I realized after reading through the old blogs, I never finished the Surgery Story.

I went home after an overnight stay for the bleed one week post-surgery. I was so afraid to leave. With my oxygen content low due to extreme loss of blood, I was rather fragile. My blood pressure was still borderline low, even with all the saline they have put in me. But send me home they did? At home I did VERY little for the next few days. I chose not to continue the blood pressure medication, because it was so low, even taking readings at home with my newly purchased BP cuff.

Jon (younger son) came home for the weekend from school, to check things out. Older son George was also still with us, in between college and job. They hung out upstairs with the big TV and PC. After the guys went to work and school and things settled down, on Monday morning I went upstairs to check my e-mail and the like, and found the upstairs den a mess. I got aggravated about it, but did nothing at the time. Mother-in-law Doris was making breakfast, and I went back down to wait on it.

During breakfast our conversation turned to the mess I found upstairs. Doris said she would pick it up, not to worry about it. But, I was already upset. A few minutes later, I again tasted that salty contraindication? Doris called 911 for the ride back to CMC South Hospital. This time it was not as aggressive in flow, but I wasn?t taking ANY chances. I was this time leaning over the kitchen sink when the E M T?s arrived. We played all the same games again, and prepared for the ride to hospital.

Upon arrival at the hospital, the bleeding had again self-clotted. I was given some pain medication to prepare for a sinus pack to be inserted. Son George was with Doris waiting upon the ambulance arrival, with the ambulance taking the scenic route some 3 miles longer that the 1st ride 3 days earlier. George stayed with me while the sinus was cleared and the packing was inserted. I asked George if it looked like what it felt like, yes indeed, a tampon! That was a novel use for the product.

I live with the packing for about a week, having to keep it moist with saline solution. I spent this week in the living room, on the recliner, with meds and tissues, water and anything else needed for my attempt at comfort nearby. I didn?t want to get hooked on the pain med so after the first couple of days, I dropped back to a half tablet per 3-4 hours. It was a chore to get up and take care of nature?s call, being careful not to force any activity.

I had my next appointment with the EENT surgeon, Dr. Hunter Hoover. He had heard about my 1 st trip from the servicing doctor, Dr. Miltich, and what the EMT had told him at the time. My bathroom, ?looked like a murder scene? with blood everywhere. Doris later told me, she didn?t dare leave that Friday, until the bathroom had been cleaned up, I had spatter everywhere. It turns out that Dr. Miltich was the EENT that confirmed my hearing loss in my left ear back in 1990 and I still had his business card.

Dr. Hoover prepped me with a relaxant and a local topical anesthetic. This was for the removal on the packing. With the packing removed, he then prepped me again for the inspection with an optic camera of the sinus cavity and the surgical site. They moved me to another room for the wait while this round of medication set up. I got comfortable in the chair, thinking that I might go to sleep or something while waiting. In fact, I did pass out, propped in the chair. When I came too, they had the chair laid back and were checking my BP. It is my belief that the medication overwhelmed me, with pain medication I had taken prior to and upon my arrival, in combination with the local meds. By the time I had come to, they believed the local anesthetic had worn off, so the applied another round and kept a closer watch. I did get faint, feeling nauseous, and Dr. Hoover laid the chair back again pre-empting another pass out. I made it through the inspection finally, but was wiped out for the rest of the day. The report was good as far as the surgical site healing.

All this was documented and shared with the company?s FMLA agency. I was granted an additional week in recovery. The rest of my recovery was cautious and well behaved. Doris stayed with me 2 weeks post surgery, then my mother was retrieved from Asheville for a week?s stay, then my father came up from Columbia SC and stayed with me for a few days. While my parents were there, I had to take a more active roll in the home and my care, as neither one of them is particularly well. My folks were around to keep an eye on me and call for help if needed. None was by then of course and we had pleasant visits.

More later as I think of it?