A Rainy Random Post

Sheesh. Will it ever stop? That's really the most common topic of conversation these days.

I'm healing but my biggest problem is listening to my body and taking a break when I get tired. Not lifting things, especially Henry, is the biggest problem.

AP season is upon us. My seniors have their last day of school on Friday, so there is definitely an interesting feel around campus. Because the AP exam is a week from Monday, I can feel the end too. The thought of just having two classes that are real work is such a nice feeling.

I got to see my old foster dog when I picked up the dogs from camp today. He looks GREAT! I'm so happy that he found such an awesome home.

Overall, I'm feeling really hopeful. I had a very non-scientific, but somehow very meaningful dream about our desires for a baby. I came away feeling so hopeful and positive. I'm trying my hardest to hold on to that feeling. (Obviously the end of the school year helps too. Ha!)

Anesthesia Fun

OK, so at this point, we finally have the surgery all ready to go. The anesthesia nurse comes in and adds a mild sedative to my IV. There's a little burn, but no big deal. They start moving my bed and say something about am I ready. I just laughed and was like, "at this point I'm just along for the ride." The anesthesia nurse said I only had to worry about breathing, and once we got to the OR, she would take care of it from there. I then made a crack about involuntary muscle contraction, and I acknowledged that I was a smart ass all the time.

We rolled down to surgery and the room was very un-exciting. Cluttered almost. The doctor apologized that he had forgotten his iPod so there were no tunes. :) They put the oxygen mask on me and had me lay my arm out on the padded thing. I remember that the mask was kind of poking the area under my left eye, and... that was it. Seriously. Having never been put under before I figured I would feel it happening, like falling to sleep. Nope. Just like a switch. On then off.

The first thing I remember is rolling and hearing my doctor say that he hadn't found much endometriosis but removed that. And I THINK he said my tubes were clear. Then I remember moaning. It was like the worst cramps I had ever had. And not PAIN so much as discomfort. And I needed to pee. Now I feel like a real loser for moaning when there was really nothing wrong. Anyway, they gave me some toradol (super medical grade ibuprofen like stuff,) and those went down to almost nothing. The need to pee was still there though, but they promised me that it had been drained during surgery. OK.

That whole "waking up" thing was really the worst part. My muscles started trembling and they became functional, my left shoulder blade was poking me because I was every so slightly in the wrong position, and I was still so thirsty after no water for almost 18 hours. The nurse was SO nice though. Her name was Diana and she told me to not apologize for moaning. Then a nice guy named Patrick (not sure his affiliation) got me some ice chips. It sounded like he didn't have to do that, but was just being nice and helpful. The ice chips kept coming, I finally fully came to my senses, and then they rolled me to post-op.

My nurse in post-op was Jackie. She and Diana got me settled with a white cherry slushy (those ice chips were so good that I decided to keep up the theme,) and a smorgasbord of crackers (saltines, goldfish and graham.) Never thought that would fee like a feast. :) I watched some TV, went to the bathroom, and hubs picked me up about an hour later. Oh yeah, and I got my first percocet.

There were terrible storms when we were leaving, so after we got my meds, we came straight home. A made me scrambled eggs and a toaster waffle. Yum. I'm off work today but hope to go back tomorrow. I'll take off Friday too since it's all field day and stuff.

Lead-In to Anesthesia Fun

Well, I had my surgery yesterday. I was told to arrive by 12:00, and my surgery was scheduled for 1:30. I got to the surgery center at about 11:50 (I was nervous) and got in to my pre-op room by 12:30. Then it was a parade of people. My pre-op nurse, Gwen, checked my history, made sure that even though he wasn't there with me all afternoon, my husband was picking me up after my procedure, etc. The security guy came to take my wallet, checkbook, keys, and phone. Oh how I missed my phone. The anesthesiologist talked to me about anesthesia. The resident came in to tell me that she would be in the room as well as the doctor.

Then came the screeching tires. The surgical nurse and I were talking about the procedure and I said that yes, the doctor had talked to me about both the laproscopy and the HSG. She tilted her head at me and said that they had only set up the HSG. WTF? My doctor was finishing up his last surgery and running a little late, so we had to wait for him to finish that.

The doctor came in and was floored. He said when he saw the orders, he asked the staff if they were sure I only wanted the HSG and they said yes. I of course said no, that wasn't what I said. In fact, I had to explain to them 1000 times what was happening. He was PISSED. Like almost cussing pissed. And this is a really mellow kid of guy. We talked, he said he would make some calls to see about if we could still go ahead with the original plan. While he made calls, I thought through whether I wanted to do just the HSG. In my mind, I had pretty much decided to go through with the other procedure. I had taken off work after all. However, he came in and said that the OR and anesthesia staff all were able to do the procedure. His office (and I could hear that conversation THROUGH the door) said it looked like there was no reason my insurance would balk at the other procedure. I hope/assume they started making those calls yesterday.

