Surgery and Hospital Survival Tips

A few weeks ago I had my spinal fusion surgery.   From the early morning of the surgery day I was exhausted.  It was so early and I knew it was going to be a long day(even though I knew I was not going to remember much if any of it). We had to stay at a hotel the night before to be able to get there in time.  We got up early and got to the hospital way too early. We were sitting in the waiting room and we were the first ones there. My dad and I were laughing and telling jokes, and my mom looked like she might have a panic attack (she is good at worrying about me). She had packed enough in her backpack for the morning that my dad called it "luggage."  We were called back to the pre surgery room where I met a ton of people who were going to help me through the day.  If I didn't already know them they introduced themselves and told me how they were going to help in the surgery.  There were so many people talking to me and my parents. I feel like I might have spaced out. I knew they and my parents would have it covered and I was in good hands. After everyone had met with us I told my parents goodbye. They wheeled the bed to the surgery room.  I remember thinking that the room looked kind of like a kitchen with lots of cupboards and everything was so clean. I remember asking a question (I sure cannot remember what it was now), so it must not have been important.  I don't remember falling asleep, but it must have been shortly after that. 

 

For the next 7ish hours I can't remember a thing.  It felt like I blinked and I woke up in a different room.  When I woke up my parents, nurses, respiratory therapist, and some doctors were there.  I could defiantly tell something was different.  My parents said the first thing I said was "tell my brother and sister I am awake".  I had thought I would say "they didn't kill me."😂I remember being told it went well and how straight my back was in the x-rays. I was pretty out of it and the pain team had made sure I was nice and comfortable so I took a little nap. When I awoke I felt pretty sick. Anytime I have had surgery I have always gotten sick afterwards. Not that anyone ever want's surgery, but it is something I dread.   

I was in the PICU and this was in a part of the hospital I had never been in before.  For a hospital I have visited over 30 times in my 11 years this visit seemed a lot different than any of my past visits. This part of the hospital is newer and had some pretty neat features.  I thought the TV was pretty big and I think I watched the relaxation channel 24/7 for several days😅.  I have learned that penguins have the worst voice and are not relaxing at all. I am not sure who thought that was relaxing??   I found it was better than listening to beeping machines. I thought that walls were decorated neat, and loved the glowing light above the bed changed colors throughout the night. The light was very pretty when I couldn't sleep.  I learned that you do not actually sleep at the hospital. The hospital is no hotel.  I am sure thankful I was there after surgery, and that they were able to help me.

 

The next day I was not feeling great and much more awake.  Trying to feel better was all that I tried to accomplish that day.  The one thing I really wanted to do was video chat my siblings and Tibbs.  We had decided long before that we would not bring Tibbs on this trip.  Tibbs usually comes to the hospital with me.  We knew that this would be a stressful trip for both me and him.  We had decided that he would be less stressed at home with my siblings and grandparents, but we sure missed each other. video chatting with Tibbs and my siblings made me determined to get better quick. I couldn't wait to get home to be with them.  

The following day I had a banana popsicle....yellow popsicle you would think lemon right?! No banana flavor!! Who likes banana popsicles??  Needless to say I did not finish that! Feeling good enough to be allowed to try a popsicle was a big treat though.  I had some visits from some of my favorite doctors and was starting to feel a little bit like myself.  That night I got to transfer out of the PICU. 

 

My new floor room I had been in before.  I like the art they have on the ceiling of the cats and dogs.  This room was much smaller and I had a lot of stuff making it even smaller.  I had gotten rid of some of the wires and tubes when I moved, but still had plenty.   I knew going in that this was a tough surgery and the next few days really showed that.  I was ready for my body to feel better, but it wasn't ready yet. I found a few things that brought me comfort in those next few days. I had not known I would need button front pajamas.  A friend of mine that had just had this same surgery recommended them and I was able to get really soft and cute ones.  The whole time I was there I had super nice nurses, doctors, and staff that took really good care of me.  When you are not feeling well and they take the time to talk to you it makes the world of difference.  The other thing that I learned hospitals have that really comforted me is warm blankets! 

 

I really appreciated a visit from my grandparents and that made me even more determined to get home quick.  Notes, cards, and packages from friends and family all helped me to start feeling better. 

Monday started out rough.  I had woke up thinking it was going to be a better day. Shortly after that I got so sick and instantly knew something was wrong.  My GJ tube had flipped.  I know from experience that Cincinnati Children's is the best place to help with this.  At least I was already in the right place!  Instead of the day of recovery and progress I was hoping for I was only able to get this fixed.  By the end of the day I was just purely exhausted.  I don't cry easy and tears were streaming. My school classmates had all sent cards and reading them gave me encouragement and made me feel so much better.  My daily video chats with Tibbs, my siblings, and grandparents kept me comforted and eager to get home. 

The next few days little by little I was making progress and starting to feel better.  I even got to meet one of the facility dogs. This made me super anxious to get home with Tibbs. On Thursday I finally was good enough to go home.  The ride home was rough, but I knew at the end of the trip getting home would be worth it.   I was so excited to get home and see my beautiful puppy, siblings, and home!   

Over the past few weeks I have continued to get better and stronger and know it was all worth it.  I am starting to get bored.  I even think doing school sounds fun so we know I might be loosing it.😂I am eager to go on more adventures with Tibbs and tell you all about them. I had talked to so many people who had had this surgery before I did to try to prepare. This is a big surgery and not easy.  I hope by sharing my experience it may help someone else.