RP: After the Repair to My Abdominal Aorta Aneurysm (and perhaps the most BORING blog post I've ever written -- I'm currently on two Oxycodones):

For WIDER GRAPHICS: https://theweathercontinues.blogspot.com/2019/07/after-repair-to-my-abdominal-aorta.html

And that's enough Politics for today (did Donald Trump lose ALL of his Cabinet and Advisers while I was in surgery)!!!


I got out of New Hanover Regional Medical Center at 1:00 PM today, and yesterday's repair to my Abdominal Aneurysm went extremely well (or so Dr. Thomas Eskew claims) -- all the MEDICAL parts, that is.

Otherwise, it was complete HELL -- because toward the end of the day all the monitoring devices I was connected to drove me, the staff, and some other patients CRAZY -- because I had to go OFF my aFib meds (blood thinners), for the surgery, and my heart-beat irregularities, blood-pressure fluctuations, and some other monitored things kept setting off audio alarms. I have a Pacemaker now, and it just seemed that the hospital's monitoring systems and my situation were complete enemies. 

Every time I was about to get to sleep, some alarm would begin -- and having come out of surgery earlier, I was not really comfortable to begin with -- and had slept poorly the night before the surgery. I doubt I slept more than half an hour last night.

Before THAT, I and the guy nearly my age in the next bed in the recovery room had been entertaining the whole ward, joking, and keeping all spirits up. But about 8:00 PM he and then I were wheeled to individual rooms -- and that is when the monitoring insanity began in earnest. 

The last words of my surgeon to me today -- I had told him how impressed I was with the entire medical staff, but that the way the monitor alarms drove EVERYONE crazy seemed totally unprofessional. He said the doctors all ht it too -- and asked my to write the hospital administration a Letter about that -- if I thought I could get anything fixed.

So, now (shortly after 8:00 PM), I feel more relaxed. I'm on two Oxycodone, and the two incision sites are giving me more pain since leaving the hospital -- as I was warned. Eskew said he definitely was insisting I TAKE to opioids home (I passed on taking them after I got the Pacemaker, but that incision had a dull pain, and today's pain is more sharp) -- but I am NOT SHARP, my mind dulled -- and just because some of the hospital staff are reading my blog am I bothering to blog this BORING PIECE.

The hospital was kept FREEZING COLD, which changed my perception of temperature, and I've had the air conditioning set to 71 since I got home -- when I usually keep it at 75 or 76 day, and 74 overnight.

Anyway, I'm sort of ashamed to publish this written in such a terrible condition, but my roommate (a Navy Vet with the four-year college degree as well), has developed Schizophrenia since then -- which is a challenge to deal with -- especially since he did NOT tell me he freaks out being alone overnight here, so ate up all my special post-surgery ice cream treats in my absence -- and try to have a RATIONAL conversation with someone with his condition -- while in my post-op condition.

It was NOT PRETTY, (and he kept playing his penny-whistle today -- that is one of his CHIEF DELIGHTS n LIFE),but after a night of sleep, we'll work it out -- LOL!!!

And THAT is enough of boring my audience tonight -- but the MEDICAL PART of my surgery went EXTREMELY WELL!!!

THANK YOU DR. ESKEW -- and ALL THE OTHER ATTENDING STAFF!!!

Thomas Eskew, MD

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