Yes, it really is me – Kandis. I’m typing my own post surgery update from my hospital room because I can!

Our day started with a very early wake up alarm since we had to be at the hospital at 5:30 this morning and the hospital isn’t exactly around the corner from our house. Once we got to the hospital and through check in, a very kind nurse got me ready for surgery and hung out with me for the most part until Andy and my Dad were allowed to come back and wait for the actual surgery with me. I even learned that today is her brother’s birthday. She made it my job to remind her to call him after surgery but since I was being admitted, I never went back to that room – I hope she remembered on her own.

Surgery started right on time and the surgeon said everything went well.

I woke up right away in recovery, which shocked the nurses and myself. Anesthesia in the past has really knocked me out and kept me down for quite some time. Anyway, I’m thankful that it didn’t and once I woke up, I WOKE UP! After a short while, the nurse even decided to go spelunking for my phone in the locker so that I didn’t feel like all I had do do was count the lines on the curtain that separated me from the other patients in the recovery room. I had to laugh when she said, “I think you’re safe to give this to. You’re not saying anything strange.” It took a good bit of time before they had a bed for me for overnight and Andy couldn’t come back into the recovery space so.I filled time with answering texts and emails. While in recovery, I asked that they not give me the oxycodone that was prescribed. In general, oxy and I don’t get along – the once I’ve taken it resulted in me seeing lamps dance of their own volition across my parents’ living room and the not spiral staircase spiral. I did allow them to give me the Tylenol dose. I’m not in any pain whatsoever but I figured for now, I shouldn’t push it.

I’ve been in my hospital room since about 1PM and have had a parade of people – my nurse, the manager of housekeeping, the resident who stood in on my surgery, the chaplain, the charge nurse, people with my lunch, a respiratory therapist . . . . I’m thankful that I’m not tired and trying to sleep because the knocks are pretty constant. My nurse has been great and after helping me move around a little bit decided that I’m safe and can move about my room as I please as long as I take my IV pole with me. That is an incredible freedom right now. I’m going quite stir crazy in the hospital bed. So, regular laps around the room it is. I can also keep off the crazy compression leg things if I get up for a few minutes of every hour and let’s just say I would much rather get up than have what feels like my blood pressure be taken in my legs every 30 seconds or so. I continue to be without any pain and have postponed even my Tylenol for now. I will likely get my regular dose later but I didn’t need the “booster” dose I could have gotten. Minutes right now are filled with eating, walking, talking with Andy and reading. My doctor seems quite confident that I’ll be out of the hospital by lunch tomorrow but until then I will continue to cycle through the few activities I can do.

Anyway, I type all this to tell you all that I’m doing well. Thank you for your prayers. Please keep them coming as I continue to recover from this latest step and walk towards what comes next in this long journey. Thank. you for being part of our team.