My Posterior Fossa Decompression and Laminectomy

Day 13 Post-Op: Finally Getting to Post About Surgery---

I am sad that it's taken me so long to actually post about the surgery, but it's gone by so fast. I had my surgery on 10/24/2014. It was done at OSU Wexner Medical Center. I arrived at 10am for admitting. I was given a gown, gave a urine sample, and relaxed in a bed. I was taken down to pre-op at precisely 11:30am. I was given an IV in my left hand, but nothing was hooked up. I waited about 15 minutes in this bay of several others waiting for surgery. My surgeon came in and told me that they had an emergency surgery that required some of his staff. He reported that the OR was ready and he was ready, but didn't have enough support staff. So they sent me back up to admission where I got to hang out with my family for a while longer and visit... Hungrily, because I had been fasting since midnight the night before. It actually went quickly so it wasn't that bad. I was taken back to pre-op at 2:10pm. I was given another IV in my right hand. I then waited until 4pm when they came to get me. The anesthesiologist actually wheeled me into the OR. They went through several checks, waited for the surgeon's student to arrive, then went through everything. They gave me the oxygen mask and the anesthesiologist told me three jokes: Where does a one legged waitress work? iHop. What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef. And how does an anesthesiologist wake up Lady Gaga? Poke her face. HAHA. I laughed then was out cold.

I woke in a recovery room with lots of yellow curtains and beeping. There was a nurse standing next to me and smiled while asking, can I get you anything? I replied “I want that ice they said I could have afterward.” She chuckled and said she would get it for me. She spoon fed me a few pieces of ice and asked me all the “where are you” questions to assess my awareness. I am pretty sure I got them all right. Although she kind of laughed when I answered “why are you here” with for surgery. I mean, it's the truth. Anyways, I was then taken to imaging where I "scooted" to the table for a CAT scan. I only vaguely remember this. Then I was taken to a room on the floor. I have no idea the time that passed.

My family stated that the surgery lasted about 4 hours. I was in recovery for a little over an hour (felt like 5 minutes!) They brought me in the room and my family gathered around and what felt like awkwardly looked at me. While under, they started IV fluids in one IV and had continuous monitoring of my blood pressure in the other one. They inserted a catheter, flipped me on my stomach, held my head in place with pins and went to work.

I actually had to have a laminectomy to remove a part of my C1 vertebrae as well due to the limited space and CSF flow. My first night, I slept well. They kept me well medicated and relaxed but on a clear liquid diet (not thrilled after 36 hours of fasting.) I woke to a breakfast of cold eggs, rubbery hashbrown, and a giant blueberry muffin. My hubby came to hang out as did two of my awesome cousins. My nurse was awesome. She actually sat and combed my massive tangled hair and put it in braids for me. She got called away several times, but kept coming back to finish.

I think it was this night that a friend of mine whose mom is also in the hospital stopped in to say hi. I was pretty doped up and I think it was later in the evening so I'm not really sure! 

My neighbor on the other side of the curtain was a pain in the neck! I felt bad for her because she had rear-ended an empty school bus with her two grandchildren in the car. They were in the back with seat belts and fine. She was pretty banged up. But good grief, she was obnoxious. Every 15 minutes, she was pressing the call button which is loud and beeps in the whole room. She had nurses running in and out to reposition her and move this, get her that, etc.

I asked to be repositioned once but it was excruciating. I could roll and push up with my feet slowly and it didn't hurt. The food for most of the stay was pretty crappy. I only cried once while in there. It was the second night and my needy neighbor kept waking me up. At about 2am, I was hurting pretty bad and pressed the call button and the nurse said she'd be right in. I heard them go to needy nancy next door, but it felt like it was taking them forever to get to me. So when she finally came in with my meds, she felt awful and told me I should have yelled or just kept pushing that button.

The meds were great. I didn't need anything to calm before because I wasn't stressed or nervous or anything. After, the pain wasn't like stabbing, burning pain. It was more of a “slept wrong and got a stiff neck for the past 14 days and now you can't move.” Dilaudid was the most incredible medication for the stiffness.

So I was released on Sunday. They told me I was being released and 25 minutes later, we were wheeling out of there! The ride home was comfortable and I slept a majority of the way home and rested that day. They sent me a prescription of Percocet, Valium, Stool softeners, anti-nausea, and indigestion medications. Several naps every day and a little more movement everyday. I'm rarely taking the Percocet anymore. I take the Valium just in the morning and Tramadol occasionally during the day. I still have to sleep in the recliner because laying flat just isn't comfortable whatsoever. The incision is healing great and I go to have the stitches removed in 2 day! I can't wait because they are itching and pulling and I'm so scared I'm going to get my comb stuck in them.

Today is the first day I haven't napped so I'm pretty proud of that!

I came home on Sunday October 26^th. I got home around 3pm. My hubby went to the pharmacy and my mom and dad stayed with me. I got settled in my recliner. The week passed in a blur, things got better everyday. I tried going to church this past Sunday and only made it half way through-holding my head up for an hour straight was a struggle for me. Monday seemed to be a pretty depressed day. I just got to feeling gloomy and depressed. I was sad because no one had come to visit me at home (other than mom staying with me,) no friends or anything. Several people from church dropped dinners off. So I was sad that there were no visitors, no cards, no flowers, or anything. I had a pretty massive surgery. Since then I've gotten probably 10 cards in the mail, a bouquet of flowers from church, and balloons and an arrangement from my mom (cause she knew I was bummed!)

Today I have went all day with no nap and only 2 medication doses. I haven't had a migraine or headache since Thursday before my surgery. I also haven't smoked at all-I joke that it's been so easy due to the morphine in the hospital, pain meds at home, and the inability to drive due to the pain meds. But really the first three days were in the hospital and pretty out of it, so why start again. We are still hoping to start a family soon and I don't want to deal with that or have it interfere with my unborn child!

I go Friday the 7^th to have my stitches out by my family physician and I return to my neurosurgeon on November 25^th. I can't wait to see how it looks and feels by then!

The first picture is from the day I came home. The second photo is from yesterday, 8 days after returning home.