They called me at 6:30 am the morning of the procedure to see if we could move my procedure time up from 1:00 to as early as 9:00 am. Considering we are 2 hours drive, had to get the boys dressed, ready, and to a babysitter (whom I had to re-arrange and check on things with as well, not to mention my driver), this was an interesting process. Thanks to a flexible babysitter and driver, we decided that 10:45 was a good time to aim for, but told them no guarantees. Sure enough, we were there by 10:45. Thank you, Rebecca Owens & Felicia Waugh for being so flexible so early in the morning (Rebecca - the boys can't quit talking about yesterday ;) ).
Prior to the procedure, they gave me some preventative antibiotics (two of them) and Benadryl and Pepcid to prevent another allergic reaction like I had been having at the injection sites recently (hives). They took me back to the OR and got me situated and started promptly, so nerves weren't a huge issue. The procedure lasted 1 1/2 hour, roughly, and they gave me some decent pain relief in recovery (which is unusual for me), as I was feeling the effects of the procedure (I'll explain more below).
Dr. Nesbitt (anesthesiologist & the one performing the procedure) said I would be extremely sore for 2-4 weeks post-op, and that the spots he was targeting (10 total instead of 6 as he originally thought - 5 on each side, which increased the chance of targeting the pain generators) would feel like cigarette burns for that time frame (deep inside the tissue, as the laser heats up to 700-800 degrees for 90 seconds each at the least). The top of the tissue isn't burnt, because it wasn't touched with the laser. I am bruised already and feeling the "burns" he was talking about. He said I would also be pretty sore from using fairly large gauge needles - larger than they use for epidurals and spinal blocks. He offered me a script for pain relief for the month while I recover, but I can't use it because of some of my current medicines. I'm not worried about that, thankfully, although I'm glad he offers it to patients who might be able to use it. I believe that is yet more evidence that Dr. Nesbitt is a great Doctor and anesthesiologist.
On a side note - Thank you Felicia for staying with us until 7:15 last night until my hubby got home from work. It was so nice to know I had some help for myself or the boys if needed. I enjoyed the company as well.
I am praising God for a routine procedure and the ability to have this done! I am so excited to see if this will help between now and surgery. Thank you so much for your prayers. They mean so much, and it is obvious that the body of Christ is lifting me up in prayer. God continues to amaze me at how He works!
Please continue to pray fervently for my first appointment with the surgeon next Wednesday, October 22nd at 1:30 in Georgia. Surgery has not been made official, but by basic medical standards, I should fit all criteria. However, every Dr. sees things differently. Please pray for my nerves (that I hand EVERY aspect of this appointment over to God, our ultimate Healer), that we would have all the medical documentation/test results/MRI's/CT's, etc. needed for the Dr. to make his final decision. Our goal is surgery at this point. The success rate is high for this particular Dr. and this particular surgery (using the "I-Fuse System"). Thank you, once again, for all of your prayers, support, and show of love and concern for our family. You are all precious!
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