Slings need Bling

     I slept horribly.  How to find a position where my arm is elevated was nothing less than impossible that first night.  The following night I made sure to have extra pillows on hand and that made it a tad better.  

     Dressing and undressing, showering, all take effort and I was so tired afterwords.  Still I got creative as in the blow drying of my hair.   The show must go on in my daily life after all!  Still there is much I am unable to do.  My Love, K. and B. help out greatly.  Cooking duty is off my list unless you count stirring and light duties, but I feel more in the way than of help. 

     My appointment with Dr. S. is four days later after my ER visit.  My first day driving the freeway and I do fine.  More x-rays after all I already have had (I counted nine) and then he will try to schedule me in for surgery on Friday of that week.  I need to get blood work and an EKG which I do once I leave his office.  My mind is just set on "Getting this show going!"  I want it all over and to have my life back.


     Yes, life goes on.  Ryan started his first week of High School.    My Love starts a big job where he is not able to really help out as much as he would have liked to but I do have K. here though I am disappointed as we can't do fun stuff that I thought we would.  I want her to have fun and not nursemaid me.  I want to be out of the heavy splint/cast that wear.  Though I need to wear a sling I rarely carry the weight on my neck for fear my neck will get in a fix.  I have joked that slings should come in decorative prints or with some bling on them.  Mine is black and while it doesn't show any dirt I do have to clean lint and dog hair off it daily. 


     At last the day comes for my surgery.  I asked my sister by marriage to take me and K. and B. will bring me home.  I felt calm simply because I knew it was out of my hands.  I need to fill out more paperwork, sign them then wait.  S. stays with me even though I tell her I am fine that she can leave me.  No she stays and I am grateful that I have this wonderful woman in my life.


     My name is called and I tell S. goodbye.  The nurse tells S. there will be much to be done and not much room for visitors.  I followed the nurse past gurney beds, some with curtains drawn around them and others empty.  Mine is the last bed in a second area.  I am asked to remove all my clothes and put the gown that is on the bed on.  I decide I should go pee one more time.  I come back and draw the curtain and I place what I have in the plastic handled bag that is provided.  I climb onto the bed and let them know I am done. 


     A young nurse pulls the curtain back and says she needs to put the compression hose on me.  I laugh and say I will help as well as I can too.  The hose are white and remind me of white tights I might have worn as a kid except they are not pantyhose.  I joke as she struggles to pull them up, that all I need is a garter belt!  Next I am covered with a warm blanket.  The second mid age nurse asks me many questions that I answer for her.  She has me mark the arm that I am to have surgery on with the Dr.'s initials, I. S.  I sign some more papers.  The young nurse has me put on a surgery cap which she calls my "Party Hat".  She says they all are going to wear their party hats too.


     Next comes the setting up of my I.V. which the mid age nurse did quickly and painlessly.  She then moves on to my broken wrist and removes the splint/cast.  She places a pad on top of a pillow and ever so gently washes my arm.  The tender care, and her kind voice calm me and I almost have no concern for what is going to take place soon.  


     The two nurses done with the surgery prep close the curtains around me and I wait.  I hear next to me a woman being told to "let the gas out".  I wondered what she had done.  I hear conversation of a Dr. to a family member of how the procedure went.  It seems busy and active outside my curtained space.


     My curtain is opened an the nurse says they need to move me to another area.  I am rolled down near the door to the surgery suites.  The nurses desk is near me and I overhear that my EKG workup as yet to have arrived and they are calling about it once again.  I ask for a pillow to put under my knees as I feel uncomfortable laying flat.  The two ladies next to me are not feeling well.  They have migraines and are dehydrated.  I find out they are sisters that are having colonoscopies.  What an odd thing to do together.  

     I overhear them still calling about my EKG and them not having it.    I also hear that my Dr. is not there yet as well.  Patience I tell myself.  Breath.  Think of a pleasant event.  My curtain is opened and my anesthesiologist Dr. L. comes in to introduce himself to me.  We had talked on the phone the previous night where he asked a lot of questions and told me what kind of "cocktail" he would be giving me.  It is nice to see him in person before he knocks me out.  Everyone here is as nice as can be.  

     My curtain is opened one last time.  They are at last ready to roll!  My bed is wheeled into the Surgery Center's surgery suite.  I have to transfer to the surgical table and that is when I fully understand what is going to take place.  How silly I felt in my hospital gown, white compression hose, and my "party hat", attempting to transfer with my bad wrist held gently as I lift my tush to slide across.  These nurses seeing "all", all day and everyday.  I was cold and ask why it is chilly in here.  My teeth begin to do the nervous/cold chatter.  A warm blanket settles over me as the nurse explains that once the lamps overhead turn on it will get quite warm in here.  I looked at those large lamps and try to imagine how bright they will be.  Dr. L. says he is going to get started as Dr. S. will be in soon and that is all that I last remember.  That simple.  Out for several hours while my Dr. S. places a T-plate and screws in my damaged wrist.