Implantation Day.

We dropped Kiernan off at a neighbor's place and the drove to the hospital.

This is me right before going in to the surgery.

We got there at 10:10 AM, and within 5 or 10 minutes, we were called back to start the pre-op stuff. I had to change into a hospital gown, hospital pants and slippers. They then did some labs, took my temperature, blood pressure and asked questions (when was the last time I ate, drank, and what surgery was happening today, and by who). I was in that first waiting room for about an hour. I think it in only took so long because they were waiting for someone to be done with an operation that was scheduled before mine. No big deal, I wasn't in a rush, I figured we'd be home around five or six at the latest.

They then get the IV in my arm and have me move over to the gurney. They wheel me to the next pre-op room. In here, the nurse and the anesthesiologist came in and asked questions (separately), and they were basically the same questions as before. Then the surgeon came in and marked where the surgery would be. Then they sent Bryan away and wheeled me into the operating room. It was FREEZING. When I was in the first room and first got on the gurney, I thought it was silly that they put a pre-warmed blanket on me, but now I know why, cause man, that room was cold.

Then they had me scootch over to what felt like was the narrowest possible operating table. It barely fit the width of my body (maybe I just need to lose a LOT of weight?), and my arms couldn't rest on it.

Next they strapped my legs down, wrapped my arms in the blue egg foam pads, and then strapped my arms to my body using the blankets that were on the table and on me. During this time the anesthesiologist is apparently talking to me, and forgetting that I can't hear him, so the nurse kind of motions for me to do what the anesthesiologist is telling me to do (lift up your head, breathe, this will hurt), so it was nice that she took the extra step, cause honestly, I would've just laid there trusting them to do whatever. Finally, the anesthesiologist tells me that I'm going to feel some pain as he puts some meds into my IV, and the nurse is going to hold the oxygen mask over my face. I remember telling the nurse, that they weren't kidding when they said the meds would hurt, and then taking a deep breath. That's all I remember.

The next thing I remember is waking up in a different room, and I had only woken up because I was dry heaving. The nurse or whoever it was in there asked me if I was dry heaving (maybe it was Bryan, because I understood the person, and Bryan may have cued it?), and I was really annoyed that they were asking me that as I was dry heaving. Then I went right back to sleep.

The next time I remember waking up was to throw up again, and this time I was in a different room. I went back to sleep. I woke up three more times after that, briefly, because Bryan was waking up to tell me to breathe deeper because the oxygen monitor was going off. Finally, at about 8:00 PM (I can't believe it was that late), I was awake enough to keep throwing up, and walk myself from the wheelchair to the car. So I got dressed (barely, as I was still having heaves now and then), then the nurse walked me out to the car. Bryan and the nurse must have crossed paths at one point because he wasn't at the car when I got there. I remembered being annoyed, just because the nurse seemed to be in a hurry, and I just wanted to go back to sleep again. Once I got in the car and buckled up, I fell asleep again, and didn't wake up again until we got home. Bryan dropped me off near the front, as there's almost always no parking near our place at this time of night. So I started walking home, and was throwing up the whole way as well, then got home, and laid down, and went back to sleep.

I know I mention a lot of throwing up, but that's seriously all I did for the first 24 hours after the surgery. Finally, by about Tuesday afternoon, the throwing up had eased up quite a bit, and I was able to keep some liquids down fairly well. That was a major improvement.