It feels like just the other day I was counting down to my second surgery with over two months left.
We left for Baltimore early Thursday morning to ensure that we would arrive with plenty of time to check in and get some sleep before my 5:15 AM call Friday morning. Our trips to Baltimore are becoming quite familiar and I have grown to notice certain landmarks that signify how close we are. We arrived in Baltimore at around 3:30 PM and after parking and getting up to our room, it was almost dark and we were quite hungry.
I tried to enjoy my dinner as much as possible knowing that I was on a clear liquid diet following my meal. For someone who snacks in between meals, it was hard to calm the rumbling in my tummy the rest of the evening. Water and Gatorade just weren't what my tummy wanted. Our hotel room overlooked a small piece of the harbor and a large construction site (I'm beginning to wonder if Baltimore is one big construction site..) and as the sun set, the city began to glow with the building and street lights. I tried to take my mind off of surgery the next morning and watched a little HGTV (Fixer Upper fan, here!) and jumped in the shower to disinfect with the packets of hot pink soap the hospital gave me.
Our long trip exhausted me and I was ready for bed pretty early, but our neighbors, an entire bus-load of boys lacrosse players, were not. The bass of their music carried through the thin walls of our room, making it pretty hard to sleep. Not to mention, they were going in and out of the rooms, slamming the doors behind them. I eyed the phone in the room, wondering if I should be that person and call down to the front desk. I decided to give the team until 10:00 p.m. to enjoy their music and lo and behold, around 9:55 p.m., the music stopped, the voices lowered, and everyone went back to their rooms. How's that for timing?
I set my alarm for 3:45 a.m. in order to get up in time to drink my recommended 20 o.z. of Gatorade before arriving at the hospital and fell asleep.
Of course, it seemed like I had only been asleep for 5 minutes when my alarm began to chime in my ear. This was it. It was time for surgery. I tugged on a comfortable outfit and finished my Gatorade and then it was out the door and on our way to Johns Hopkins for my surgery.
I have to say, at 4:30 a.m., even Baltimore seems like a peaceful place. There were only a few cars and no people out as the city continued sleeping around us. Even the parking garage was pretty empty!
After parking we made our way to the elevator which brought us to the main entrance of the Weinburg building where my surgery would be. The entrance was completely empty and echoing as we tried to figure out where we were supposed to be. After a minute a security guard appeared and directed us to another set of elevators which would take us to where we needed to be. Up to the third floor we went and into the registration area. We were about 30 minutes early, but another couple anxiously waited in the room with us. Before my first surgery, I was too sick to take in much of my surroundings, but everything started to feel familiar. I recognized the grand architecture of the building and the colder-than-normal temperatures. Here I was exactly 7 months later preparing for my second surgery.
Registration did not take long and we were soon ushered into the next waiting area which would be where my parents would wait while I was in surgery. I had been trying to stay as calm as possible, but I won't lie, the nerves did start to kick in as I eyed my name up on the screen of upcoming surgeries. After only about 10 minutes (which felt like far more) a nurse appeared from one of the closed doors and began calling out last names. "Cosner?" I felt my stomach flip. Here we go.
We got up and waited in line with several other patients and their loved ones and were escorted through a locked door and into a holding area. One-by-one, the nurse called our last names and escorted us to a bed where we were given a hospital gown and socks, as well as a bag for our belongings. I traded my comfy clothes for a breezy hospital gown and super stylish hospital cap and the pre-surgery preparation began.
At this point, there were still a couple of hours until my surgery, but I knew time would fly with the amount of questions, vitals, and pre-medications that had to be given.
I have to say.. one of the most exciting parts of my pre-surgery process what the heater that I received that blew warm air into my blankets! For someone who is cold 90% of the time, they definitely captured my attention with that contraption.
The two hours flew by as nurse after nurse came in, covering the details of the surgery, anesthesia, and recovery. The surgical team began to arrive with only 30 minutes until my surgery, introducing themselves and verifying that I knew what they would be doing that morning. With only 10 minutes left, my surgeon stopped in to see me and the rest seemed to be a blur. Transportation arrived, my blanket heater was removed, and nurses were wishing me good luck as I started to move out of the pre-surgery holding area and towards the operating room.
It seemed like a short trip and about a 20 degree temperature drop as I arrived in the operating room. I scooted myself from my rolling bed onto the table and was greeted by a group of nurses adjusting my pillow, giving me a blanket, placing a mask over my nose and mouth- all while engaging in small talk. They asked about college and my degree, but before I knew it I was sound asleep.
I woke up after my surgery to new scenery and sounds. A nurse saw me blinking my sleepy eyes and came over to ask how I was doing and what kind of pain I was in. I was in a lot of pain, but nothing unbearable. I could barely keep my droopy eyelids open and dozed off again. I woke up a little later more aware this time and the nurse asked if I was OK with my mom coming back. Uh- yes please! I asked my mom how surgery went, eager to know the details even in my sleepy state.
Thankfully everything went very successfully and the only small problem that arose was that one of my incisions from the first surgery had not healed and had become infected relatively deep. As a result, they had to cut away about an inch long, an inch wide, and an inch deep of the infection to stop it from spreading internally even further.
A room came open later in the day and I was taken to the GI floor for recovery. I started walking the hallways within a couple of days, followed by my IV pole for fluids. My favorite place to go was the balcony overlooking the original main entrance to the hospital. The beautiful brick building overlooked some cherry blossom trees.
I had to stay a little longer than expected due to high output leading to dehydration and the surgical team ultimately decided to send me home with a mid-line IV to administer fluids at home. I was sent home with a PICC line last August following my first surgery, but did not expect to need another one after my second surgery. My mid-line will not be in nearly as long- just enough to allow my body to adjust to the new setup and get back into a routine. If you have never had a PICC line or mid-line placed, I won't lie- it is not the most pain-free experience. The nurses who place the line will use an ultrasound to find a vein large enough to support the line and then begin pushing the line about 6-8 inches in following your vein. Feeling queasy yet? I definitely was.
But that is over and I am now home and recovering as well as receiving my fluids daily. Every day the pain becomes less and less and I grow stronger and stronger again. My recovery will be much easier this time and I am excited to start feeling great again. I am now more than halfway through my surgeries and could not be more excited for the last one and to begin to fully recover. This entire journey has been one heck of a ride, but I have proven to myself that I am stronger and braver than I could have ever imagined.
Thank you so much to everyone for your continual prayers and support. They mean so much to me and my family.
Surgery 2/3: DONE!