I read a book one time by Michael Palmer about people who were in surgery, paralyzed by the anesthesia, but could still feel everything. This has become one of my biggest fears, especially leading up to my oral surgery for my wisdom teeth. Kevin took the day off yesterday to be with me. I couldn’t eat 6 hours before surgery so I was hungry and nervous, thus making me easily irritable. Kevin kept up with my mood swings though and kept assuring me it was going to be okay.
When we got to the surgery center, I felt so nervous. Dr. Rice told me that it’s normal and he was great at reassuring me that I wouldn’t feel anything during the surgery. I had my original consultation with a different surgeon so yesterday was the first time that I met Dr. Rice and I was very pleased to see that he had gray hair; I felt like that meant he must have a lot of experience so I tried to believe him about his confidence in anesthesia. I remember being hooked up to the blood pressure monitor, oxygen, and IV. After that, I was out. I remember hearing a drill and then I heard the doctor say that I was done. I thought that he hadn’t taken all 4 of them out because it felt like only 5 minutes, but when I looked at the clock, it was an hour later.
I remember trying to be really alert, but got confused when they brought Kevin into the room because he was wearing a light blue sweatshirt, which was the same color as their surgery gowns and I thought he was a new doctor. I don’t really remember anything else except that they wheeled me out to the car in a wheelchair. I couldn’t feel my lips or chin and they felt so swollen. The anesthesia wore off about 4 hours later and then I was wishing for the numbness again. I remember crying to Kevin last night about how I missed my wisdom teeth and people lived just fine with them hundreds of years ago so why did I have to have them taken out?
Kevin has proven to be the best nurse I could’ve ever asked for. He gives me medicine, makes me delicious pudding and spoons it into my swollen mouth, lets me cry on his shoulder every other hour, packs me up with ice every 20 minutes, and otherwise stays right beside me in case I need anything. I gave him the “best husband in the whole world” award.
Overnight, my face puffed up about 3 times. Today, I am having a hard time with my medication because I need to take it with food, but the food makes me nauseous so I end up throwing up the food and the pain medication. It’s been a rough day and I do NOT recommend following the doctors orders if they ever try to tell you that you have to take out your wisdom teeth. Run away and run away fast.
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