Jewells of Thought

So usually I have found a character on these days that sticks with me. I mentioned the Anesthesiologist who was as tall as a tree, there was another person who still sticks in my mind from that day. This person was a nurse.

There were so many nurses that came in checking my vitals needing to tell me about this or that when I first came back into the pre-op unit. However, there was one nurse that had limited duties that day. I don’t remember when I first saw this nurse I know I saw this person before I was sent to the next staging area, I so wish I could remember the name.

My time with this nurse came later after surgery, but I had seen them around the unit in and out of the hallway. As my tall Anesthesiologist took me to the operating table he was trying to ask me questions even as he knew he gave me the numbing shot and I had been resting nicely before he got there. He did ask me something and I forget what the question was but I answered by saying music. I think he asked what type of music I liked or what was my last big concert I was at? I couldn’t think at this point and my mind was fuddled. I already had that patch on and I don’t remember what else I might have been given. I only know I wasn’t out yet until they got me into that room.

The next question was who was my favorite country star to listen to. Again my brain was like mush and I felt like I couldn’t hardly answer, like I was squeaking, instead of actually talking. The name that loosely fell out of my lips was Garth Brooks, but the face in my head was Toby Keith. For the life of me I couldn’t form a complete thought and said the wrong guy although there are a number of names I could have said that were females so I don’t know what happened to me. I remember with my right arm a different Anesthesiologist had me laughing and cracking up right before he put me out to sleep.

It’s only been 5 months yet these memories are more hazy than I would like them to be. I am usually waking up as I leave the OR last time with my right arm I was sent right back to the same unit and bed from pre-op. This time I went into a holding room and the Technician was another character. He was rough in a good way I was kept in there for a long time more than 30 minutes maybe even close to an hour. He kept asking me how I was and asked me if I wanted some ice chips or a sip of water. However, the guy next to me couldn’t have a drink and got mad that he couldn’t have a drink when I could. The Technician had to be firm though with him and said he had restrictions on drinking unlike me. I still remember those moments vaguely, yet I do really remember being thirsty.

Waking up was different I didn’t have any nausea period. In fact I was hungry they gave me all sorts of crackers and I ate all the Graham cookies. Then Mom and Dad came in to see me and Mom ate the rest of the cookies. I ate what I wanted; that I do remember, so I let her take over the rest. The patch up to that point was working we still had to go through the car test though.

Unlike the first time where I felt like I was hurried out of the hospital I wasn’t thrown out so quickly this time. My door was open when I first got in there and my Technician from the holding room was on break so I didn’t get to say bye to him. The nurse from that limited duties this is where I found out more about him.

It’s frustrating that my fuzziness on that day from the anesthesia erases his name from my memory or its pure forgetfulness. Anyway this was his first day on this job. He was new to this hospital and this unit. During the course of the day like every other hospital I have to regurgitate my name and birthday he overheard it and was somewhat floored by the date I recited. Apparently it was his too!

In thinking about the day’s events I knew there was something about my birth year, but I couldn’t remember that specific detail. Another memory Mom had to help clarify for me.

What I do remember was that he was sweet, and pretty nice to look at if I don’t say so myself. He took charge and said he was going to escort me to the car. So when I was discharged he helped me into my wheelchair and out into the lobby, the door and to the car that Dad was parking in the circle drive. I didn’t mention my boyfriend, but I knew I wouldn’t see this nurse again. I had no plans to return to the hospital anytime soon. Plus I knew my next one, as far as I knew then, would be in doc’s clinic.

We didn’t get home until 5 pm or later that night. The patch worked amazingly well. I was so pleased it worked and I took it off on Sunday afternoon. There are so many blessings from the past 5 months that I have wanted to share this is my time to do so if my memory works well enough to do so.

The nurse and I had the real trifecta: the same birthday, month and year. How often does that happen that you could meet a fellow born on the same year, day and month?