Part 2 - IVs, ice packs, and blueberry muffins

The nurse woke me up around 3 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 14 for surgery prep. I was very tired, but ready and excited to get surgery over with.

Prep took several hours and by 7 a.m., I was ready to head to the operation room. I had to sign paperwork, have blood tests, have lines drawn on my head, and even have wires attached to my wrists, ankles, and chest. I talked to everyone who would be working with me while I was under. Finally, I said "see you later" to my parents, and they took me to the operation room. From the few seconds I was awake while in the OR, I remember the whole room being stainless steel and giant lights on the ceiling. The next thing I knew, I was being woken up in recovery and once again looked at the clock; I had been in surgery for over 7 hours.

I do not remember much at all from the rest of the day, besides my family bringing me balloons and flowers, and feeling very sleepy. The nurses also had to ask me a series of questions every four hours, which drove me crazy.

The first night post-op did NOT go well as the anesthesia and medications made me very confused and I was easily upset. No one had told me (that I remember) that I would need MORE blood drawn, and I fought my hardest to stop it from happening. By the morning, I was calmer, but had kept my mom up most of the night, as well as had a special ICU team finally get the blood tests needed. The calmness ended when I was told it was time for a CT scan. Somehow, I made it through, and that's about all I remember from Saturday, besides having more visitors and eating a blueberry muffin.

My arms hurt from the 5+ IV sites I had on my arms, so the medical staff would give me constant ice-packs to help with soreness. I also had to go on walks, which I did not enjoy, because my whole body was sore.

On Sunday, I was feeling much better and was ready to go home. Dr. B. came to remove the bandage on my head and check my stitches. I also needed a stitch to be put in, which was a less than desirable experience. After having the bandage removed, I learned that I still had most of my hair! However, my hair was a matted mess and desperately needed fixing. I also found out that I was allowed to go home the next day! This was a huge surprise, as I was originally expected to be there until Tuesday or Wednesday.

On Monday morning, I had my last blueberry muffin, my last walk around the Neuro Care Unit, and my first shower since surgery. It was a huge relief to have all of the IVs removed, but I was covered in bruises. Finally, around noon, me, my mom, and sister Kate headed home! I was so excited to go home and see my dog, Willow, who was also very excited to see me.

You can see in the photos below that my hair was HORRIBLE, and that I was very tired!