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So, we arrived in toronto without incident and I had a pre-op meeting with Dr.
Manktelow and visiting fellow, Martin. When they, and three students, arrived, the markers came out and I was covered
in blue ink in no time. Only rubbing alcohol takes the ink off and my face was "chemically peeled" by it all afterwards.
This pic was taken at close to 6 a.m. on surgery day. Here you can
see I am marked up yet again! The offending pen is in Dr. Manktelow's hand.
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One bandage down and one to go. There were a couple of small drains
at the ends of the incision on my head that Martin removed. It didn't hurt to have them removed, but the bandage was
stuck to my hair at the back of my neck. THAT I remember! Later, I found a clump of hair on my pillow where Martin
cut it to get the bandage off. I am not even sure he knew!
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| Swelling up nicely! Day two. |
On Sunday, I was released into the capable hands of my best friend, Sonya.
When we stopped at the Nurses Station before leaving, they handed me a prescription and said nothing but "Get this filled".
So, we drove to the drug store which was beside Sonya and Lisa's favourite coffee place. Since I was in my PJ's, Lisa
went to get coffees and Sonya went to get drugs. I had had a pounding headache for three days and figured the coffee
was the cure. How right I was! After two sips, I began to feel human again. Little did I know that I was
not supposed to have ANY caffiene for three months! I found that out at the follow-up appointment.
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| One Week Later. Home from Toronto and looking kinda pitiful! |
Truly one of the greatest pleasures is being able to close my eye properly.
I can't believe how great it feels not to have a dry eye anymore. And because it closes, it doesn't get all watery anymore
either when it is windy or hot or cold or sunny or dark....
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| There is hardly any scar. |
This scar is a different story, however! It ached like a son-of-a-gun
for the three days while the drain was in, but after that, it was just uncomfortable to sit down on certain chairs...and the
toilet. I know, that may be too much info, but I don't want anyone else who has this surgery to have any nasty surprises.
The whole incision is about 9 inches long and ends right in the spot where ordinary briefs rest. So, I invested in boxers,
because I like them better anyway, and I had no problems at all. Except for when they removed the bandage from here.
A little shaving beforehand might have saved me and the doctor a bit of grief!
Seven Weeks After Surgery
I don't have any movement yet, but there is a tingling sensation at the corner of my mouth when I lick it. It feels
kind of weird, like a little electric shock that travels toward my ear from my mouth. I also get a tingly sensation
right in front of my ear when I tap my teeth together.
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You know, I don't remember much at this point. I do remember asking
Carolynn to take a picture for the record. Oh, and I remember the nurse telling me not to swallow the water she gave
me. But that's it really.
If you look closely, you can still see some ink on my cheek. I
was swollen so much, my skin was shiny! It was another week before I got the last remnants of ink off of me.
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| Released! Day four and relaxing at Sonya's |
Ok, about the arm. I have the worst veins ever. I was on Prednisone for
a few years and I have had a few courses of intraveneous human immunoglobulin (IvIG) for my Myasthenia. Combined, these
two things give me no end of grief when having blood drawn or when anyone but the most skilled is trying to start an I.V.
I was in the O.R. for forty-five minutes before the anaesthetist got the I.V. going that would put me to sleep so she could
start a proper I.V. Apparently, when knocked out, everyone's veins just "plump up", as she called it. This bruising
lasted for nearly three weeks and was by far the most sensitive part of me after surgery.
You have to look very closely to see the scar as it runs from just under
the angle of my jaw, right up in front of my ear (it follows the contour of my ear, really) and carries on up into my
hair. Even I can't see anything but the faintest bit below my jaw when I look in the mirror. The whole scar is
about six inches long.
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| It's not as bad as it looks! Honest! |
This is the best part, so far. My eye closes all the way for the first time ever! The gold bar can be seen
under the skin, and it had one tiny stitch in the lid.
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