Viewer Discretion is Advised

Due to the graphic nature of this blog, viewer discretion is advised ;)So it started out on Friday, September 25, 2009 to have this 10cm cyst removed from my right ovary. On the far left is my left ovary, the middle i believe is my uterus, and next to that is the cyst on my right ovary (about the size of a large grapefruit). It was there my entire pregnancy, but i never had any pain from it. I also had a cyst with my 1st pregnancy, 2 years ago (we lost that baby due to a miscarriage). I had the same surgery to remove that cyst too, which was almost 15cm by the time it was taken out. After that surgery there was a lot of pain at the 3 incisions sites, but that was about it.

This is a picture of the cyst wall after having all the fluid was drained from it.

Going into surgery was just plain madness, the nurses were beyond understaffed, and all of them were running around like it was an ER, not an elective surgery floor. The nurse asked all the normal questions, do you smoke, any history of heart attacks, etc. etc. She asked if I had any implants anywhere in my body and i said that i had two fake teeth and they were permanent, she said that didn't matter she meant like breast implants, so we moved on.

It was time to start my IV. Now I had not been allowed to eat or drink anything since 6am, it is now probably about 1:45pm and i am breastfeeding so I may be a little dehydrated, but really, the nurse went through my vein, she called over another nurse and he started my IV in the other hand (I hate hand IV's, they suck).

Well, they kept saying that they were "waiting" on my pee test results to make sure i wasn't pregnant. Finally after the 3rd time of me telling my nurse that i had not peed in anything (and she obviously had not taken any blood) she realized that my lab work had been requested and sent to the lab, but without my pee (don't know who' s they were using, but it wasn't mine!) So she tells me to go down the hall, wheel my IV bag and go to the bathroom, a nurse on the way stops me and says that it may be a while before the restroom is available, i told her that i just had to take a pee test and she was like "Where's your cup? They didn't give you a cup?! What are you planning on peeing in?" and rolls her eyes, so i mosey back to my room and inform my nurse that i need something to pee in. UGH!

Results= Not preggo.

Now, I LOVE my Dr. She is the best. During my last surgery the last thing i remember was her standing over me praying, how awesome is that. I have her personal cell number, her home number and even her home fax, she is always "there" for me. If i did not know her and trust her, i would have opted out, afraid i would wake up and they had removed my leg instead of a cyst.

The anesthesiologist came in (very superman looking, shiny teeth, fancy hair, all smiles) and asked if i had any questions. i said my only concern was my boob milk, should i pump and dump once or twice, and he said there was no need, my boob milk would be perfectly safe for little Jack. He asked if i had negative reactions to anesthesia in the past? Nope i said and we were off.

The last thing i remember was them moving me onto the operating bed and strapping down my arms.

When i awoke from surgery i was shaking a little and a grumpy nurse was feeding me tiny bits of water. i mentioned that my front tooth hurt, but then again, everything kinda hurt.

I knew the 1st night was gonna be rough, so my mom and dad were more than willing to have Jack's very 1st sleep over. Sammy and I left the hospital, got my meds and some In-N-Out. Still pretty doped up from the hospital.

I was pretty nausea all night and woke up Saturday morning puking and puking. Would try to eat some toast or crackers, but any food or water, send me straight to the puke bucket. My mom and dad brought Jack over Saturday afternoon and i just knew that i would not be able to breastfeed and puke at the same time so they took him for another night. (Sam missed Jack so much he slept with one of his blankies from his crib).

Saturday evening I called my Dr. and told her just how sick i was. She prescribed Zofran, an anti-nausea, anti-vomiting medication. Only problem, i kept puking up the pill. So, i am in major pain, have a headache and can't stop puking.

Sunday morning i was puking up stomach lining. Not good. Very gross.

My Mom and Dad came over and my dad had liquid Zofran and a few bags of fluid ready to start an IV. The only vein my dad could find was in my left pointer finger. (i was just a little more than dehydrated.) I'll take an IV through the hand any day over that!

Since this is my house i don't have an IV poll, they just tacked a nail into the wall above the couch and hung the IV bag from there. Once I had about half the bag of fluids in me, my dad gave me the Zofran through my IV.

Ouchie Ouch Ouch Ouch! I now look like a drug addict who can't find her veins very well. Huge bruises (blood pools) on my right and left hand and a bruised finger. Cute.

So once i was not "praying to the porcelain gods" i noticed that my head hurt super bad. turns out i had a migraine, so two imitrex later, i was semi-able to sit up. Turns out i do not do so well with percocet or loratabs.

Sweet baby Jack finally got to be back home that night. Although i am sure he was having way more fun with MiMi and PaPa.

