I understood that I need to be under observation for 48 hours. For all
my vital signs, blood sugar, BP, heart rate, blood count, ooze output,
urine output, medicine intake.
And going through anesthetic induced deep sleep during the day, threw me in to a jet lag of unique kind.
My nights sleep was gone. There was a big wall clock in my line of sight. I would constantly look at it. And then doze off, some time that would feel like a long, sound sleep - but when I open my eyes, I would see the minute hand has moved less than 15 degrees.
A series of that sound dozes, endless ! Used the time staying awake making friends with nurses in the ICU, on night duty. I was the only patient (may be one more was there but in deep sleep), awake through the night - making eye contacts, smiling, cheering them on their video game scores, while they want to keep awake. Negotiating, the location of the prick when they come to inject me medicine. Voice was feeble, a few words I could utter without a lot of pain, but then I thought let me write these down.
I evaluated condition of my right hand which had only the IV line on it. Asked for a piece of paper, and a pen from the nurse. The I just started writing everything I wanted to talk.
The nurses would read, laugh at some of my humor, and respond back verbally. The game went on around plenty of non-sense for the entire night. I understood all the drugs being administered to me. Frequency, name and function.
I used the same technique to collect all my queries, more of negotiations, for the doctor who would come to visit in the morning.
Wrote down a page of queries !! This would end up being a pattern for next few days, until I could talk to an extend.
The ICU stay was ordered for 2 to 3 days, but I was declared fit and stable in one and half day. There was a young physiotherapist who used to come twice and make me sit straight, do some breathing exercise. And being able to sit the day after surgery, in doctors terms were "tremendous improvement". Wife and brother visited me twice or thrice during my stay in ICU. In fact stayed there for an hour, against the norms.
Few key things, I learned through these one and half days ! When a lots of different parts of the body are in pain, its tough to say which one hurts most. In fact, the doctor would ask, "any major pain ?" I would smile and say "NO". And secondly, good handwriting is a necessity :)
My key, negotiation with the doctor was to get me off the catheter, the tube I hated most. Its painful in a strange way and it pulls the wrong part, if I move even an inch.
I tried to convince him, that I can pee on my own, in a bed pan ?? :) It was certainly tougher than other multi million dollar negotiations I have done earlier. Finally on the second post op day, the doctor caves in and takes off that tube. As a bonus he takes off the stitch from the tongue too !!
And ordered the staff to shift me to the private room. A small win !
And going through anesthetic induced deep sleep during the day, threw me in to a jet lag of unique kind.
My nights sleep was gone. There was a big wall clock in my line of sight. I would constantly look at it. And then doze off, some time that would feel like a long, sound sleep - but when I open my eyes, I would see the minute hand has moved less than 15 degrees.
A series of that sound dozes, endless ! Used the time staying awake making friends with nurses in the ICU, on night duty. I was the only patient (may be one more was there but in deep sleep), awake through the night - making eye contacts, smiling, cheering them on their video game scores, while they want to keep awake. Negotiating, the location of the prick when they come to inject me medicine. Voice was feeble, a few words I could utter without a lot of pain, but then I thought let me write these down.
I evaluated condition of my right hand which had only the IV line on it. Asked for a piece of paper, and a pen from the nurse. The I just started writing everything I wanted to talk.
The nurses would read, laugh at some of my humor, and respond back verbally. The game went on around plenty of non-sense for the entire night. I understood all the drugs being administered to me. Frequency, name and function.
I used the same technique to collect all my queries, more of negotiations, for the doctor who would come to visit in the morning.
Wrote down a page of queries !! This would end up being a pattern for next few days, until I could talk to an extend.
The ICU stay was ordered for 2 to 3 days, but I was declared fit and stable in one and half day. There was a young physiotherapist who used to come twice and make me sit straight, do some breathing exercise. And being able to sit the day after surgery, in doctors terms were "tremendous improvement". Wife and brother visited me twice or thrice during my stay in ICU. In fact stayed there for an hour, against the norms.
Few key things, I learned through these one and half days ! When a lots of different parts of the body are in pain, its tough to say which one hurts most. In fact, the doctor would ask, "any major pain ?" I would smile and say "NO". And secondly, good handwriting is a necessity :)
My key, negotiation with the doctor was to get me off the catheter, the tube I hated most. Its painful in a strange way and it pulls the wrong part, if I move even an inch.
I tried to convince him, that I can pee on my own, in a bed pan ?? :) It was certainly tougher than other multi million dollar negotiations I have done earlier. Finally on the second post op day, the doctor caves in and takes off that tube. As a bonus he takes off the stitch from the tongue too !!
And ordered the staff to shift me to the private room. A small win !
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