I Have Had Surgery
I have had surgery nine times.I'm 15 years old. I have a condition known as Hydrocephalus which means that my brain makes too much fluid (everyone has fluid in their skull to cushion their brain, I just make too much.) so I need shunts (special tubes with one way valves) to drain the excess fluid into my abdominal cavity. I had the shunts placed at 4 months old and they had to be repaired or replaced a total of six times either due to a mechanical malfunction or infection. The last occurred when I was 1 1/2. The same surgeon did all seven operations and I also see him once a year for a checkup so I trust him a lot.
About three months ago I went to the doctor because of abdominal pain and vomiting. They did a strep test which was negative and so they advised that I go to the ER just to be safe.
At the ER they ran some tests including a shunt series ( an x-ray of all my shunts) to make sure they weren't failing, which could have been why I was in pain. It showed that my left shunt was disconnected but that it wasn't failing so they made a note of it but kept looking for the issue. It was my appendix. It was removed (the traditional way due to lots of scar tissue from previous surgeries) and I went home in a few days.
A week or so later I went to Children's National Medical Center to meet with my neurosurgeon who asked to examin my appendectomy scar when I said it was draining a ton. He said it was infected and we later went back to the surgeon who did my appendectomy to get that taken care of.
My neurosurgeon told my mom and I that I'd need a shunt revision and I began to cry. I was afraid considering the fact that I'd just had surgery. He looked me in the eye and said "Elizabeth you are my daughter." What he meant was that he would take care of me like he would his own child and that he would do whatever was nessacary to fix this.
One week before my surgery I was feeling nervous about the operation and so while I was walking my dog I began to pray "God I know you once told me you'd protect me but I'm scarred I'm going to die. If it's your will for me to live, show me!" Two minutes later something appeared in the sky. I turned and saw not one but two rainbows in the sky! I knew God was with me. I did wonder why the sign was so big, it made me wonder if something that was going to happen that would shake my faith if I didn't have that sign of assurance ahead of time.
The day of surgery arrived and I headed to the hospital and my neurosurgeon came in the to the room where we were waiting and reviewed the plan. He patted me on the back and said "You'll do great." I told one of the nurses I was nervous so she said "Do you know what's good for nervousness? Jokes! Why can't seagulls fly over the bay? Because then they'd be bay-gulls!" After that we went to the OR.
(Last time I had surgery I was sedated before so I didn't know what to expect at all this time.)
I got onto the table and began to chat a little to distract myself from what was to come. "Hey Dr. Keating." "Yes Elizabeth?" "I noticed we have the same middle name." I said looking at my bracelet that had my name and the surgeons name on it. "Really is your's spelled with an I too?" "No I is the male version." (Frances and Francis) "By the way how much of this will I remember?" "Hopefully none of it." He said After that everyone was ready to begin.
The anesthesiologist told me that they were going to give me laughing gas. I said ok and began to breathe in the nitrous oxide.
The room began to spin, my vision began to blur and I began to lose consciousness. The anasthiologist said to tell him if the gas was working. "No...no...no-yes!Yes!Yes!" I said.
Then I began to cry. For some reason the stuff that happens when you lose counciousness (blurring vision, sounds getting louder, voices echoing) scared me so I yelled "I'm scared! I'm scared! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!"
The anasthiologist took the mask off my face and said, "Shh, it's ok, you're ok, your not going to die." The nurses tried to help too but I was still shaken up. My neurosurgeon quickly figured out what to do and came over to my side to try to soothe me.
"Hey Elizabeth." he said. "Yes?" I asked "Why can't dinosaurs talk?" "Why?" "Because they're dead!" I burst out laughing and then instantly passed out.
I woke up in the PACU lying on my back. "Thank you God!" I said "Wait did I say that outloud?" A nurse nearby said that I had. I laughed.
Later that day back in my room. My parents were having lunch and I had just returned from the bathroom and was attempting to untangle myself from the pulse oximiter cord that I'd managed to get wrapped around arm by accident. My neurosurgeon walked in and without saying a word quickly went over to help me. He freed my arm and I thanked him. "Hey Dr. Keating I have a joke for you!" "Is it about disosaurs?" He asked "Yes" I said and we both laughed. "The last thing I remember is laughing at that joke and then passing out." "Yeah, that would be the Profol, either that or you were tired of my bad jokes!" "It's possible!" I said. We talked for a few more minutes before my parents came back.
