Sunday...

Normally, Sundays are one of my favorite days of the week. I get to relax (usually kick back with a Starbucks) and take a look at the Sunday paper. I love to look at the ads and check out the sales. In the hospital though, this is not as fun. Besides, the fact that I'm still sore and the medications are driving my blood pressure and blood sugar all over the place, I just can't relax, I want to go home. Cody makes an effort to get Castro his insulin and food early so that he can be with me when the neurosurgeon comes to check on me. Cody gets there nice and early (since yesterday the neurosurgeon came around 8am) and we end up waiting for a bit. As soon as I step into the bathroom to try and pee, he shows up. He talks to Cody, and me through the bathroom door. He says that he's not really comfortable releasing me with the blood pressure issues, the fact that I'm still working to control my bladder, and I'm still retaining even after peeing. He's not ruling it out, but he'd like to re-evaluate later in the day to see how I'm doing. I ask if I can at least take a shower, and he said that would probably help me feel better, so to do so with the help of Cody or a nurse. When I ask later for showering supplies (towels, soap, etc) they are told that there is no record in my file that I was given the o.k. to shower, so it is put off again! Later in the evening Cody and I relax, (he brought his laptop from home) and we share the little overbed table. Him on one side playing a game on his laptop, me on the other. I do some reading, I put in a Scholastic book order so my kiddos get their books before the last day of school, I play some games on my iPad. The neurosurgeon does not come back to check on me. The attending physician comes through and says that a urologist will be coming to see me at some point today because they are worried that I might have a secondary urinary infection because there had been blood in my urine (because they make you pee into a cup so they can measure your urinary output). I once again state that of course there is blood in my urine, I am MENSTRUATING!! (Really... how many times do you have to state the same thing over and over and over). I pee again, and they scan and it shows I'm only holding 100ccs (just over 1/3 cup), this has been considered acceptable. So a couple hours later a urologist comes through. He had been told I was on a catheter (I'm not), he had been told I was retaining large amounts in my bladder even after peeing, which is also no longer true. I also let him know that they put me on an antiobiotic just in case I had a urinary tract infection. He leaves a card and tells me to follow up later with my PCP or with his office to ensure there really is no urinary infection. By now its getting late into the afternoon, and I'm starting to realize I am not going home today either. The attending physician comes through and says that I will be staying again, until I have more control over the bladder, blood sugar and blood pressure. My blood sugar is apparently too high, so I get another 2 units of Inulin Lente before dinner. Cody leaves to get Castro his insulin and food, as well as some dinner for himself. I take a small nap, and wake up as I realize I have to pee, but just can't make it fast enough. Small accident, but this is what they were talking about with control of bladder. Cody comes back and we relax some more together, but I convince him to go home and try and get a good night's sleep so he'll be better ready to take care of me when I come home tomorrow.... because it has to happen... I have to go home tomorrow or I will go insane. Cody goes home to get some sleep. I try, but after about 30 minutes I can't sleep. I get up and walk around the floor, I watch some Netflix, I watch some t.v., I read, I get up and walk around some more and I pee a lot. It's finally 4am before I fall asleep, then at 4:30 they draw more blood, and take blood pressure and blood sugar. I finally fall back asleep for until around 7am.

Surgery Day

I luck out and get to have an early surgery. Cody spent the night with me, and Donna came back. They want me completed naked, which I am not comfortable with because I am menstruating. They tell me I can wear some special mesh underwear (think fishnet tights) and their special sanitary napkin. I meet the neurosurgeon and he tells me that he is going to remove my L5 disc because it has herniated and it is pressing on the lumbar sac and compressing the nerves that control the lower half of my body, including my legs, bladder and bowels. I have something called Cauda Equina Syndrome, which is why there was the numbness in the saddle area (it is one of the tell tale symptoms for the syndrome). I, like the idiot that I am, ask how long I'll be out of work after (I'm thinking of my appendectomy where I was only out a week). He tells me that I'll be out for several weeks. I start to cry, thinking of all I'll miss, because that's the end of the year. I tell Cody he has to call Lynn and request some subs, I need Mrs. Grasso or Mrs. Pearson, or someone who is going to take care of my kids. Donna tells me that she will keep my mom updated. Then they wheel me away. The next thing I know I'm waking up in a bigger room, and I have no undies (not even the fishnet guys!) First order of business is I NEED underwear. Cody has gone while I was in post-op and given Castro his insulin for the morning, but Donna is still with me. I'm allowed some ice chips, and I'm so thirsty. After a little while the neurosurgeon comes to visit. He says that the surgery went well. The disc was the 2nd or 3rd largest he has ever removed and he even took a picture (it's graphic) and emailed it to me. He said if I had waited for a day or more I would have likely been paralyzed from the waist down. He tells me that with any luck if I get up and walking around today that I can go home tomorrow. I have to be able to pee on my own (they have me on a catheter). Cody brings my iPad, a magazine, a book, and a picture of Castro on his phone. Donna stays until early evening, we ask the nurse if I can get up and take a walk (which is what the neurosurgeon wanted me to do) but she says there is no order for a back brace, and she can't take the chance that I hurt myself walking without a brace, so no walking for tonight. They also won't remove the catheter. Which means I need to practice walking and peeing tomorrow if I want to go home tomorrow. Donna leaves to go spend some time with Gordon, and Cody stays the night (after he goes home to give Castro his insulin).