Thumbs Up
Up to this point I have been very lucky not to have any major health issues. I have never taken many trips to my family doctor’s office. It wasn’t until about two years ago that I had the most visits to doctors’ offices and hospitals than I ever have. During the last two years I have had appointments at diagnostic clinics for ultrasounds and mammograms to monitor a lump in my breast that I am happy to announce is benign.
This year an MRI examination produced results of a benign tumor on my left thumb. It seems as though since I became a member of the 40s club, benign tumors have started to mysteriously appear in my body like a science fiction alien movie. The MRI examination felt like a trip to an alien space capsule.
Aside from the fact that these past two years a benign lump was found in my breast and a benign tumor appeared on my thumb, I am fairly healthy. On June 3 I had day surgery to remove the tumor from my thumb. Prior to the scheduled surgery date I was dreading two things. I was afraid of getting bloodwork, and I was petrified of the IV.
Everybody who knows me knows that I HATE, and I mean HATE needles. It’s what prevented me from pursuing a career as a nurse. It’s the reason why I can’t watch movies like Trainspotting. It’s also why I don’t ever give blood at blood banks.
After I got dressed in patient clothing, the nurse came into the room and told me to stick out my arm for the bloodwork. Shawn was standing in the room watching me lie in fetal position while I was as white as a ghost and sweating profusely after the bloodwork part was over. This was a sight that my husband has seen many times, but this time was slightly different. I was not allowed to drink any juice or water because I was about to have surgery.
Once the color was restored to my face, I was wheeled out to the operating room. As soon as I saw the doors swing open into this brightly lit room of monitors and beeping machines, I knew the administration of the IV was not too far behind. The anesthesiologist said she would put a numbing substance on my hand so that the IV would hurt less; the nurse told me I could hold her hand while the IV was being put in my hand. I know I’m such a baby.
Soon after that an oxygen mask was placed on my face, and I was told to breathe in and out as deeply as I could; that was the last thing I remember. Then I heard somebody saying, “Kelli, wake up;” I realized that I was in a different room from the brightly lit one with all the machines. The nursing attendant then told me that I would get moved to a different room as soon as one became available. I then noticed that my thumb was bandaged up. The surgeon came to ask me how I was feeling and told me that the surgery was successful.
I was very impressed by the hospital staff that came to my room to check on me after the procedure. One nurse helped me walk to the restroom so that I didn’t accidently trip on my way there and knock over the IV unit. Once my discharge paperwork was completed I received instructions on after home care, as well as an appointment time for stitches removal. Then I was finally free to go home.
All the worries that I had about the procedure were all of a sudden in the past. The kindness and compassion of the hospital staff made the entire experience less scary. Nurses are truly angels on earth.
Do you experience more visits to hospitals and doctors’ offices in your 40s? Do you have more health issues or concerns in your 40s? What are some health issues that you experience in your 40s that you didn’t have in your 20s and 30s?