go home but we would have to call Michelle to see if she could come get me.  I also asked for some jell-o and they brought me my favorite flavor - Cherry!!!

They called Michelle and she told them she was back in Aliso Viejo so she would leave there when traffic settled and would be back around 8 - 8:30pm.  

They came to tell me and I said OK.  I asked for a bed pan and that was epic failure.    

Shortly after they transferred me to the area where people are waiting to be discharged.  My nurse there was David from the UK.  

He checked my vitals and offered me some food and I asked for more jell-o which was yummy.  They were checking my vitals and I felt nausea and my jell-o came back up.  I wasn't sure why but I was upset at the mess I made.  So he and another lady helped me change my gown.  David asked me if I was sure that I felt good to go home.  I told him I felt fine and did - but did he think I should stay.  He said my vitals were good although my bp was a little high and I didn't have a fever.  So I asked for some ice chips to suck on.  

He gave me some medicine for nausea and I felt fine.  We were talking back and forth and I learned Yoon is not only an OR nurse but a realtor.  He helped David buy his apartment (I think he meant condo) unless he purchased an apartment building.  Anyways, he was impressed that I recognized his accent as British and high five me.  I explained I had been to London and worked for a Brit for the last 4.5 years.  

I asked to go to the bathroom and they wheeled me there.  When I came back out Michelle was there with my crutches but I got back in the bed.  They sent Michelle to get my RX and I waited.  I told them I had motion sickness and threw up a little bit of the ice but felt fine.  I still had no fever and David again if I was sure about going home.  I responded that I was and asked him if he was concerned about me going home and if he thought I should stay.  He said no, he just wanted to make sure I was sure I was ok.  I told him I felt fine but that moving fast made me motion sick for some reason and going home now with less traffic would be be better than on Wednesday.

He gave me some med for nausea and more liquids - he was concerned tI didn't have enough fluids.  So we waited.  We went over my discharge papers with Michelle there and I asked to go to the bathroom.  I asked if I could use my crutches and they asked me if I was sure....I responded I have to be able to use them before you let me leave so this can be my test so we all giggled and off I went.  It seemed so far away but I made it.  When I was done David was waiting for me with a wheelchair.  He said I was good with the crutches no lesson needed.  I stayed in the chair and they gave me two 325 mg percocet.  Which made me drowsy and they waited and then a bit later I was let go.  I thanked David for his help and told him I was glad he chose to vacation here for two months with a nursing gig and decided to stay so that I was able to meet him as my nurse.  

So I was wheeled down to the valet parking area and we didn't have to pay full price for parking - one of the men who wheeled me down hooked us up with a discounted rate,  I got in the backseat of Michelle's car from the passenger side and it was comfortable and off we went.  

I have to say I have had the best experiences with nurses in my 4 surgeries.

The drive was not light.  There was traffic and I did wake up when we passed the area of LA that had its 20% chance of rain which sounded beautiful but concerned me about getting out of the car in rain on crutches.

We arrived at Brenda's at almost 11 PM.  Michelle and Brenda helped get me setup in bed and I was out.  

I received many text messages that day from the few people that knew I was doing this and I am so appreciative and blessed to have family and friends that are so willing to help me get better.  

Tuesday, November 24th surgery day - Part 1

I took the week off as vacation.  Not many people at work knew surgery was scheduled for Tuesday.  Yes, I was superstitious.  I don't know why either. 

I had a hard time falling asleep and didn't rest much.  I woke up showered, put my sheets in the washer and before I knew it my ride Michelle was here.  I said bye to Brenda and we were off to UCLA.  Although my surgery was not until 1 pm they wanted me to check in at 10:30 am.  The 405 had light traffic and we were in the carpool lane.  We arrived at 10:24 AM and valet parked.
  
It is a beautiful building and so clean and bright.  I had butterflies in my stomach as we walked in and Michelle joked about how fancy it was with valet parking and how it felt like a Vegas casino.  Minus the smoke.  We checked me in and I felt really nervous and had nausea so they gave me a barf bag which I did use.  

They asked us to go to the 2nd floor where we were asked to take a seat and shortly thereafter we were told we would need to wait in the waiting room downstairs until they were ready for us.  I felt nausea again so I went to the bathroom and we sat down and I am sure I dozed off as I was so tired.  My phone rand  heard them call my name and they said I could go back upstairs so off we went.  

We waited a couple of minutes and they came to get us and put me in bed 19.  My nurse was Bryan - yes, he was young and good looking.  I was asked to put on my gown and slippers.   Was told I had to pee in a cup and I explained I had just gone so not sure how that would work and if was necessary.  Bryan explained that they needed to do a pregnancy test to ensure I was not pregnant.  I smiled and said I had a hysterectomy in 2012 so I am pretty sure that as good as I am; there is no way I am pregnant.  He smiled and said yes, you're right pretty unlikely.  

Dr. Wong (resident anesthesiologist) came in and we went throught the same spill about the anesthesia process and I signed my release etc.  Than Dr. Hame came in and she was so friendly and asked how I was so I told them both how I was so nervous and that I threw up downstairs.  They both smiled and told me I was in good hands and I didn't need to worry.  Than a group of residents came in as they were going to give me a regional anesthesia to block the pain in that area.  It was quite interesting that the main doctor to do this was doing so while they took my BP so I knew it was going through the roof.  The main doctor for this was a true gentleman and considerate as I would be exposing part of my privates and he kept asking to make sure the curtain was closed.  I said it was fine if they residents needed to learn and experience I didn't mind but he said he did. 

The anesthesiologist seemed a bit bothered that people just kept coming in and out and asked me to guess how long before someone else came in.  I said 30 seconds,  My surgery nurse than came in Yoon shortly after that and we laughed.

Yoon was apologetic and I told him it was fine that I didn't care he was going to be there during surgery and would be seeing a lot of me   I also told him and Bryan that I was glad they were my nurses.  They seemed surprised and I explained that I worked in Human Resources and I always felt it was great to hire engineers that were not males but rather females.  So I was glad to see that my staff was going to be a male team - they then said but Dr. Hame is a female.  I responded yeah, but look at all the males supporting her - which they laughed and Bryan gave me a high 5.  

I was rolled into the OR and I could hear them sawing something which I can only imagine was my ACL from a cadaver - I don;t know but maybe I will remember to ask.  I don't recall much but I do remember them wheeling me back to the post op area and feeling groggy.