I am Jennifer.: as each moment has unfurled


	Sunday, October 30, 2005 as each moment has unfurled The hospital was scary, but having to sign the paperwork over by the OB/GYN Nursery Ward fully sealed the deal in my mind. The expecting mothers looked so frightened, and the little pamphlets with pictures of women holding newborns were so foreign to me. Literally. Most were in Spanish. "¿Está teniendo un bebé?" The pictures looked so sterile. They glossed over the labor, the diapers, the illnesses, any complications. I could not identify with the women in those pictures. The nurses and the anesthesiologists were all very cordial. They waited patiently while I took out all my earrings, belly ring, tongue ring... and they even let me leave in a couple piercings, since I'd thought ahead and gotten solid nylon jewelry for some. I took off my wedding band, contact lenses, and my ponytail holder. I got out of my clothes and into the dreaded hospital gown. At least, they let me keep my socks on, and they gave me a toasty blanket. Since we got there so early, we waited an hour or so for the doctor to arrive. They let Michael come in and chit-chat with me. He made me giggle, which would make my heart rate go up in little spurts, which made me giggle even more. The incessant heart rate monitor beeping was slightly unnerving, as was the random blood pressure checking. I pestered Michael by asking him what time it was every 10 minutes or so, but he tolerated it nicely. Finally, the doctor arrived. A couple of the nurses asked me, "are you certain?" and I answered, "yes" every time. The doctor asked, too. "Yes, I'm ready." The anesthesiologist gave me happy juice as they wheeled me down the hall, and the last thing I remember was being moved from the rolling bed to a more narrow, harder bed that was under two large lights. The lights were large, round, and had iridescent colors inside. They weren't lit yet, but I remember thinking they would be very pretty when they were on. They told me that this bed was smaller, and to feel the sides of it, so I wouldn't fall off. I faded out, staring into the light fixtures... ... I woke up in pain saying, "... it hurts ... tell Michael it hurts ... tell Michael it hurts ..." The nurse took off my oxygen mask and asked what the pain was on a scale of 1 to 10. I told her it was "6-ish." In retrospect, it was more like an 8. She gave me more pain medication in my IV. This went on until I told her it was down to a "4 and a half." They tried to get me to go to the restroom (I couldn't leave until I proved I could go), but I got chilled, and my teeth wouldn't stop chattering, so they put me back to bed. I got half-dressed, and I asked for Michael again, so they brought him back in. He helped me put in my earrings. My throat felt like someone had stuck a hot iron down it, but they didn't want to give me too much water, for fear that I'd get sick. They gave me more fluids in my IV, and finally I could pee. Joy! It was finally time to hop in the wheelchair and go home. The Oxycontyn the doctor prescribed hasn't helped much. However, this morning, I took some Flexeril (a muscle relaxer) left over from my wreck last December, and that helped. So, I decided to take a little Pamprin today (careful not to exceed 4 grams of acetaminophen in 24 hours), and that helped out, too. I'm feeling much better. I didn't expect to feel so stiff; I could barely move yesterday. But, I'm just happy to be on the mend. Labels: stories posted by Jennifer at 10/30/2005 09:22:00 PM 4 comments: Anonymous said... very brave. well done, showing strong decision making capabilities and stick-to-it-iveness. and a great followup post. by the way, i got you guys halloween presents out of my mom's stash. take care and loves. -B 10/31/2005 10:56:00 AM Jennifer said... Thanks, guys. :^) And I do like presents... you know me so well, Bri. 10/31/2005 08:21:00 PM Tickles_Tapeworm said... I'm not gonna ruin my rep by saying any mushy stuff, so I'm just gonna say way to be responsible. Hope you feel better quickly. 10/31/2005 11:40:00 PM Jennifer said... Thanks, Tickles. I'm impatient with this whole healing process. But I am feeling a better. 11/01/2005 04:53:00 PM Post a Comment << Home				About Me Name: Jennifer Location: Nashville, Tennessee, United States "Animals are my friends; I don't eat my friends." View my complete profile previously stuck in the middle with you jingle, jangle, jingle birds singin' in the sycamore tree brand new pair of rollerskates yesterday don’t matter if it’s gone saturday in the park you are like a phone booth an island never cries a hazy shade of winter smilin' through the rain 1-100 things about Jennifer 101-200 things about Jennifer 201-300 things about Jennifer 301-400 things about Jennifer 401-500 things about Jennifer weblogs I enjoy: you should visit... Jennifer is 29. 365 Days of Jennifer. Feed an Animal in Need Meet Your Meat The Cost of War AdBusters Magazine Spotted Asses If you need a chuckle...

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