Post Op

The last thing I remember before being put under anesthesia was the anesthesiologist saying he is going to get me a bell to use for when I go home and need something from Steve. All the doctors were joking saying it was his big test before getting married. :) The anesthesiologist put a green plastic mask over my face and said "this is going to smell plasticy, well because it's made out of plastic." And before I even got a chance to smell plastic, I was out cold.

The next thing I remember was being FREEZING and not being able to breathe very well. I felt like I was choking and when I tried to cough, OH THE PAIN! The nurse heard me gurgle and whine and came over right away. I told her I was cold and she wrapped me up in a heated blanket and took off the gigantic ice pack that had been resting under my chin. I tried asking for Steve, and they said that he would be there soon. I just wanted to sleep and hold Steve's hand. A few minutes later, my doctor came over and told me everything went fine...they removed the cyst and the piece of the hyoid bone successfully and didn't even have to put in a drain tube. I was still sorta out of it but I managed to smile and thank him for making me better.

The nurse came back to check on me and again I asked for Steve. She must have seen a man walk in across the room and asked, "is that him?" and I said "I have no idea - I don't have my glasses on!" haha she laughed and another nurse yelled out "Steve!" and it was him!!! He came rushing over and held my hand and gave me a kiss on the head. I laid there for what seemed like another hour but I really don't know how long. The nurse asked me to rate my pain from 0-10 and it went from a 6 to a 5 but never really went away. She gave me a little bit of vicodin and some other stuff through my IV, but nothing really seemed to change. As the time passed, they wanted me to try to sit up and get dressed. I felt a bit nauseous when I sat up so they gave me some anti-nausea medicine in my IV and a bowl just in case. But thankfully I didn't get sick. I lied down for a bit longer and finally felt good enough to go home!! They wheeled me out to the car and Steve got the futon ready for me.

He set up blankets, pillows, ice water, medicine, the remote controls, refilled the ice pack and closed all of the blinds. Even though I was in pain, he made me feel so much better. I tried eating some jello and then later some yogurt and blueberries. I took a half of a pain pill and a half of an antibiotic and 5 minutes later, it all came out :( Steve went to the store to get me some coca-cola because flat cola is supposed to be good for nausea. It worked and I was able to eat some chicken broth and some bread and hold down another half a pill. I haven't felt sick since!

Today it is 100 degrees outside, but we are comfortable in the living room with the shades down and fan on. My ice pack is definitely helping to beat the heat too and Steve is enjoying some ice cold Miller Light while he reads his new book. By the way, it was Steve's 36th birthday yesterday! I felt so bad for ruining the day by needing so much attention and care, but of course he didn't mind. My mom sent him a book he's been wanting to read and I got him a yummy fruity italian dessert from Trader Joe's just to make him feel special.

Unfortunately the pain medicine doesn't make the pain go away much, but it does make me sleep really well. But the worst part is that I can't swallow very well because it feels like I have a bad case of strep throat along with torn muscles all throughout my entire neck. So not being able to swallow makes mucous build up in my throat making it hard to breath and I keep choking :( Other than that, I'm handling the pain okay and just laying on the couch watching movies. It could be worse! Here's a picture of my swollen neck and bandage - looks like my chin is a bit bruised.