I was discharged the next morning. My post op is may 15th.
Remember how I said I wondered if something would happen that would shake my faith?
I think that think was the panic attack I had. I knew God was with me through it all.
About three months ago I went to the doctor because of abdominal pain and vomiting. They did a strep test which was negative and so they advised that I go to the ER just to be safe.
At the ER they ran some tests including a shunt series ( an x-ray of all my shunts) to make sure they weren't failing, which could have been why I was in pain. It showed that my left shunt was disconnected but that it wasn't failing so they made a note of it but kept looking for the issue. It was my appendix. It was removed (the traditional way due to lots of scar tissue from previous surgeries) and I went home in a few days.
A week or so later I went to Children's National Medical Center to meet with my neurosurgeon who asked to examin my appendectomy scar when I said it was draining a ton. He said it was infected and we later went back to the surgeon who did my appendectomy to get that taken care of.
My neurosurgeon told my mom and I that I'd need a shunt revision and I began to cry. I was afraid considering the fact that I'd just had surgery. He looked me in the eye and said "Elizabeth you are my daughter." What he meant was that he would take care of me like he would his own child and that he would do whatever was nessacary to fix this.
One week before my surgery I was feeling nervous about the operation and so while I was walking my dog I began to pray "God I know you once told me you'd protect me but I'm scarred I'm going to die. If it's your will for me to live, show me!" Two minutes later something appeared in the sky. I turned and saw not one but two rainbows in the sky! I knew God was with me. I did wonder why the sign was so big, it made me wonder if something that was going to happen that would shake my faith if I didn't have that sign of assurance ahead of time.
The day of surgery arrived and I headed to the hospital and my neurosurgeon came in the to the room where we were waiting and reviewed the plan. He patted me on the back and said "You'll do great." I told one of the nurses I was nervous so she said "Do you know what's good for nervousness? Jokes! Why can't seagulls fly over the bay? Because then they'd be bay-gulls!" After that we went to the OR.
(Last time I had surgery I was sedated before so I didn't know what to expect at all this time.)
I got onto the table and began to chat a little to distract myself from what was to come. "Hey Dr. Keating." "Yes Elizabeth?" "I noticed we have the same middle name." I said looking at my bracelet that had my name and the surgeons name on it. "Really is your's spelled with an I too?" "No I is the male version." (Frances and Francis) "By the way how much of this will I remember?" "Hopefully none of it." He said After that everyone was ready to begin.
The anesthesiologist told me that they were going to give me laughing gas. I said ok and began to breathe in the nitrous oxide.
The room began to spin, my vision began to blur and I began to lose consciousness. The anasthiologist said to tell him if the gas was working. "No...no...no-yes!Yes!Yes!" I said.
Then I began to cry. For some reason the stuff that happens when you lose counciousness (blurring vision, sounds getting louder, voices echoing) scared me so I yelled "I'm scared! I'm scared! I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!"
The anasthiologist took the mask off my face and said, "Shh, it's ok, you're ok, your not going to die." The nurses tried to help too but I was still shaken up. My neurosurgeon quickly figured out what to do and came over to my side to try to soothe me.
"Hey Elizabeth." he said. "Yes?" I asked "Why can't dinosaurs talk?" "Why?" "Because they're dead!" I burst out laughing and then instantly passed out.
I woke up in the PACU lying on my back. "Thank you God!" I said "Wait did I say that outloud?" A nurse nearby said that I had. I laughed.
Later that day back in my room. My parents were having lunch and I had just returned from the bathroom and was attempting to untangle myself from the pulse oximiter cord that I'd managed to get wrapped around arm by accident. My neurosurgeon walked in and without saying a word quickly went over to help me. He freed my arm and I thanked him. "Hey Dr. Keating I have a joke for you!" "Is it about disosaurs?" He asked "Yes" I said and we both laughed. "The last thing I remember is laughing at that joke and then passing out." "Yeah, that would be the Profol, either that or you were tired of my bad jokes!" "It's possible!" I said. We talked for a few more minutes before my parents came back.
I was discharged the next morning. My post op is may 15th.
Remember how I said I wondered if something would happen that would shake my faith?
I think that think was the panic attack I had. I knew God was with me through it all.
22-25, F
