Minor Surgery

For some time now, over a year probably, I've had a small lump in my low back. It was not painful unless it was touched. If my low back hurts I tend to put a hand there for support, or to rub a bit attempting to relax muscles... if I touched the lump, as I often did, I'd jump out of my skin from the sudden sharp shot of pain. Sometimes, when I sat down I would hit this nasty little lump on the back of the seat and go through the roof... or a friend might rest a hand on my low back and OUCH. I decided I'd had enough of it and had it removed on Monday. I hadn't expected it to be a big deal and I got a big surprise. I went to the hospital as an out patient and while laying on my stomach was given a shot to freeze the area. Man, that HURT!! Then I started to feel a bit light headed and as the surgeon dug around inside my back I got increasingly light headed, dizzy, and somewhat nauseous. At some point I actually fainted. When I came to the surgeon was asking if I had taken the day off work and at first I couldn't even answer. I tried to think and to speak though all that came out was unintelligible mumbling, it took some real effort to form a thought then words to tell him I'm not employed. I don't know if he knew I'd been out or not. He left and the male nurse came in to put Steri-strips on the incision to hold it closed, and a little bandage. I was still very light headed and nauseous but had to get out of that room to make way for the next patient, so went and sat in the waiting room for a short time, though it was busy and noisy so I went out to my truck in the parking lot and sat in there, napping for awhile. When I felt safe to do so I drove to the Centre to meet with some friends, then left early to come home to bed as I started to feel sick again.

That evening I put my hand back there and found my pants were wet with blood. I had bled through the bandage, so I put a face cloth onto the spot and hold it in place with a tensor bandage. I planned to go to town to the walk-in clinic on Tuesday though ended up staying home and going in there on Wednesday. The bandage and Steri-strips came off completely Tuesday evening, so I did the best I could looking in the mirror and reaching back behind me, putting on new Steri-stips. As a former first aid attendant I was not happy with the job, though I knew it was better than nothing. On Wednesday, I went to the walk-in clinic to have it properly rebandaged. The Dr. there was not at all happy with the surgeon not sewing it shut. Where it is, every time I move it puts pressure there and pulls the incision open, so it was even still bleeding at times by Wednesday. The Dr. glued it shut as it's too late by then to stitch it, and he put a new band-aid on it, telling me I could shower after 24 hours, but no bathing. Since then, it has been improving and today is even starting to itch a wee bit, a sure sign it's healing. It's hard to put a band-aid back there though I have managed it more or less. I've been taking it fairly easy this week as I've wanted to give it time to heal. When I sit or bend down to feed/water the dog, or pick something up, or even when I sleep (on my side with knees pulled up a bit) that area gets stretched and pulls on the incision, so I want it healed as soon as possible.

Oh ya, the 'little lump' that I'd have said was the size of a pea.... it was a lot bigger than I thought, what I felt with my fingers was just the tip of the ice burg. It was put into a little bottle of fluid to be sent to the pathology lab for testing. Oh, and I have a bladder infection so am on meds for that this week too. Haven't had one of these in many years. Go figure. Now I joyously accept a return to good health, grateful that this has only been a minor little blip in life.