Well, I went in for the surgery Tuesday morning, having not slept very well Monday night (see here for why) and as I came out of the anethesia I was hit with the news that I would have to stay overnight for "observation" and some anitbiotics.
I lost it, my fears had come true.
I waited in the OR post-op recovery room for 4 and a half hours for a regular room to open up. I finally got one and the after effects of the anesthesia had me sleeping from about 5pm until 5am Wednesday morning.
I wake up Wednesday all ready for the omelet breakfast I ordered (you can order your own hospital food at St. Mary's) and I waited and I waited...I asked my nurse if I was NPO (no food/water by mouth) and she said "no, (I was) on an unrestricted diet". I called down to the food service department and was told that "(I'M) in the system as NPO" so, no breakfast for me. I was starving and now pissed that my nurse lied to me.
Before I could ask my nurse what the hell was going on I was swept away to the radiology department for a CT Scan around 9am. So I have the CT Scan, the results come back quickly that the scans look great, there's no apparent problem with my kidneys and I should be released soon.
That soon turned out to be 9 hours later.
From the time I got back from the radiology department until 6pm not one person could get any word to/from my doctor to find out if I was released to go home (since it had now been more than 24 hours since the start of my 24 hour observation period).
It was NINE hours before my doc came strolling down the corridor to walk in my room and said "Everthing looks good, there were still a number of stones up there (in the kidney) but you're ok to go home if you want to."
OF COURSE I WANT TO GO HOME!!
I was really upset yesterday for several reasons, all growing on each other:
1) I was stuck in another hospital without expectations of doing so
2) The site of IV tubes in my hands/arms is such a tiring sight after 10 years that everyt time I see an IV sticking out of me I cry
3) I wanted to go home (you have no idea how much)
4) Doctor vanishes for 9 hours off the face of the earth so I am stuck waiting for him to reappear, no one can get a word to/from him
5) If I was family or a family friend of the doc's I'm SURE I would not wait more than 15 minutes for a reply to my question instead of 9 hours
6) My folks came around at 2:00pm (the start of visiting hours) to take me home, still waiting for the doctor, and at 4:00pm my father got so fed up with me complaining about being ignored by the doctor (instead of helping me) and wanting to go home that he said "Let's go" to my mother and they promptly left to go to a dinner party at a friend's house while I continued to wait for the doc, this REALLY upset me (I was that annoying & unimportant to them)
7) When the doc finally DID show up and release me, I had to call my parent's friends house to tell them I am free to go and need that ride home now, I called at 7:05pm (doc showed up around 6:55pm) and they were arguing about which one of them would pick me up, my mother says "One of us will leave now", well, 7:35pm rolls around and still noone's come, so I call my parent's friends again and they're STILL THERE!!!! "We're leaving now" my mother assures me again and as I hang up the phone I again collapse in tears (they either forgot about me or was still less important than this party). They finally pick me up around 8:00pm and I asked why they didn't leave when they initially said they would and my mother says "We had to stay for coffee, it would be rude to just leave"
(Even if it's to get your son from the hospital?!?!?!)
This was when I KNEW I was unmportant to them that day, and that hurt more than you could know.
I am supposed to go to physical therapy today, but I am all cramped up and since I haven't been able to do any exercises with my arm for 2 days I'm going to cancel. Besides, I now have to reschedule the apointment I was supposed to have with my shoulder doctor and since I was kept overnight I missed it Wednesday morning, and I need a new prescription from him to continue my physical therapy (it was only good for 4 weeks), besides I feel like shit today and the IV holes are itchy and achy.
I hate going to the hospital, it's NEVER what I expect and always what I fear.
They never let you out when they say it's ok to go (bacause you always wait hours and hours for the doctor to actually sign the paper).
IV tubes suck.
The tests suck.
The nurses are the only thing in a hospital that make it all bearable.
Sadly, I know it won't be long before I'm back in one all borg-i-fied again with IV tubes, it's always just "a matter of time" with me, I'm a sick person and there's no end in sight.
I hate my life.
Enjoy yours, please! (Someone has to enjoy this thing called "Life")
RobMac
