Following days
07:37 Surgery day
I have repeated the procedures from yesterday. The sun outside was shining peacefully as I was strolling down to the department of day surgery as they call it. I was prepped for many hours of waiting like yesterday, but they told me that I was nr.1 on the list and that the surgery will start in 30 minutes . Sounds good to me, I told them. We will find out soon enough.
This time everything went really quick. I was prepared for hours of waiting in hald sleep, but no. The elderly nurse was very active and after changing to blue hopsital clothing, she quickly installed the IV on my right hand and only 10 minutes later we were strolling in the surgery room.
The room was crowded as I expected. My doctor was a calm man in his fifties. Asking me some questions before leaving the room saying: " I will be at the coffe room. Let me know when you guys are set to go." That was cool and professional. A younger guy presented himself as an anesthesiology doctor wsa playing aroud with the tubes and the mask. There was also an older guy with tinted glasses. I have no idea what he was doing, but he was humming a tune as he calmly installed some stickers on me. They put the mask on and told me to check if I could feel something was coming already. I said no and he said, yeah well, wait a minute... And I was gone. This time it was not a total black out, but more like a nice walk in a forest or a dreamscape of some sort...
The surgery went well said the doctor. It took 2 hours instead of one and I got a bag of colorful parts that they had taken out. I have been on some heavy meds the last days (tramadol, oxicontine and oxinor). Its a weird and cloudy state where all the emotions are pushed back and everything is slightly calm and peaceful. This made me think that the stitches are maybe not that bad since I managed to jump in my wheelchair already the first evening and ate a nice dinner.
The second day the pain that comes mostly from the scar got stronger everytime I tried to move or lift myself. It was quite tolerable when I was just sitting still, but being a wheelchair user I need to perform some heavy upper-body lifts (especially when going to the toilet) and that's where I really felt it. Been sleeping quite well despite the full moon and K9 magnetic storms which covered the skies with northern lights outside my window. By 3 o'clock the painkillers were wearing off and I had to ask for more to continue sleeping. I decided that it was a good idea to stay at the hospital until monday so my plane-ticket was changed from today.
I have repeated the procedures from yesterday. The sun outside was shining peacefully as I was strolling down to the department of day surgery as they call it. I was prepped for many hours of waiting like yesterday, but they told me that I was nr.1 on the list and that the surgery will start in 30 minutes . Sounds good to me, I told them. We will find out soon enough.
This time everything went really quick. I was prepared for hours of waiting in hald sleep, but no. The elderly nurse was very active and after changing to blue hopsital clothing, she quickly installed the IV on my right hand and only 10 minutes later we were strolling in the surgery room.
The room was crowded as I expected. My doctor was a calm man in his fifties. Asking me some questions before leaving the room saying: " I will be at the coffe room. Let me know when you guys are set to go." That was cool and professional. A younger guy presented himself as an anesthesiology doctor wsa playing aroud with the tubes and the mask. There was also an older guy with tinted glasses. I have no idea what he was doing, but he was humming a tune as he calmly installed some stickers on me. They put the mask on and told me to check if I could feel something was coming already. I said no and he said, yeah well, wait a minute... And I was gone. This time it was not a total black out, but more like a nice walk in a forest or a dreamscape of some sort...
The surgery went well said the doctor. It took 2 hours instead of one and I got a bag of colorful parts that they had taken out. I have been on some heavy meds the last days (tramadol, oxicontine and oxinor). Its a weird and cloudy state where all the emotions are pushed back and everything is slightly calm and peaceful. This made me think that the stitches are maybe not that bad since I managed to jump in my wheelchair already the first evening and ate a nice dinner.
The second day the pain that comes mostly from the scar got stronger everytime I tried to move or lift myself. It was quite tolerable when I was just sitting still, but being a wheelchair user I need to perform some heavy upper-body lifts (especially when going to the toilet) and that's where I really felt it. Been sleeping quite well despite the full moon and K9 magnetic storms which covered the skies with northern lights outside my window. By 3 o'clock the painkillers were wearing off and I had to ask for more to continue sleeping. I decided that it was a good idea to stay at the hospital until monday so my plane-ticket was changed from today.
I asked for more painkillers at 9 o'clock but got only paracet since they said they were stepping down on the strong meds. I thought that they probably knew better and didn't argue. As I went to toilet to perform the exercise of the day which is lifting myself from the wheelchair to the toilet seat through excruciating pain while being afraid to fall down halfway if I didn't put enough strength in the lift, I became dizzy. When I was done and back in the chair and looked myself in the mirror I was all pale and dizzy, so I decided it was not a time and place to be a hero and asked them to get me something stronger than paracet and got more oxinorm.
Otherwise I am feeling positive and light (when you look at the photo and see the amount of titanium they just took out of me). Eating well, reading and watching the news on TV(I don't have a TV at home, so this is new for me).
The scar is as long as before but this time they didn't use the metal stifts, only stitching which will be removed in 12 days. I also got the doctor to send me for a MR scan later, which is needed for the evaluation at the private clinic in Thailand(or Moscow or anywhere else).
The sun is shining over the beautiful landscape of Tromsø and the hospital is quiet since it's Saturday.
So this was an important checkpoint for me, to get the metal out. Next step will be observing how it is improving my general condition(I think I can say already that I notice some improvements, but we will see). Then I will keep on and step up my walking workout and see if I am getting in the epidural stimulation programme in Thailand (there's the money issue then).
There is another guy in my room and as I listen to his agony and pain, I automatically find myself thinking if he has it worse than me. I concluded that he does... But that's life.
Thank You again for all the support and prayers and happy thoughts. It feels good not being alone in times like these.
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