I MADE IT THROUGH SURGERY!!!
Well it's Saturday afternoon and I am home! I made it back around 10:30. I'm in some pain, but the feeling of relief I have now that it's finally over makes it all better.
I woke up feeling pretty good about things. I was nervous but more calm than I thought I would be. I didn't really get too worked up until just before surgery. Luckily, I was given the good stuff that helped me not care about much of anything. haha
The worst part of it all was the IV. It took the anesthesiologist three times to get one to work and let me tell you - it HURT where she put it in my wrist. It hurt then and it hurt after surgery. The nightshift nurse felt so bad for me, she took it out prematurely. I am black and blue from that experience.
Anyway, I was in surgery for a couple of hours and did well with the anesthesia. The great news is that I have NO facial paralysis - thank You GOD!!!! This is kind of surprising, considering the fact when he got in there, he found that the tumor was attached to my facial nerve. Luckily, the tumor hadn't wrapped itself around the nerve yet, so he was able to remove it fairly easy. He was also able to keep the tumor intact - which is essential because, if it ruptures, the spillage can cause further tumors.
As I woke up, the first thing I remember doing is smiling, just to see if I could. What a relief it was to feel both corners of my mouth go up! I then realized I could blink both eyes - so I knew I had no paralysis there either. I asked if I had any paralysis anywhere and they said, "Nope - you look great!" OMG that was great news to hear.
My entire ear and the area around it are numb and they will be for up to six months, I've been told. It feels so strange in that area but, knowing how much worse it could be, I can handle it with no problem!!
My surgical area goes from right under my ear to behind my ear and down the side of my throat about 2 inches. It looks fairly long, but my hair will hide it. The whole area is sore of course.
Luckily, I have no caving in my face where the tumor was removed. The resident who works with Dr. Parke told me it looked perfect and that my face looks symmetrical.
The reason it looks normal is because my doctor put in some filler called AlloDerm to restore its shape. Alloderm is made up of donated human tissue. You can't really tell there's been major work there at all.
All in all, considering it was tricky surgery, it all worked out just right. Scott was wonderful through it all. I couldn't have done any of this without his endless love and support. When I got up yesterday morning, he had the best card waiting for me. Man I love him. He is truly my rock, and I am so very blessed.
Ok...I am going to take some pain meds now and go to sleep. I didn't sleep at all in the hospital. Ugh!
Thank you friends for your prayers and support, and thank You God for seeing me through another trial in life. You are so good to me!
Melissa
P.S. Here's a link to pics of my surgical area. You can see what I look like right now!
http://melissastransformation.homestead.com/parotid.html
I woke up feeling pretty good about things. I was nervous but more calm than I thought I would be. I didn't really get too worked up until just before surgery. Luckily, I was given the good stuff that helped me not care about much of anything. haha
The worst part of it all was the IV. It took the anesthesiologist three times to get one to work and let me tell you - it HURT where she put it in my wrist. It hurt then and it hurt after surgery. The nightshift nurse felt so bad for me, she took it out prematurely. I am black and blue from that experience.
Anyway, I was in surgery for a couple of hours and did well with the anesthesia. The great news is that I have NO facial paralysis - thank You GOD!!!! This is kind of surprising, considering the fact when he got in there, he found that the tumor was attached to my facial nerve. Luckily, the tumor hadn't wrapped itself around the nerve yet, so he was able to remove it fairly easy. He was also able to keep the tumor intact - which is essential because, if it ruptures, the spillage can cause further tumors.
As I woke up, the first thing I remember doing is smiling, just to see if I could. What a relief it was to feel both corners of my mouth go up! I then realized I could blink both eyes - so I knew I had no paralysis there either. I asked if I had any paralysis anywhere and they said, "Nope - you look great!" OMG that was great news to hear.
My entire ear and the area around it are numb and they will be for up to six months, I've been told. It feels so strange in that area but, knowing how much worse it could be, I can handle it with no problem!!
My surgical area goes from right under my ear to behind my ear and down the side of my throat about 2 inches. It looks fairly long, but my hair will hide it. The whole area is sore of course.
Luckily, I have no caving in my face where the tumor was removed. The resident who works with Dr. Parke told me it looked perfect and that my face looks symmetrical.
The reason it looks normal is because my doctor put in some filler called AlloDerm to restore its shape. Alloderm is made up of donated human tissue. You can't really tell there's been major work there at all.
All in all, considering it was tricky surgery, it all worked out just right. Scott was wonderful through it all. I couldn't have done any of this without his endless love and support. When I got up yesterday morning, he had the best card waiting for me. Man I love him. He is truly my rock, and I am so very blessed.
Ok...I am going to take some pain meds now and go to sleep. I didn't sleep at all in the hospital. Ugh!
Thank you friends for your prayers and support, and thank You God for seeing me through another trial in life. You are so good to me!
Melissa
P.S. Here's a link to pics of my surgical area. You can see what I look like right now!
http://melissastransformation.homestead.com/parotid.html
posted by Melissa :-) @ 1:00 PM
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