OBACHAN'S SCRIBBLES

Friday, May 25, 2007

MY PINOKO DOESN'T SPEAK - PART 10 -


May 11th, 2007  -- Day 3: Surgery (Good bye, Pinoko) --


Good thing was that it didn’t rain at all during my hospital stay. Rain always makes me depressed and I didn’t want to have a surgery on a rainy day. The bright sunshine that morning made me less worried about the tracheal intubation. Oh, it will be alright… I’m physically strong and my veins are easy to see. So my esophagus and windpipe must be pretty sturdy, too... I know. No logic at all. But I just got tired of worrying. It was such an eventful day, and soon I became busy feeling “OH! This is what I read on someone’s blog! Now I’m actually experiencing it! Wow!” with almost everything I went through.

After 7 am, a young nurse shaved me and cleaned my navel. Then she gave me an enema and told me to hold it for a while, but like I had read beforehand, it was terribly hard. I assume that my intestines were not completely “emptied” then. Sorry, staff, if this would be a real stinky operation. :P
After that, I took a quick shower and put on a gown and elastic stockings. Uh… in this photo my calf looks pretty big but it’s just the camera angle. Ahem! According to the nurse, the hole was for checking the color of the toenails (to check the blood circulation, I suppose?).

Then I packed up and moved to a private room. BTW, they had 2 types of private rooms: one with toilet and wash basin (over 8000 yen/day), and one with wash basin (4200 yen/day). I was happy that I got the 4200-yen room as I had requested, because my private insurance can cover that amount (if I understood the insurance policy correctly).

Mom came in around 11:00 am. The first thing she said was “I got lost and went to the annex.” Yeah, I knew that was gonna happen, mom. You told me that you walked all the way around to get to the nearest train station on the 9th. But I didn’t tease her because I needed to talk her into staying in my apartment room until the 14th and watering my plants on the balcony every morning. It worked out. ;) And a nurse came to give me a drip, but now I don’t remember if it was before or after mom came.

Maybe 10 or 15 minutes before 2 pm, a nurse came to take me to the operation room. While I was walking with the nurse and mom, my mind was more occupied with pushing my drip stand properly in the hallway and the elevator. Sorry, I’m not an experienced inpatient… While waiting right outside the operation room, I saw my doc going into the room. I felt so happy to see his familiar face! So… maybe I’m more nervous than I think, ha?

Finally, I entered the operation room. Two nurses waiting inside introduced themselves to me and told me to get on the stretcher. Boy, the stretcher looks so narrow!! Also, the anesthesiologist introduced the EMT trainee to me. OH, GOOD LUCK!! REALLY!! The stretcher started moving, and it was so nice that someone kept telling me how the stretcher was going to move and what was coming next all the time. And thank goodness, NO rock music. (Someone wrote on her blog that the staff had rock music on in the op-room and she felt more scared than relaxed because she doubted the staff’s seriousness.) The stretcher finally stopped. I don’t remember exactly but I guess the ECG patches were attached and a surgical cap covered my head. Then an oxygen mask covered my nose and mouth, and I heard someone (the anesthesiologist?) saying “You’ll fall asleep right away.” That was the last thing I remembered.

Then I heard someone calling my name. I felt my abdomen being quickly covered with a diaper and bandage.
So… it’s over…??


And the next time I opened my eyes, I was back in the private room in the inpatient ward. An elder nurse was standing next to the ECG machine (?) and mom was sitting next to my bed. The nurse told me to breathe deep, and she asked my mom to tell me to breathe deep, too. The funny thing was that it was as if I forgot how to breathe spontaneously -- I really needed to force myself (or make a conscious effort, if "force" is a little too strong word) to breathe. Wait a minute… isn’t breathing supposed to be more effortless??? I felt lazy about breathing after a few breaths and stopped it for several seconds, then took a deep breath to catch up, which probably scared my mom. She walked around my bed and peeked in the ECG monitor several times when the nurse was not around. Hey, don’t worry, mom. You know how long I can hold my breath when I dive to pick abalones in the ocean… But maybe that’s not the point now… I don’t know how long I continued such clumsy breathing, but gradually it became easier. I even lifted up the oxygen mask a couple of times to scratch my nose.

At around 7 pm, mom left. During that uncomfortable night, the elder nurse came in so many times to take care of me. In addition to checking vitals and emptying the urine, she wiped my face with a warm towel, wetted my lips several times with a big cotton swab, and brought me an ice pack because I had a slight fever.

