We are now 24 weeks and only have 16 left to go!
My gallbladder removal surgery was on Wednesday September 30th. Jack and I both made it through with flying colors! We arrived at the hospital at 6:30 a.m. and headed to check-in. We filled out our paperwork and were sent downstairs to the pre-op waiting room. During check-in, all the lights blinked off and then on again- I looked at Jeff and said, "should I be worried?" While we were on our way downstairs, the lights blinked again and an elevator broke down. The nurse explained that every Wednesday they check the generators and that was totally normal. Okay, but that didn't make me feel very good!
Once we were in pre-op they called me in to be prepped and I got into my gown, booties and cap. Then the labor & delivery nurse came down to take Jack's heartbeat. 165 strong beats per minute! Then the nurse started my IV- she is by far the best IV giver I've had during this pregnancy! I told Jeff that when I go in to deliver, I want Noni from pre-op to come up and do my IV. I did have a minor breakdown right before they started my IV when the nurse who was going to be in the OR came in to meet me and discuss my surgery. Both she and the pre-op nurse were so kind. They sat on the bed with me and each took a hand and calmed me down. Then they distracted me by asking all kinds of questions about Jack. It did the trick =)
After I was all settled, they brought Jeff back so he could sit with me. A few minutes later my parents were let in too so they could say hi before I went in. The anesthesiologist came in and discussed the general anesthesia and said they'd also be giving me anti-nausea meds through the IV because of the pregnancy. I guess pregnant women don't do as well with anesthesia. He also explained that he would have me hooked up to a fetal monitor throughout the surgery to make sure Jack was okay. They had a nurse from labor & delivery in the OR the whole time just to make sure my little guy was okay. That was a huge relief for me!
The surgery went well and was able to be done laporscopically which is great. It means I only have four small incisions rather than a much larger one. They basically inflated my abdomen with Co2 and snipped the gallbladder at each end and sucked it out my belly button. Pretty, right? My incisions were closed with dermabond which is basically superglue! Pretty cool.
Recovery has been pretty good. The first couple of days post-op were pretty bad. I couldn't get up and down on my own but thankfully Jeff was able to take some time off to spend with me. Plus I have my parents help. Yesterday was by far the worst day. I was in so much pain, I couldn't get comfortable and was just miserable all over. Today though I think I've gotten over the worst of it. I actually feel pretty good! Tomorrow Jeff is taking me out for a bit to get out of the house.
So glad that we're almost done with this ordeal!
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