"Take Me to Your Leader" AND Recovery - Day 1

Whew.  Whew.  Made it through the first full night and what I expected to be the "worst" pain day - today.  Whew.  Not so bad.....
I have received TONS of emails, texts, posts......they are just streamin in one after another......and mean more to me than you will ever know.  Please don't get your feelings hurt if I don't respond to each one individually (yet)......
So.......Anne Arundel Medical Center - THE BEST.  Hands down.  I don't think I've ever been treated so well and with so much compassion.  It makes the biggest difference for the patient!
When we headed out yesterday morning the (almost full) moon was glowing big and bright and white in the sky.  I started our journey by saying "Good Morning, Moon!"  We were the very first to arrive and I was the first on the schedule.  AWESOME.  I never even had a chance to sit down.....they took me back right away......gave me my GLAM Goddess gown, and yep, a brand new pair of yoga socks ;)  My tiara came later *smiles*  Then, I got as many warm blankets as my heart desired.  I had a "regular" nurse who was as sweet as pie, had a glorious smile, and Southern accent, and what I remember the most was her saying, "Listen, we are here to SERVE YOU and make you comfortable.  What you want, you get.  What you need, you get.  But you have to ASK."  Gotta love it!
Then I met my O.R. nurse, who assured me she would be with me all the way through my surgery and into recovery.  She was awesome.  She told me exactly who had been invited to my operating room partaaaaay and everything that would happen.  The anesthesiologist came in to greet me - young little guy from India :)  He had already reviewed my file and knew everything about my spinal cord injuries and had pre-plotted the course for my anesthesia, as "general" was out of the question due to the compression in my spine.  Dr. Holt, a.k.a. The Ankle Guru, came in - all bright-eyed, and bushey-tailed, looking very refreshed and smiling.  He used a purple Sharpie to autograph my ankle.  I tried to get Cammie to take a picture but she wouldn't cooperate (5:00 a.m. awakening time just isn't her cup of tea).  I asked Dr. Holt if he had already had his Cheerios and joe.  He said he had already had breakfast and would make sure to have a quick cup of coffee BEFORE my party ;)  They gave me a little sleepy medicine and the nurse told me to say bye to Scott and Cammie before I could no longer speak without slobbering all over myself   lol  And off we went to the races!
We go through the doors to the "operating wing" and I instantly notice how frigid it is......STRIKING difference from where we had just been.  Mannnn, it was COLD!  And, mind you, I had THREE newly-warmed blankets in my chariot!  I guess the medicine started working because I lost my Self "audio" and it's like people were moving in slo-mo and with no sound.  Like an old B&W movie.  Because it was so cold, I thought they had accidently taken me to the basement and we were in the morgue!  Isn't that a HOOT?!  Right turn into my private party room and there were these HUGE halogen dome lights on the ceiling and all I can remember thinking is how much they looked like UFO's and that since I had already traveled down the tunnel and through the morgue, the aliens must have now come to retrieve me!   :)
The next thing I knew I woke up in recovery!  That was it!  I was cold, but not in any pain, and I probably annoyed the poor nurse to pieces as I kept asking....."Is my foot fixed?  Is my foot fixed?"  I even sat up and reached down to feel my toes!  lol  I was in two different recovery rooms - one for about 45 minutes, and one for another 30 or so.  By the time they called Cammie and Scott back to see me, they had me sitting up in a recliner, all dressed with my (I Matter/Honor Your Self) jacket on, drinking a Coke and eating graham crackers!  I kept thinking to myself......"Let's see......do I feel nauseated?  Nope.  Do I feel dizzy?  Nope.  Hmmm.  Any pain?  Nada."  Cool :)
They loaded me up into the car and 10 minutes later I was drinking a hazelnut latte and eating a donut!  Woot!  :)  We were home by lunchtime.
That afternoon, we all SLEPT for several hours.  Whew.  We were pooped!  Then, in the evening, Cammie got me Maggie Moo's ice cream and my best childhood girlfriend arrived from Southeastern VA.  We ended up staying up until around midnight chatting and laughing and just visiting.  She is a WONDERFUL NURSE.  Special thanks to Sheri!
I was up several times in the night and then woke up around 7:30 this morning in quite a bit of pain.  I have learned that 6 hours is my threshold with the pain medicine, for now at least.  It took a little while for me to play "catch up" and start feeling better, but I eventually did, and drank my coffee on the deck.  We actually spent alot of time on the deck today - thanks to the AMAZING chaise my Mom just got for me.  AWESOME.  I was able to keep the pain under control fairly well today.  Enjoyed the sunshine, chimes, company, sipped iced tea, took a nap in my lounger, and eventually made it to the bathtub.  Now THAT was a sight, my friends.  But.....one thing is for certain.......THANK GOD FOR YOGA.  Because, if I were not as flexible and strong, and balanced as I am ---- NONE of this would be easy at all.  I have found that, the crutches are fine, but oftentimes it is simply easier to crawl.  While it may look and sound pitiful, it's really not so bad.  And, yes, I manage to sneak some cat stretches in now and again ;)  My girlfriend washed my hair for me and we joked that I knew she would be the one washing my hair when I got old and gray, but I thought it would be at least a few more years before that happened!  (We have been friends since we met in kindergarten and have made pact to take care of one another until the day we die.)  In any event, I DO feel much better since bathing and getting fresh clothes on, and as you can see......I feel well enough to type this chronicle!
Tonight will be spent resting (I think I'm getting a little better at it) with my foot propped up and ice behind my knee (on the main artery heading down to my foot).  Perhaps a movie.  Maybe some popcorn or ice cream.  Tomorrow will be the 48-hour point - the first milestone already!  I can slowly start partial weight-bearing as possible but still no removing the boot at all, even for bathing or sleeping.  That will be a while yet.  Baby steps.  Baby steps.
Stay tuned, Venetians.  THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love, The Little Yogini That Could