Beautiful Invalid...Let's Get Those Veins Stripped!

Morning of the surgery. It was today and I am still a little loopy from the pre-op drugs. I woke up this morning and put on a little make-up. Blush, Mascara and a swipe of lipstick. I blow dried and roll brushed my hair. I kept asking myself, Why am I getting ready for a surgery? I'll tell you exactly why.

This is a little tip I have learned in life. When I was married I sort of let myself go. I was having babies and taking care of them dawn to dusk. I had a husband that traveled all the time and so what was the point of getting ready? I was all by myself covered in baby-spit up. To be honest it is hard not too let yourself go. You are exhausted and lucky to get a shower some days. Make-up? What is make-up? I had a wardrobe that consisted of yoga pants and baggy t-shirts. Ponytails and messy buns, a staple hair-do. One day I had gone to the gym and come home, showered and was dressed for the day. I put on a little make up, much like I did today. Just the basics nothing fancy. My then husband came home and upon seeing me said enthusiastically, "Wow, you have on lipstick." I shrugged my shoulders like it was not big deal, but I learned a great lesson that day. 

It makes me feel better when I invest in myself, especially if I am facing something scary. I feel healthier and it lifts my spirits when I spritz on a little perfume, do my hair, and put on just a little bit of make-up. I feel like I am celebrating the day and putting my best foot forward. It sends a message to ME that I am worth investing in! So, today I faced something a little scary and I was ready for it. 

Getting Ready for surgery
Having surgeries or anything that waylays you is hard when you are single Mom with two little children who depend on YOU. I woke early about 5:45. My house is still in shambles from my trip and it didn't help much that at last minute I decided to take my kids to Pine Top for the night! That equaled more laundry and cleaning to do. Luckily, their Dad is a helper and took them this morning until tomorrow. I was able to get quite a bit done this morning before the kids awoke but it was a mad dash from the moment they were up to get out the door on time. They both needed bath's, Ellie needed her hair done, and they needed breakfast. I had a whole bunch of paperwork to fill out for them as their Dad and I have decided to switch schools and in the midst of all this he called to iron out some details. Not to mention I had some prep to do myself for the surgery.

Last Weeks Left Over Drumsticks
The first part of prepping my leg for this surgery was I had to rub it in a lido cane cream from ankle to hip and then cover it in SARAN WRAP! Several thoughts went through my mind as I did this.

1st Thought: I look like leftovers you would keep in the fridge. Literally, like a giant chicken drumstick. All the while I was wrapping Ellie was yelling at me from the bathroom to wash her hair and Aydan was knocking on my door asking if he could play on the computer.

2nd Thought: When I was married I had heard of women that would wrap themselves up in Saran Wrap to surprise their husbands. I always thought this was a stupid idea and after wrapping my leg up those thoughts were confirmed as CORRECT.

I ran into a dilemma, what does one wear with one saran wrapped leg? I still had to drop my children off at their Dad's house AND run to the bank to deposit a check. I looked into my closet and decided on an ankle length t-shirt dress that frankly, looked better on me five pounds ago. Oh, well. I had on make-up and my hair was done...right?

I then frantically realized I needed to pack some essentials as I was staying at my Mom's house under her watchful eye and care post op. Also, she was my driver as I was not allowed to drive due to the effects of the medication I was to take before the surgery. I took a Xanex? (Spelling) I decided that taking this pill must feel like what it feels like to be totally sloshed. I didn't have a care in the world, in fact I was emotionally numb and SO tired all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and never leave.

A leg wrapped in Saran Wrap is not glamorous at all. In fact as I drove to my Mom's I felt like I had one leg in the humidity of Spain and one leg in Arizona.

The surgery went well it wasn't scary at all probably due to the drugs they had me on! The team that performed the surgery was wonderful. My Dr. was Dr. Vaughn. He was a quiet man and very kind. It only lasted about an hour and a half. There was some pain, but I was brave, and his team talked me through it. The song by the Killer's kept running through my head, Heart Of A Girl. I remember they kept saying, "This is a really long leg."I heard this several times from the nurses and the Dr. during the surgery. The Doctor asked me if I wanted to see the vein he stripped. He was only half way done. I said, NO. The thought made me feel nauseous. There were a total of 15 incisions and when he was done I did get a good look at the veins. They were empty of blood and had been shrunk by some kind of foam. They looked like pink, bloody, earth worms. The nice thing about this outpatient surgery was I could eat right after and I was hungry at this point. My Mom stopped at McDonald's and I had a fish sandwich, for some reason it was super yummy. I arrived at my Mom's and nestled into the bed and slept until my Mom woke me up for my walk. That is one of the requirements for healing lots of walking and wearing a giant compression sock and ace bandage for the next few weeks. I am so grateful for modern medicine, Mom's, insurance, and skilled Dr's.

If you are nervous about this surgery, or contemplating it, if you have veins in your leg that ache all the time. Just do it. It wasn't terrible. 

Recovering,

XOXO The Sunny D