This reassures my feeling that, when it comes to things that are not "normal," there are members of his staff who are clueless. He indicated that he assumed he would lose me as a patient after this, and that he would suggest I see the person his wife sees. My problem is two-fold. First, as a doctor I REALLY like him. He makes me feel at ease, and he always remembers stuff about me. Second, the NURSES who I talk to on the phone are always super nice and follow up when they say they will. ::sigh::

I think that's a big enough block of text for today. Surgery tomorrow.

Ugh

So, today I go in for an endometriosis test and while they do that, they will try the HSG again. General anesthesia here I come! I'm actually really nervous as I have never been put totally under.

So, maybe I'll get some answers. And maybe not. Right now I just feel light headed and out of it. No food, water, gum, etc since midnight.

Let's see. A's been sick, and he oh so kindly appears to have given it to me. Boo.

Work is crazy, but in a good way. This time of year is trying and fun all at the same time. AP's are winding down as we prepare for the exam in May. The seniors have gotten in to college and now get to decide where they will go. They are a little wild, but I am blessed to work in a school with legitimately good kids.

The dogs are good, and my favorite shelter dog, Rocksanne, was leaving for her adoptive home yesterday. You go girl!

A friend announced she's pregnant. It's interesting that the last few people I've found out about have really upset me. But I'm not at all upset about her. I mean, I still REALLY want to be pregnant myself, but I just know that she's a good person and will make a great mom. My happiness far outweighs my selfishness. (I didn't think I'd be able to do that.) Plus, I can be sure she won't kill any of her pets just because she has a kid. That helps.

Now, I have to finish with a couple pics of my last walk with Rocksanne. I know I look terrible, but I was trying to figure out how to take the picture AND hold on to the 100 lb mastiff while sitting on the corner of Market and Jefferson.

Friday

I did my own nails last night! I haven't really done that since college. I like them, but another top coat might be in order. The humidity is making them dull.


Also, we are doing the heart rate lab in AP Bio today. It's always a favorite among the kids especially on a Friday afternoon.


Happy weekend!

An Update

After my awful attempt at an HSG, the doctor called today. He said he'd been playing phone tag with the RE he works with most often. The RE said that the next option was to try the HSG again while I was under general anesthesia. Now, the reality is that, if the HSG comes back normal, I would then need to move from my OB to an RE. The RE said that HIS first step would be to check for endometriosis. While I haven't really had any signs of that to date, it would still be something to check. In order to check of it, I would need a laparoscopic surgery under general anesthesia.

Notice the two outpatient surgeries here?

Soooo the current suggestion is that my OB will tell the insurance company that he suspects endometriosis and order the laparoscopic surgery. While I'm under for that, they will do the HSG. Because MO insurance doesn't cover any infertility, he could bill everything as diagnostic before sending me to an RE where I would have to start paying out of pocket.

Now DH and I have to talk about everything and figure out timing. My OB suggested summer, but with my job as director of the summer academy, it might actually be easier to take time off during the school year when I can get coverage for my work. I'm not coaching this season, and most of the summer stuff is ready to go. I should also only have to miss 1-2 days of work assuming I can schedule it close to a weekend.

So there's my story. I'll keep you all updated as more news comes. Thanks for all your good thoughts and vibes.

Restaurant Review

This weekend, A and I went to eat at the Highway 61 Roadhouse in Webster Groves. There was a production at The Rep, so the place was pretty busy. Luckily for us, the median age of Rep goers is like 1000, so there was space at the bar and we were able to sit right away.

A had a late lunch, so he ordered a sandwich, but I decided to try an entree, Stuffed Chicken. From their website: " Stuffed Chicken - A chicken breast filled with Tasso and andouille stuffing and then lightly dusted with seasoned flour, pan fried and then topped with an andouille cream sauce. $13.99" Entrees come with two B-sides, and I chose Mac and Cheese and fried okra. I'm a southern girl! A had "Pulled Pork - Just like they serve it in Memphis, tossed in our BBQ sauce, piled high a bun and topped with cole slaw. If you’re not that adventurous we can put the slaw on the side. $8.59" He decided to substitute a B-side of cream corn souffle instread of fries or slaw. All reasonable prices, and we were ready to eat!

HOLY CRAP!!!! I cannot begin to express the size of the portions. We could EASILY have split a sandwich and not even gotten an extra side. The sides come in 6" pie dishes, so that meant I got a whole chicken entree and two HUGE sides put in front of me. Easily 3 meals. While we noticed that there were delicious looking desserts that came in small sizes, there was NO way we would order one. We had a $10 coupon from our Foodie St. Louis deck of cards, so the price was very reasonable even though we each had beer.

Now, the first thing we noticed was that they have an awesome happy hour. We will definitely check it out again on a weekday. However, we'll know much better about how to order. :)