On Thursday, 8-13, Chris went in to the Abilene Regional Surgery Center to have two sports hernias repaired. A sports hernia is basically a weakening of the abdominal wall, and they need mesh to strengthen it.
We arrived at the Surgery Center at 7:15 am, and began a wonderful experience. From the sweet girl that checked us in, to each and every nurse, to the doctors -- everyone was so nice and cheerful and helpful. His surgery was scheduled for 8:15 am, and the doctor was there to speak with him right on time. Everything flowed on time and in a very organized manner. We have nothing but compliments for the whole day.
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| It took a few tries for the nurse to get his IV entered. That was a bit unpleasant, but they shot some cool air into his gown and all was good! The nurse gave him a relaxation drug in his IV, and he swiftly started to see three of me :) They put on his hair net and took him back to the operating room. From there, he says he helped them move his body to the other bed, then he was immediately off to la la land! |
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| I sat in the waiting room, and things went as planned -- the nurse called the front desk to let me know when they began the surgery and when they were done. I was then asked to head into the consultation room, so the doctor could meet me there to discuss how the surgery went. Dr. Cole was very nice and explained everything to me. He even had photos to share (above) of the actual work he did inside Chris' body! Crazy! During the surgery, he discovered that in addition to the sports hernias on both sides, Chris did also have small standard hernias as well (on both sides). So the mesh work should have solved both problems. |
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| The surgery was done in about 40 minutes, and then Chris was in recovery for about 30 minutes before I could see him. Then they took me into the recovery room, and he was alert and drinking some coffee! The first words out of his mouth were, "I want a cheeseburger!" He did very well and we were able to leave about 30 minutes afterwards. The nurse and I got him loaded into the truck for our journey home, complete with pillow under the seat belt! We stopped at Walgreens to pick up his prescription for pain, and then we got Mr. Burger on the way home for lunch. |
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| We decided, at home, that he would be most comfortable in the recliner in the theater room. So that is where we've set him up, and he has been relaxing here and sleeping here at night as well. There is no way, currently, that he could lay down or get up in the bed. He has been icing the area a lot, and taking his pain pills right on schedule. He slept fitfully the first night, but last night he slept better. It is difficult for him to get up and down in the chair, and he's feeling swollen and sore. But overall, things are going really well, considering! |
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| Modern medicine is really incredible these days...Chris had four incisions, plus one through his belly button. The incisions are about a half inch long, each... and there is no bandage, nothing on them. They were sealed up with super glue! Crazy. The stitches are inside and will dissolve. So now, it's just time to sit back and let the healing take place. We pray that his body accepts the mesh and grows over it, making the abdominal wall stronger. Which will allow him to get back to running like he wants to, without pain. |
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