Jamie is one tired girl. I’m going to ramble so bear with me.
I left for Tulsa 7 a.m. Wednesday morning and arrived right on time to the pulmonologist. I was so proud of myself for not getting lost!
He told me I have to have a doppler test of my legs to make sure that I don’t have blood clots. That test is scheduled for Tuesday.
I also was ordered to have a new sleep study done, which I found annoying but considering the highly dangerous level of sleep apnea that I have, I can see their reasoning for making me do it. Fortunately, I the Sleep Center of Tulsa had an opening so I was able to get in Wednesday night. The only bad thing was, I didn’t have any other clothes with me. I went to Wal-Mart and bought something to sleep in and something to wear the next day. I will be able to take some of it back because I ended up just driving home in the t-shirt I slept in. I had electrode gunk all throughout my hair so I was glad that I could just drive straight home Thursday.
Anyways, back to Wednesday. I left the pulmonologist and went across town to the cardiologist. They were able to run the tests I needed right then so I don’t have to go back, which is GREAT news.
I left the cardiologist and grabbed some lunch while I tried to figure out if I could have my sleep study or not, etc.
After getting my schedule figured out I went back to the clinic and paid my upfront costs for both the surgeons. I’ve never written such big checks in my whole darn life! I also bought some of the vitamin supplements I’ll need to take every day for the rest of my life.
At that point, I went to Walmart to buy the clothes and I bought a few trial size toiletries that I ended up not needing but they will come in handy later as travel stuff. I finally left Wal-Mart and went to the Supplement Shak, which is a protein health food place in Tulsa that gives patients of my surgeon a discount and also gives free samples. I have to have 60-80 grams of protein a day and the best way to do that is through the protein shakes. I got a handful of samples, which was nice.
I then checked into the sleep clinic and it was interesting. Everyone was really nice but I felt bad that they had to help me get into bed! They were really nice about it though, and very understanding. One of the techs had the same surgery about a year ago and she was so sweet to answer my questions.
I was asleep by midnight (in a bed, not at my computer) for the first time that I can remember. I woke up a few times in the night but slept OK. I got up around 5 and had stomach issues so it took me a while to get out of there.
I left and started back to Bentonville after that and had a rainy but uneventful ride home. Just for fun, I called my parents at 7:30 to talk to them. I thought about calling when I got up, but decided that would be more amusing to me than it would be for them.
The only trouble I had throughout the time actually came when I got home. Like I said, it was raining and all the sudden I realized I couldn’t find my insurance card. In the process of searching my car for it, I stood up and leaned into the car from my wheelchair. When I sat back down in the chair, it slid across the water and dumped me out flat on my back in a giant mud puddle. It took a long time to get back in the chair because everything was so wet. I was caked in mud and soaked. NOT HAPPY, LOL.
I then tried to get in the house and of course got stuck in the rocks. The neighbors forget and park their car too close to the curb and I can’t get past the cars. I have dealt with it for nearly four years but after Thursday, I had had enough. I started screaming at that point because I was so frustrated. A neighbor heard me and came to my rescue. Once I got inside, I called my landlord and asked them to help me remedy the situation. I won’t be able to plow myself out of the rocks after surgery and I need it fixed.
I finally made it to work Thursday afternoon. My boss has been absolutely great about me missing so much work.
Here’s a rundown of what is left to happen:
Tuesday: 8:30 preop testing and meeting with the anesthesiologist and surgeon; 12:30 leg dopplar test thingy; 3 p.m. tour of hospital, nutrition and general info meeting.
Wednesday: 10 a.m.: meet with pulmonologist to discuss test results.
Thursday: SURGERY (don’t know the time yet)
Jamie
Just want you to know that I’m thinking about you. don’t worry about communicating with us right away. I’ll just wait until I hear from your parents or you have time to post again. I can’t believe this is all happening so fast! I’m so sorry to hear about your “rainy night in georgia.” Dont know why I wanted to call it that, but i just did ! LOL ! anyway, it would be so frustrating to be stuck in the rain after falling in the mud. LOVE YOU! you are so special and incredible. thanks for keeping us updated with this blog.
Thanks so much Lorissa. I think I owe you a phone call but I don’t remember. I still don’t know how I’m going to notify people that I’m out of surgery.