April 21, 2005

• Warning - too much medical info and gross stuff follows: 

  I made it through the surgery.  It wasn’t bad, actually.  They did a local anesthetic with sedation, so
  I was awake through the whole process, and chatting with the anesthesiologist.  I had to curb my curious instincts, when I
  heard the Doctor say “ah! There it is!” I really wanted to ask “What?  What did you find? And can I see it?”  I am one of those really weird people who
  feel like they have to look at scars, scabs, etc, just to see what was
  there.  I know - too gross, but I really
  wanted to see what they found. 

  So, as I was lying there in the recovery room, chatting with
  Hubby, the doctor comes in and says that the pilonidal sinuses they found were
  larger than expected, and therefore the incision is larger than expected, and
  they have stitched a fairly large roll of gauze to me, in order to protect the
  incision site, that I shouldn’t take a shower or get it wet in any way for about
  a week, and that I couldn’t sleep on my back until said bandage was removed.. 

  Yes, that’s right. 
  THEY STITCHED A BANDAGE TO MY ASS. 
  A roll of gauze about the diameter of a roll of nickels, according to Hubby.  Stitched to me.  Ugh. 
  More on this wonderful thing later. 

  I spent the first couple of days lying on my stomach on the
  couch or in the bed, mostly sleeping. 
  Come Monday, I was bored and found I was able to sit up in a chair for
  short periods of time.  I played a few
  video games. 

  I’d been taking sponge baths and washing my hair in the
  sink, but that is just not the same as taking a shower.  And I LOVE my showers.  In the Summer I take several showers a day.  On the days when I work out, I take 2 showers
  a day.  I hate HATE hate being dirty.
  More than you can possibly know.  And by
  Monday I felt grimy and my skin had started itching, in spite of the sponge
  baths. 

  I called the Doctor’s office, and was given a Wednesday
  appointment to get the sutures removed. 
  (Yesterday.) 

  Tuesday I came back to work, and found that I was unable to
  sit in my office chair for extended periods of time, because it was extremely
  painful.  Strangely enough, it felt like something
  was pulling on my gluteal muscles.  Hmmmm…could
  it be those damn sutures holding the roll of gauze to my wound site?  Why yes. 
  In talking to Hubby, he asked “Doesn’t that hurt?  It looks like it is stitched on there pretty
  tight.”  Well yes, thanks for asking -
  sitting up hurts like a son of a bitch. 

  Yesterday, I managed to make it through my morning.  Thank goodness for pain pills.  Yes, they make me loopy, but they also dull
  the pain. 

  Yesterday afternoon Hubby and I went to the Doctor.  Is that weird - taking Hubby with me?  He did come into the exam room with me
  also.  My mom thinks that is weird.  But I figure, since I cannot see the incision
  site, that someone should be able to look at it and discuss it with the
  Doctor.  Plus, I just like to have Hubby
  there. 

  So, the damned stitches attaching the roll o’ gauze were
  snipped and the Doctor inspected the incision site.  Said everything looked good, and that I was
  to come back in another week to have the sutures removed.  Silly me, I thought my only stitches were
  those on the bandage.  Not so.  Hubby says I have a really long scar on my
  tailbone now.  After the Doctor
  appointment, I was really tired and even though I had intended to go home and
  immediately shower, I ended up falling asleep. 

  But I did get to have a wonderful shower this morning…washed
  my hair, scrubbed my back, etc etc.  

  Now, I am sitting here at work, trying to do stuff, and
  finding that my tailbone still hurts.  Not
  as much, but it does still hurt.  And all
  I really want to do this afternoon is go home and lay on my stomach on the
  couch. 

  *sigh* 

  At least that damn bandage is gone.

  • 3:18 pm
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