Surgery went well. I'm sitting up in a chair, but somewhat goofy from the dilaudid. They hooked me up with Dilaudid PCA, and I had 2mg on day shift, 2mg on nocs. I've had 0.4mg so far this morning. Can't say as I like it. I don't know why IVDA like this.
I don't notice any difference in breathing yet. I can only get my incentive spirometer to 500 cc so far. I'll get there.
But you're more interested in the surgery, probably. (And I apologize if I sound delirious...I am, a little bit.) We got up at 4:30 yesterday to be here at 5:30 (hotel is a half hour drive). I was the first case, at 0730. They brought me back, started an IV, and I talked to a slew of people: I had a preop nurse (Stephanie), the OR circulator (whose name I forgot), the anesthesiology resident (fellow?), and the anesthesiologist (Dr. Ramakrishna). I was asked health history stuff, and they started me with some meds. I got decadron, IV tylenol, and weirdly, a 0.1mg clonidine patch. Stephanie told me it has a secondary effect of pain control. Asked her if they were worried about my bp (which hangs at about 100 - 125/60 - 70), and she said I'll have an A-line, and they'll bring it up if they need to.
(Holy cow it's a lot of work to get up to pee. They took my foley out and THEN gave me the lasix. Dangit.)
And at some point, as they were wheeling me out of the room, I don't remember a thing. Apparently, the case was done at 10.30. I looked at the operative report already this morning, but I am having a hard time remembering anything there, either, except the high points. High point #1: SHE DID NOT BREAK ANY RIBS!!!! WOO!!!! This is hugely important. She said she got "good lift" and apparently the TEE numbers looked really good. Those, I have not seen yet, but am really interested in doing so when I am more lucid.
Apparently, I hung out in PACU for another four hours...they were ready to cut me loose at 1pm, but the room wasn't ready until 2:30. Mark said he came to see me and I have zero recollection of this. I do remember as they wheeled me into my room, I kept saying, "It is so frustrating to be this groggy. I have things to do. I want to be awake." The rest of the day, I was zonked out with brief periods of awakeness. I have a chest tube, which so far has put out 500cc (it's to water seal now), a foley, two IVs (fluids with dilaudid PCA), tele, and the On-Q pump, which I barely notice.
They put a binder on my chest, so it was early morning before I saw what I looked like. It's weird. The divot really is gone. I picked up my bowl of oatmeal this morning, and went to set it on my chest as I am reclining, and it was bizarre not to have the divot. I set things there all the time.
My noc RN was Ingo, and he was wonderful. I'm going to nominate him for a Daisy. He took great care of me, and helped with the plan to get me using less narcotic (which I absolutely want to wean off of) with toradol. He got orders to get me up out of bed, which I did at 5:30 today. And he helped with little stuff that mattered to me...the room temperature, fluids, had a minor issue with the foley that he fixed. Was good, and he'll be my nurse tonight.
I walked a lap around the nurse station, and I'm back in the chair. It's almost 11, and I'm sorry, but Im really wiped out and in need of sleep. I was awake every hour last night (I know cos I had the phone by my side). I fell back asleep, but I am so tired, with narcs, and the stream of people. There's apparently another pectus patient next door who knows about my blog. This is cool and I will go meet him. After a nap.
I don't notice any difference in breathing yet. I can only get my incentive spirometer to 500 cc so far. I'll get there.
But you're more interested in the surgery, probably. (And I apologize if I sound delirious...I am, a little bit.) We got up at 4:30 yesterday to be here at 5:30 (hotel is a half hour drive). I was the first case, at 0730. They brought me back, started an IV, and I talked to a slew of people: I had a preop nurse (Stephanie), the OR circulator (whose name I forgot), the anesthesiology resident (fellow?), and the anesthesiologist (Dr. Ramakrishna). I was asked health history stuff, and they started me with some meds. I got decadron, IV tylenol, and weirdly, a 0.1mg clonidine patch. Stephanie told me it has a secondary effect of pain control. Asked her if they were worried about my bp (which hangs at about 100 - 125/60 - 70), and she said I'll have an A-line, and they'll bring it up if they need to.
(Holy cow it's a lot of work to get up to pee. They took my foley out and THEN gave me the lasix. Dangit.)
And at some point, as they were wheeling me out of the room, I don't remember a thing. Apparently, the case was done at 10.30. I looked at the operative report already this morning, but I am having a hard time remembering anything there, either, except the high points. High point #1: SHE DID NOT BREAK ANY RIBS!!!! WOO!!!! This is hugely important. She said she got "good lift" and apparently the TEE numbers looked really good. Those, I have not seen yet, but am really interested in doing so when I am more lucid.
Apparently, I hung out in PACU for another four hours...they were ready to cut me loose at 1pm, but the room wasn't ready until 2:30. Mark said he came to see me and I have zero recollection of this. I do remember as they wheeled me into my room, I kept saying, "It is so frustrating to be this groggy. I have things to do. I want to be awake." The rest of the day, I was zonked out with brief periods of awakeness. I have a chest tube, which so far has put out 500cc (it's to water seal now), a foley, two IVs (fluids with dilaudid PCA), tele, and the On-Q pump, which I barely notice.
They put a binder on my chest, so it was early morning before I saw what I looked like. It's weird. The divot really is gone. I picked up my bowl of oatmeal this morning, and went to set it on my chest as I am reclining, and it was bizarre not to have the divot. I set things there all the time.
My noc RN was Ingo, and he was wonderful. I'm going to nominate him for a Daisy. He took great care of me, and helped with the plan to get me using less narcotic (which I absolutely want to wean off of) with toradol. He got orders to get me up out of bed, which I did at 5:30 today. And he helped with little stuff that mattered to me...the room temperature, fluids, had a minor issue with the foley that he fixed. Was good, and he'll be my nurse tonight.
I walked a lap around the nurse station, and I'm back in the chair. It's almost 11, and I'm sorry, but Im really wiped out and in need of sleep. I was awake every hour last night (I know cos I had the phone by my side). I fell back asleep, but I am so tired, with narcs, and the stream of people. There's apparently another pectus patient next door who knows about my blog. This is cool and I will go meet him. After a nap.
