Sunday, June 28, 2015

Awakened Sleep

It's been a while since my last post but as all us Crohnies know, flares happen.
After a week of suffering and "putting it off" because, you know, it'll just go away....I checked myself in to the ER with yet another perianal abscess.....fun.
To my shock and surprise, the ER was empty!  No really!  It was 8 in the morning and not a patient in site.  After all the back and forth with the triage nurse and check in nurse, she said to have a seat and they'll call my name.  I always find this humorous because I just told them I can't sit.  I tried to make myself comfortable while I wait, but I ended up standing while I waited.
It didn't take too long to give me the call and then the slow walk through the maze of corridors to the awaiting bed.  Now normally I wouldn't say these ER beds are comfy, but in my condition, it was like laying on a bed of soft kittens.  The relief of just laying down taking the pressure off the abscess was all it took.
The nurse was there right way ready to put in an IV line and hooked me up with some sugar water to keep me hydrated and to give me pain meds.  The morphine and gravol couldn't come soon enough and boy it works fast, but the pain still was more than I like.  The pressure alone from the abscess produces so much pain, it would drop even the strongest man.
The doctor finally came and told me what I already knew, let's cut the damn thing open!
About three hours after coming in to the ER, I was surrounded by 2 doctors and 4 nurses ready to do the procedure in an "awakened sleep".  One doctor to administer the drugs, one to do the cutting, one nurse acting as the RT (to watch my breathing), one to take notes as the doctor talks and two student nurses...to just watch and learn.  As much as I love being "put out", the awakened sleep is freaky as it happens!  They use propofol (and another drug I can't remember).  When it starts I feel very disoriented as it starts to take effect, BUT, what's going on in my head is hard to describe.  It's like when a train approaches and gets louder and louder.  It's so "noisy" in my head I want to scream because I can still hear everyone talking but it's like all 6 of them are screaming in my ears right before I'm out. 
And just like that, I start to awaken.  It's done.  The pressure pain is done, but now I have to deal with packing and incision pain....but the worst of all that is trying to "come to". 
I can hear the nurse calling my name and telling me to take deep breathes, but the disorientation is disconcerting. I don't know how people do these kind of drugs for "fun" and on purpose... really?!


Hopefully it heals up nice......



Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Crohnie Quote of the Day

The other morning, my kids were eating breakfast and my eldest asked me why I don't eat cereal.  I explained that because of my illness, I can't have milk.  He said, at all?  Well, I won't die from it, but it causes me to have a lot of pain and makes me go to the bathroom, a lot!
He thought for a second and then said something I wasn't expecting, and at the same time was brilliant and simple......use a fork.


So, my Crohnie Quote of the Day...from my 9 year old...


"If you want to eat cereal and are lactose intolerant......use a fork"

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