Wow. It’s over.

I’m back home, and I’m actually feeling great. I’m sitting on the couch with an emoji balloon suspended in the air beside me (from my Mom), a bottle of water and Panera mac&cheese on the end table, a card from my brother (and him himself sitting beside me, loudly slurping a slushi). My foot is propped up on a pillow (it’s only just starting to hurt, now that the local anesthesia is wearing off) and being iced.

So anyway, here is what happened today compared to yesterday’s expectations!

YESTERDAY’S PREDICTION: I will wake up at 6:45 AM and get ready to leave, in which time I will be nervous and shaky.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: I woke up at 6:07 AM to the bright sun streaming in my window. I wasn’t nervous, honestly. I felt very calm, and laid in bed until my Mom came to get me up. Lucas (my six year old brother) slept in my room last night so I ‘wouldn’t be afraid.’ He’s so sweet. I got ready quickly (no eating, no drinking water, no brushing my teeth) and we left at 6:45 (the time I expected to wake at).

YESTERDAY’S PREDICTION: I can’t eat starting 12:00 AM tomorrow (I can eat a few hours after the surgery), but I won’t be hungry due to my nerves.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: I was able to eat right after the surgery. In fact, I had some oyster crackers while I was in the recovery room. On the ride there I was hungry, but the nerves also contributed to how my stomach felt- so I felt sorta sick.

YESTERDAY’S PREDICTION: The drive will make me anxious, and I’ll try to sleep. I won’t be successful.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: I wasn’t really anxious during the drive- mentally, at least. Physically I was shaking, but inwardly I felt fairly calm. I didn’t try to sleep; my Mom and I talked the whole way (the kids fell asleep early on) about shows, music and such.

YESTERDAY’S PREDICTION: We’ll arrive at my grandmother’s house, where my aunt will be watching the kids. She’ll come out and say good luck to me (my grandparents are coming to the surgery with my Mom and obviously me).

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: When we got to my Grandmother’s house, we all went inside. I hung out a bit in the front room, anxious to leave. I wanted to get it over with. My aunt did give me a hug, but she didn’t say ‘good luck.’ 

YESTERDAY’S PREDICTION: From there we’ll drive to the place the surgery will take place. I’ll be trembling and feel sick to my stomach.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: While I didn’t feel sick to my stomach, I was extremely nervous. The drive was less than twenty minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

YESTERDAY’S PREDICTION: They’ll bring me into a room to get prepped for local anesthesia. I’ll be put in a hospital gown, then hooked up with an IV (the part I’m dreading the most). It will be completely awful and I’ll flinch away from the nurse, then apologize. I HATE needles. It will be painful.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: After a small wait in the waiting room, I did get into a hospital gown and then I was brought to a room with some other patients in hospital beds. I was set up in the corner and the nurse put a blanket over me, then checked my pulse. She then prepared for the IV, which is when I started getting extremely worked up. She left to get a smaller needle, and I heard a loud beeping start up from behind me. The nurse returned and said, “Oh wow, you’re heart’s really cranking it out, huh?” I turned around to look at the heart monitor, which read ‘162 BPM.’ I tried to calm down, and looked away when she put in the IV. I barely felt it. 

YESTERDAY’S PREDICTION: When the surgeon is ready for me, I’ll be brought to an operation room and the procedure will begin. It will take about forty-five minutes, and then I’ll be brought to the recovery room.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: I didn’t leave that room for an hour and fifteen minutes, which gave the medicine time to settle in. I was laughing and crying and going on and on about my jellybean craving to my Mom and Grandmother, who took turns visiting me. My Grandmother took two videos during that time, which I will only reveal if I get a lot of requests for them (they’re very embarrassing!). Eventually they made me say goodbye to my Mom, then wheeled me away to the OR. There were a lot of doctors in there, and two giant lights like the ones at the dentist but far larger. Two doctors helped me move into a different bed, where I was propped up in a strange way and my foot was pulled up into a strange harness. A man put a breathing mask on me and told me to breath in through my nose, and out through my mouth. The problem is, I was stuffy from crying, which made it kinda hard to breath in through my nose. At some point, I fell asleep. I have no idea when. When I woke again I was confused completely about where I was, but I didn’t put it to words. I don’t remember what happened from there, only that I was brought back to the recovery room.

YESTERDAY’S PREDICTION: My family will come into the recovery room to see me, and I’ll be completely out of it. My Mom will be recording me like I asked her to (I’m making a bunion surgery video to put on YouTube, with updates from before, the day of, and after). I’ll say something stupid and be embarrassed later on.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: My Mom was sent into the recovery room, and I felt very awake. I ate some oyster crackers and we talked to the nurse for a while, before she pulled the curtain closed and my Mom helped me change. Afterward the Nurse returned with crutches, and she taught me to use them by walking on my heel with a special boot she gave me. My Mom was not recording me; when she tried the nurse said no cameras were allowed in that room. I didn’t say anything stupid- at least, not then. Only before the surgery. 

YESTERDAY’S PREDICTION: Finally we’ll get to leave. I’ll be kind of hungry, but also drowsy. A nurse will push me in a wheelchair to the door, before my Mom (or Grandmother or Grandfather) take control and bring me to the car.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: The nurse pushed me to the car in a wheelchair, which my grandfather parked in the front. I got out of the wheelchair and into the car, and we drove back to my grandparents’ house to pick up the kids and switch cars. 

YESTERDAY’S PREDICTION: I’ll get situated, and then we’ll stop somewhere and they’ll pick up food for me to eat (I won’t be able to go in, as I shouldn’t be going anywhere for the first two weeks). Then we’ll pick up the kids (who will all try and talk to me. My Mom will tell them to leave me alone because I need to rest).

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: My grandmother took the car we’d driven to the surgical center with and went to pick Panera up for me, a cinnamon bagel, mac & cheese, chips, and hot chocolate. I was just starting to get hungry, and only ate a little bit. I was afraid that I’d get sick. I took my medication right after we picked it up from the pharmacy.

YESTERDAY’S PREDICATION: I’ll sleep the rest of the way home, then more on the couch. I’ll take more medication. I’ll eat (some of) my dinner.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: I did sleep the rest of the way home (I was exhausted, and my stomach was starting to hurt. Tylenol with Codeine tends to cause stomachaches). Now, though, I’m wide awake and sitting on the couch with my laptop typing this post. I don’t need to take more medicine until 5:00, and we have yet to eat dinner. I have a good appetite, so (unlike yesterday’s prediction) I’m sure I’ll eat all of it.

YESTERDAY’S PREDICTION: It will be a long night.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED: Obviously it isn’t night yet, so I guess I’ll just have to see what happens with this one! 

Overall, the surgery went WAY better than I expected- except for the anxiety, of course. 

I’ll be posting a bunion surgery video on YouTube soon, so stay posted! You can click HERE to subscribe to me on YouTube.

A big thanks to everyone who’s supported me, and still are. Thank you!