Now my biggest surprise was: the incisions didn’t hurt almost at all. My elder relatives -- those "experts of hospital stay" -- had said that after their surgeries, the anesthesia wore off in several hours and the pain started, but the doctors and nurses were reluctant to use pain killer. So I expected to feel a throbbing pain in my abdomen. But it didn’t happen. Actually it was the back pain that bothered me more.

After the oxygen mask was taken off, I asked the nurse if I could lie on my side because my back hurt, and she said it was OK to do so for a short while. As soon as I lay on my side, a B-I-G burp came out! So this is what someone commented about on my blog? Must be the leftover gas (CO2)? The nurse quickly folded the cover and placed it against my back to support. Boy she was so good. During that night, she did this and that to reduce my back pain and make me feel comfortable, and she was so quick and efficient! I felt so attached to her, honestly.

It was another sleepless night, and I kept wondering why the incisions did not hurt while the back pain was that persistent...
(I think the anesthesiologist came to check on me that night, but I don't remember exactly when.)

To be cont'd...

手術の日

入院中に一日も雨が降らなかったのはありがたかったです。私雨が降ると気分落ち込むし、雨の日に手術ってイヤだったんで。その朝も明るい朝だったおかげで、気管挿管の件に関しても気が軽くなりました。まあ大丈夫でしょう。ワタシ身体は丈夫やし血管は見つけやすいし。食道も気管も頑丈にできてるやろ…。わかってます。なんの論理もありゃしません。でも、心配するのも面倒になったんです。その日はすることが多くて、じきに私は何につけても「あーこれ誰かのブログで読んだ!私もいよいよそれを体験するかぁ~!」といちいち思うのに忙しくなったので。

午前7時過ぎ、若い看護師さんが、剃毛しておへその掃除をしてくれました。それから浣腸して、しばらくガマンするよう言われたけど、他の人も書いてたように、それはすごいキツかったです。たぶんその時完全に腸は空にならなかったと思う…手術してくださる皆さん、もし臭い手術になったらゴメンナサイ。その後、さっとシャワーを浴びて、手術着に着替え、弾性ストッキングを着用。えーこの写真では、私のふくらはぎがエラく大きく写ってますが、これはあくまでカメラの角度のせいです。看護婦さんによると、ストッキングの穴は、足の爪の色をチェックする(血行を見るため?)時のためのものだそうです。

それから荷物をして、個室に移りました。ところで、ここでは個室が2種類あって、トイレと洗面台付のタイプが1日8000円以上、洗面台だけ付いてるのが1日4200円でした。お願いした4200円の方がOKでラッキーでした。それなら入院保険でまかなえる額(のハズ?)だったので。

母が午前11時ごろに来て、最初に言わく、「いやぁ迷うて別館に行ってしもうたわ。」はいはい。そんなことやろと思ってました。9日に帰る時、最寄のJRの駅へ行くのにとんでもない遠回りをして歩いたって言うてたもんね。でもそこでからかうのはじっとガマン。なんせ14日まで私の部屋に泊まって、毎朝バルコニーのプランターに水をやってもらうよう説得せにゃなりませんから。説得は成功でした。;)
それから、母が来る前だったか後だったかは覚えてないけど、看護婦さんが来て点滴が始まりました。

たぶん2時に10分か15分前ぐらいに、看護師さんが来て、一緒に手術室に移動。彼女と母と一緒に歩いていく間は、廊下やエレベーターで点滴のスタンドを押すのにずっと気をとられてました。慣れてないもんで。手術室のドアの前で待っていた時、ちょうど主治医のセンセが入って行くのが見えて、見慣れた顔が見られてすごくうれしかったです。というところを見ると、思ったより緊張してたんやなぁ私。

ついに手術室に入ると、そこにいた看護師さんが2人、私に挨拶してくれて、ストレッチャーに乗るように言いました。うわ、ストレッチャーって幅が狭いぃ~!!そして麻酔医の先生が、救急救命士の実習生を紹介してくれました。がっ頑張ってよ幸運を祈るで、ホンマに!!ストレッチャーが動き出すと、誰かがずっとストレッチャーがどっちの方向に動くかとか、次には何をするか、前もってずっと教えてくれ続けたのが、ありがたかったです。それとありがたいことに、ロックミュージックなんぞかかってなかった!(いや誰かのブログに、手術室でロックがかかってて、リラックスするよりも、ほんとに真剣にやってくれるのかが心配になった、って話が書いてあったんで。)ストレッチャーが遂に止まると、順番は定かに覚えてないけど、心電図のパッチが貼られて、シャワーキャップみたいなのをかぶせてもらって、酸素マスクが鼻と口をおおったと思ったら、誰か(たぶん麻酔科の先生)が「すぐ眠くなってきます」と言う声が聞こえたのが最後でした。

それから誰かが私の名前を呼ぶのが聞こえて、オムツとか腹帯(?)をササっと装着してくれるのを感じました。
え…終わったん…??