After being off all pain pills for about 20 hours my front tooth really started to hurt. When I woke up Monday morning i was in tears. Now I just had a baby 5 months and didn't cry, happy tears yes, but no pain tears. I was BAWLING.

I made a dentist appt for Tuesday and then called back like 5 minutes later and told them i needed to come in TODAY. I could not wait. So they said they would see me as soon as I could get there.

They did an x-ray and turns out I have a fractured tooth and massive "trauma"/damage done to my root and nerves. And I am going to need a root canal. The doc wanted me on antibiotics for at least 24 hours before doing the root canal so we scheduled it for Wednesday.

Apparently this is a common "accident" that can happen when you are being intubated for a breathing tube during surgery, and apparently you even sign off on this before going in. Always read what you sign right? It can be a simple slip of the hand or the slightest move from the anesthesiologist and bam you've lost a tooth or two. However, my dad and brother have intubated MANY people in the back of an ambulance speeding down the freeway with lights and sirens and have not fractured anyone's tooth!!! I was in a surgical room strapped down on a bed...

(I have spoken with the anesthesiologist and he says he has no recollection of bumping my tooth and there was nothing noted in his "meticulous" notes.) I am not even going to go there right now.

This is me at 2am on Tuesday morning. Now my dentist said that he would try his hardest to save my tooth, but he really didn't know if he could. You need to know that if he is not able to save my front tooth i will, at the very least, lose my fake tooth that is attached to it and possibly my other front tooth, and the tooth next to that one too. So i at this point i am looking at the possibility of losing all four front teeth. (Don't think work would let me be the "face" of MSA looking like that) I would have to move me and my baby to Hendertucky.

2 am again.

5 am Tuesday morning.

The pain was so bad all night that i really feared my only option was to drink a bottle of whiskey and knock out my own front tooth with a hammer, couldn't hurt anymore that it already did. I decided that maybe that was a rash choice and tried a vicodine, a little nausea, but also a little relief...

Just a reminder (cause it's been a long blog): I still had surgery on Friday and I still have stitches in three different incisions on my lower stomach, my right side, my left side and my bellybutton. My abdomen may hurt, i don't know, everything else was screaming way louder.

My elephant face right before my root canal.

The pain was so intense and my face was so swollen i knew i could not live another day and night like this. I called the dentist and he had me come in as soon as possible.

The procedure took a little over an hour and because my face was so swollen and infected at this point, even with the antibiotics, numbing it was very difficult. I did okay until the very end, the pain was through the roof, and the tears just kept on comin'. (I think my poor mom was gonna have a heart attack.) I'm pretty sure i cried the rest of the day just from physical and mental exhaustion.

My dentist was able to save my front tooth .

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

The dentist told me that this was just the calm before the storm. The root canal was the calm!!!!!!!! and that it was gonna be a rough few days. So sammy came home from work to take care of me, mommy made me mashed potatoes, and baby jack went to stay another night with Mimi and Papa. (i was just too doped up and too emotional (and they have all the frozen boobie milk), plus they did a way better job than i could have.

I remained in bed for the next day in a vicodine induced "sleep" (i didn't feel like i ever actually fell asleep). Sam set up the baby monitor in our room so he could hear my every breath and moan from down stairs (pretty cute).

The next morning the swelling and pain had gone down a little. Now i just resembled a chubbier faced jack on one side. I took my last vicodine at 6am on Wednesday, slept at my moms from 9am to 2pm and awoke feeling semi-human.

What do people do who don't have a family like mine? What if i didn't have AMAZING parents who could and would take my baby for three nights and four days, and i never had to worry if he was okay or being loved or fed or cuddled while i couldn't do any of those things? What if i didn't have a dad who can come over and start IV's in my finger?

I can't lift jack in his care seat b/c of the stitches, how would i have went to the dentist or the ER?

What if i didn't have a husband who could come home and take care of me, who would change out my puke bucket and replace it with a new one, feed me my pills, go and get my medications?

I don't know either.

Also special shout-out to MSA, mine and sammy's work place and work family, you are the most generous and support people ever. We love you Ms. Laura, and Kathy Moo, sorry who have to all my work once again! (I swear i was planning on being back sooner) and to you Mr. Melroy. Thank you for understanding!

So i am alive, i get my stitches out on Friday, that should go off without a hitch... fingers crossed.

Today is Thursday right??? or are we in December now?Anyways... my face is still swollen, constant dull pain and my skin is red from being stretched, but I am walking and eating, trying not to laugh cause it hurts, but the VERY MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL....

I get to kiss this pea face!!!

Oh how i missed him.

Oh how thankful I am for my mom and dad and husband!

We will now go back to our regularly scheduled blogs...