PRAISE REPORT!!

Praise GOD for a successful operation!

We arrived at the outpatient surgical center above St. Josephs hospital at about 10:30 this morning. As you all know I was terrified about this operation, so Spunky and I sat in the Rogue and read some scripture and prayed together prior to entering the building.

I put a smile of confidence on my face and I was then wheeled into the building. I chatted with the sweet receptionist and confirmed that NO ONE had ever died while having an operation in that building...EVER!!! It may sound silly, but I was terrified that I was going to die during the operation. The only operation that I had ever had was the removal of my wisdom teeth several years earlier (this one was a bit different...don't ya think)??

I was then greeted with my sweet pre op nurse who helped me get undressed and gave me a stylish hair net. They then checked my heart rate and it was an astonishing 138 beats per minute (that is not good), due to all of my anxiety. They then gave me some great anxiety meds.

The anesthesiologist then attempted 2 times to get an iv into my left arm, but was unsuccessful. The young sweet nurse tried once and was able to get it in my right arm, then I was hooked up with some fluids.

Part of the reason that I was so scared about the operation was the fact that I did not want that breathing tube down my throat for many reasons. First of all, I have seen on a couple of different occasions at work where the nurses/anesthesiologists have broken peoples teeth while inserting those things. And, we all know what a Grey's Anatomy addict that I am and the episode where the woman wakes up during surgery and attepts to take her breathing tube out still sticks in my mind.

God was watching over my fear for this as well....after the anesthesiologist looked down my throat and saw that I possibly had strep throat last week, he thought that it would be dangerous for me to have a breating tube because the bacteria from my throat could migrate to my ankle and set up shop so to speak. I was still terrifed about this because I wanted to be guaranteed that I did not remember any of this and I did not want to be awake either.

So, they then gave me what is called a spinal (like an epidural) and sedated me enough so that I would go to sleep. The good part about this is that when I woke up my ankle was still really numb so I wasn't in a great deal of pain.

I literally don't remember anything after I went to sleep, but I did get to see the O.R. (this was on my list of things that I wanted to see before I die), I even remember being lifted onto the table (even though I was terrifed at the time).

I then woke up and told my nurse that I was on an egg hunt, and she told me that she wanted to hear all about it!! He he!!

After a while my wonderful mom and hubby came in recovery and told me the news.... my fracture was a lot worse than Dr. Elder had anticipated. I had a lot of torn ligaments and tendons, he had to place a metal plate and 12 screws in my ankle!! One of the screws is really long because my ankle was so unstable he had to screw it through my outer ankle bone (the fibula) and into my "shin bone" ( the tibia). The only drawback to that is that in 2-3 months I have to return to the O.R. under some local anesthetic to have the long screw removed. I was told that this would not be a big deal, and he would just make a small incision, numb my leg of course and just unscrew it.

Again, thanks again for all of your prayers, meals, and phone calls! We love you all! Please continue to pray for all of us!