次に目を開けたら、もう病棟の個室に帰ってました。年配の看護師さんが心電図の機械の隣に立ってて、母は私のベッドの横に座ってました。看護師さんは私に大きく息をするようにと何回も言って、母にも、私に大きく息をするよう声掛けをするようにと言ってました。オカシなことに、私、自然にひとりでに息をするのってどうやってたか、忘れたみたいになってたんです。ほんとに、強いて(というか少なくとも、意識して)呼吸をしないとダメで。チョット待て…。呼吸ってこんなに努力してするもんやったっけ?2,3回呼吸するとなんか面倒くさくなって、何秒か呼吸を休んでしまい、それから埋め合わせに大きな息をして、という状態やったんで、母はびびってたみたいです。看護師さんがいない時に何回か、心電図のモニターを覗き込みに行ってました。心配しなや。私がアワビ採りに海にもぐる時、どんだけ息を止めれるか知っちゅうやろ。けどたぶんそういう問題じゃないか…。そういう変な呼吸がどのくらい続いたかわかりませんが、だんだん息は楽になってきて、時々は酸素マスクを持ち上げて鼻を掻いたりしてました、私。

母は午後7時頃に帰り、その夜はその年配の看護婦さんが何回も面倒みに来てくれました。血圧と熱を計ったり尿の容器を空にしてくれたりの他にも、あったかいタオルで顔を拭いてくれたり、濡れた大きな綿棒で唇を湿らせてくれたり、ちょっと熱があったので氷枕を持ってきてくれたり。

何より驚いたのは、傷がほぼ全くと言っていいほど痛まなかったこと。親戚のお年寄り-もう入院のエキスパートといっても過言ではない人々-が言うには、術後数時間したら麻酔が切れて傷口が痛みだすけど、医者や看護師には、なるべく痛み止めは使わんほうがいいと言われる、という話だったのに。だから私は腹の傷がズキズキしてくるだろうと思ってたんです。でもそれはなくって、どっちかというと腰痛のほうが大変でした。

酸素マスクがはずされた後、腰が痛いので横向きに寝てもいいかと看護師さんに聞いたら、少しの間ならいいということでした。横向きになったとたん、すっごい大きなゲップが!!誰かが私のブログにコメントで言ってくれてたのって、このこと?!コレって体内に残ってた二酸化炭素が出てきたんよね?看護師さんは、布団を手早く折りたたんで私の背に当ててくれました。この看護師さんホントにベテランで、腰痛も含めて私が楽になるように一晩中いろいろしてくれて、またそれがムッチャ手早くてうまい!

その晩も、よく眠れなくて、ただひたすら、腰痛がずーっと感じられるのに傷の痛みが感じられないのはなぜ?と不思議がってました。(たしか麻酔科の先生が様子を見に来てくれてたのもこの晩だったと思うけど、いつごろだったかハッキリ覚えてないです。)

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posted by obachan, 5/25/2007 11:27:00 AM

3 Comments:

Huh, sounds like you had a little trouble there. No, breathing should not have been difficult. A little too much sedation?

I was put under a couple years ago and waking up was more like sudden awareness and then the job of forcing myself awake and able to speak past a dry mouth. My husband and daughter both report the same sensations.

That's what I see with my patients as well although I've never asked any of them about their sensations upon waking. Interesting.
commented by Anonymous Anonymous, 5/27/2007 2:32 AM  
Last time I had an anesthesia, I had the same problem for breathing when I woke up.
A nurse kept telling me to breath.
commented by Blogger Plume, 5/31/2007 3:55 AM  
Nokomarie
Maybe my brain didn’t wanna wake up easily after all those sleepless days.
;)

Plume
Yeah, I a few Japanese bloggers wrote the same thing about their breathing after a surgery under general anesthesia, so I guess this can happen sometimes.
commented by Blogger obachan, 6/03/2007 9:58 PM  

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