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back home from surgery...(long)

Posted by Cathy McElroy on May 28, 2001 at 00:49:06:

Hi everyone, I made it home Saturday night about 10pm...so glad to be back..for awhile didnt think I would ever see this place again. Things were pretty traumatic !!! However they have certainly improved. The good news is Dr. Li took the before and after xrays and even though things went aray my airway is now 3 times larger than before, for that I am very thankful. I am trached for the time being with a #4 Jackson and all in all finally getting used to it. Thankyou to Alamo Joe, Patrick, and Kelly for your visits...meant alot to me and Shelby and Hipurkat Im sorry timing and situations didnt allow us to meet, I know u all tried...unfortunately not a whole lot went right. I was reading some of the past posts and read the one from I believe David? about ICU nurses and trachs. Im an RN trained in acute care and have never met a nurse who is or has been trained in doing a trach!! Dr Li and my anest. doc both said I would have died. When I told the nurse to call Dr. Li first time was 3am and he was there within 12 min. then they had to call him again at 5am and again he was there immed, looked again at airway, vocal cords were not visible, he said he had already summoned Dr Riley and anesth and I needed a trach immed. They could not lay me flat in OR , I didnt have enough air, so I was up at a 45 degree angle, and to make matters worse my IV arm had exploded with edema and now no IV access and they were unable to get one at that time, the OR room had not been cooled down for any type of procedure and I swear is was 100 degrees...I guess I can say it was very frightening, I truely thought afterwards that I would need some type of mental help to cope with all that had happened, and I remember thinking that I would never again return to the hospital atmosphere to work because of the memories but its funny how fast one gets over things...even my memory of the intense fear is subsiding and I do plan on eventually returning to work. I think that Dr. Li's referral about me dying if not being at Stanford was based on situations as he was there immed, and able to do and knew what to do instantly, whereas an oral surgeon would have to had made contacts for a surgeon, an oral surgeon most likely would not have been able to expedite the procedure as fast as Dr. Li. Anyway for what its worth, after all is said and done I do feel very fortunate to have been there. The nursing staff was more than excellant. I do have arch bars on my upper gums, at first I was so swollen u couldnt see them and Dr. Li probably told me but things were very confusing at the time. Tonight for supper I have mashed potatoes, fresh mustard greens and smoked pork chops...oh my gracious it was soooo good. My husband heated the pork chop in skillet and made a gravy then put in blender, I tell ya it was some of the best eating I have done. I laughed and said I will probably be the only person that has this surgery and ends up gaining weight !!! LOL Im gona try to get some sleep now...just wanted to post and say hello...Cathy

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