Last Friday, I had to get a surgery for my ankle. I checked into the hospital on Thursday morning, starved until my surgery Friday morning and went under spinal anesthesia, and left the hospital Tuesday morning. As a granddaughter, I have spent many days at hospitals visiting my grandparents after their surgeries. However, you never really know what it feels like until you are the one on the hospital bed. Being my first surgery ever, it was a rather scary experience, with the process being somewhat unexpected. Here are seven things I didn't know about surgery before last week.
1. You have to remove your mani-pedi.
The week before finding out that I need to get a surgery, I got a gel manicure and pedicure done to celebrate my arrival in Seoul. Unfortunately, I found out that I have to remove polish from my nails for surgery. While I'm not 100% sure of the reason, it had to do with checking my circulation during surgery. It was an unexpected unfortunate start to a long week of recovery.
2. Nudity.
While I knew that I will be going through many examinations, I didn't know how revealing it would be. I had tests where I had to strip completely naked, examinations where boobs were just hanging out in the open, and more somewhat revealing processes. I know it was all in the name of medicine, but I couldn't help feeling slightly embarrassed.
3. Not all surgeries are done while you're unconscious.
In movies and tv shows, operations are almost always complicating and are done when the patient is unconscious. Mine, however, was done with spinal anesthesia that numbed the bottom half of my body. I literally walked to my own surgical bed and laid down. My brain and self were fully aware of my surroundings. The nurses did give me headphones to block out the sounds of drilling and other horror movie noises, but even so, it was scary with the beeping and murmuring.
4. You are in a state of constant discomfort.
You think everything is over when the surgery is over. However, that is when the real fight begins. As the anesthesia weakens, and your bodily needs are returned, you start to feel everything. Pain becomes real, in all parts of your body. While I felt direct pain in my ankle area, other parts like my calves, tailbone, and back hurting from being in weird positions during my anesthesia. I would wake up from naps with aches in my hip and thighs and even from my IV spots.
5. Nurses come in at odd hours.
Day Three, you question if the nurses are there to help you or bother you. They come in at three a.m. to check your IVs, again at five a.m. to check your blood pressure and temperature, and at six a.m. to give you additional shots.
6. Your arms run out of space to put needles in.
First from the surgical IV needle, then to the standard IV needle (thinner), and to the constant blood tests and shots, your arm is covered in needle spots and bruises. For me personally, my veins aren't that visible, so sometimes the nurses had to use the same places, making bruises bigger. Even now, I have bruises on my wrists. Honestly, I think the IV is the most uncomfortable part of being in the hospital. You constantly feel something under your skin so you tense up easily, which leads to arm aches.
7. Recovery is hard.
That says it all. I didn't think I would take this long to recover for a simple surgery. But, here I am. Your body is weaker than you think so remember to appreciate it!
I'm ending with Hwang Ci Yeul's A Daily Song because I remember hearing this during my surgery and mouthing the lyrics.
man running in forestPhoto by 
