Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Surgery in the Morning

I thought I would share the news that I will be having surgery tomorrow (Tuesday) morning. I usually don't say anything before I have surgery, but then people always say, "Why didn't you tell me?!" or "I wish I would've known!" SO, consider yourself informed! :)

A few years ago when I had my annual x-ray of my kidneys my urologist discovered a kidney stone in my left kidney. When I had surgery to remove it, my doctor found that it wasn't one large stone, but a dense cluster of hundreds of tiny, little sand-like stones. My doctor tried to remove them as best he could, but wasn't very successful because they were so tiny that they kept falling out of the instrument used to retrieve them. (The doctor likened it to scooping up sand in a collander.)

So for the past year and a half those tiny stones have just been sitting in my kidney. It doesn't really seem like they've grown, but they're still there, which really isn't a good thing. For the most part everything has been going pretty, but it's not good to have them there and would be better to remove them, especially before they do start to cause me  problems. I figure it's better to get them before they get me, so to speak, so that I'm not caught off guard where a problem arises that could potentially make me life-threateningly ill (which has happened to me a number of times).

A few months ago my normal urologist referred me to one of his colleagues who specializes in kidney stones.  I met with this new doctor at the end of January. She was really nice said that it would be a good idea to do surgery to remove the stones so that's what I decided to do. The thing that makes this procedure more tricky is that the doctor has to remove the stones percutaneously. [The Latin origin of the word means "by way of the skin." Access to the kidney is made by making a small incision in the back and going in via that route instead of going up through the urethra.]

In 2007 I had a perc (abbreviation for the procedure) and that went terribly wrong, and I almost died. I don't say that lightly or to be melodramatic, it's just the truth of the matter. After the surgery I was delirious for 10 days and no one could figure out why I wasn't coming around. After the fact my mom asked my doctor just how close to death I really was and he said that I was "teetering on the edge" and things could've gone "either way." My mom said that those 10 days were the most terrifying days of her life. It was a very sobering experience for everyone involved (most especially my mom).

I'm confident that things will go much better this go around than they did in 2007, though. I'm not really nervous at all and feel very calm about the whole thing. The other day my sister Kristin asked how me nervous I am to have this procedure and I told her that on a scale from 1 to 100, I'm about a 5. I don't feel like my work on earth is finished yet, so for better or worse, people are just going to have to stick it out with me  a little longer! ;) I have to stay overnight just to make sure I'm doing well, but I'll most likely be coming home on Wednesday if all goes according to plan.

I don't look forward to having surgeries/being hospitalized, but there are a few perks, which I'll expound upon in a post after I'm home and back in commission. But for now, I will leave you with one of the things I look forward to about having surgery... I love going under anesthesia! I'm sure that sounds ludicrous to most people, but there's just something about the "floating away" sensation that I love! I better call it a night before I go any further, lest anyone get the wrong idea about me!

Leave me a comment to read when I'm back to the "land of the living" because they sure make me happy and are the best medicine! :)

16 comments:

Shannon said...

Love & prayers!!!

Georgia Josies said...

Thinking of you going under that anesthesia ;-) sending love and prayers your way!!

Meg @ write meg! said...

Hope everything goes well for you! Sending warm thoughts and healing vibes your way.

Julie said...

Thinking & praying for you for your op & you'll be ok afterwards.

Take care & God bless X

Unknown said...

Will be praying for you

Evaly said...

Hope your surgery goes well! And glad to hear your work is not done yet :-)

jamie @ [kreyv] said...

Good luck, Heather!! Hope everything goes well…I'm sure it will, or is at this point in time!

jadell said...

Thinking of you today. I put your name in the Temple here.

Jackie said...

Hope all has gone well Heather. Been thinking about you today. Rest up and let us know you're ok when you can.

ionamin-W8FW8 said...

Heather says: I am doing well. Thank you everyone for youur thoughts and prayers. it really is so touching!

Amy said...

Hope your recovery is speedy! You're in our prayers as well! (and although I've only had surgery once or twice, I, too like the floaty feeling when you're about to go under from the anesthesia!!) You are so strong and brave and such a wonderful example!!

Anonymous said...

I have just come across your blog and wish you luck for you surgery! From Japan

Anonymous said...

I hope you have a quick recovery! you will be back to blogging before you know it!

Lisa said...

Prayers everything has gone OK!

Lorraine said...

I'm glad you came out of surgery OK. I hope you have a speedy recovery. Thanks for just being you!

Mary M. said...

I hope everything went well. I tried calling your mom Friday and didn't get her and then saw somewhere that you were still in hospital. Hope to see you soon.

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