The First Operation - ICU

My first operation was scheduled for the 30th October. The operation was to remove the inner portion of the T/12 vertebrae and fuse my spine. Little did Yvette I and know on how huge this operation would be! The operation lasted around 6 hours, I lost around 4l of blood. When I starting coming out of anesthetic in ICU, the pain was incredible! I was also freezing cold, and shacking madly. Yvette says all I said was my rib is sore and I'm cold. I also remember being extremely thirsty, my tongue felt dry and wrinkled.

ICU is really not a nice place to be, there where no windows, so you could not see outside. I just watched the clock on the wall, for those 4 days. I was determined to get out of ICU as soon as possible. I also felt I could not pray, or I felt it hard to do so, perhaps this was this the medication. I asked Yvette to please hold me up in prayer. Little did I know that there where armies of people that where praying for me! Thanks you Lord!

In this time I was determined to get off the morphine as soon as possible. They give you a little button to press for self medication. Although I guess it takes the pain away, one feels drugged. I found that I would want to sleep, but my senses where so active, that the slightest noise, or movement or what ever would wake me up. Sometimes I would "skrik wakker" (good afrikaans expression).

I made every effort to eat well, drink water, reduce my dependance on medicine just to get out of there. I was also very uncomfortable, as I had 2 drain pipes that come out of my ribs, which I felt like I was lying on them, sore! Soon I was going to make it to High Care...