I SURVIVED!
I reported at NUH Day Surgery Centre at 11am on Wednesday morning for my surgery. They took my blood pressure and temperature again and I was given a tag with my personal information to wear on my wrist. I was also asked to change into the hospital gown AND GUESS WHAT, I LOOKED LIKE A GRANNY IN IT. -_-
I was stoning in the armchair and wishing that 1pm (surgery time) would arrive quickly when an anaesthesiologist came and asked me some standard questions like when was the last time I ate and drank. She also spoke to me about how they would administer the general anaesthesia and what I should expect post-surgery. I remember her saying that they would insert paracetamol into my anus should I wake up in pain and am unable to swallow pills yet. THANK GOODNESS IT DID NOT HAPPEN.
Then I waited a bit more and a nurse brought me to the area outside the OTs where I waited even more. Lol. This nurse plus 2 other anaesthesiologist asked me the same few standard questions AGAIN. She also secured a tag on my foot for some time-keeping stuff.
While waiting, I heard this lady whining and screaming non-stop after waking up from her surgery. I was damn worried I'd be like her too (how embarrassing!) but I actually woke up fine!
At close to 2pm, I was finally brought into the OT. I never expected to see so many people in the OT! I think there were around 10 of them. Plus, I was just having wisdom teeth surgery and extraction. I didn't think I would need so much care.
Anyway, it was really cold in the OT and I was shivering on the operating table until they covered me with 2 blankets, lol. An anaesthesiologist applied something cooling on the back of my left hand and said I'd experience a burning sensation as she inserted the needle. It was actually more like the feeling you get when you massage a bruise. Another anaesthesiologist placed an oxygen mask over my face and told me to inhale deeply and slowly. It warmed me up quite a bit and I just kept breathing the way she told me to...
The next thing I knew, I was already lying in the recovery area! The nurses called my name and after trying to fight off the drowsiness I had, I felt more awake and could also talk a bit. The first thing I said was, "My throat is in pain." This must be all thanks to the breathing tube they inserted through my nose and down my throat into my windpipe during the surgery. Luckily I wasn't awake to experience that, haha. My left nostril felt really dry too.
After a short while, I was wheeled to my bed. I had a change of gauze and that was when I first felt pain in the surgical site. It felt as if I had a pretty huge ulcer but it was really still tolerable. The pain went away when I drank some cold water and bit down on the new gauze. At this point, I couldn't have painkillers yet because I couldn't really swallow properly. I couldn't even hold a gulp of water in my mouth hahaha so I had bloodied water on my blanket and gown. :/
In between the end of surgery and my discharge from NUH, I changed my gauze a few times, drank a bit of water, took a few naps and had my surgeon check on my condition for a while.
When I was finally discharged, I got myself a mango yogurt shake!! I had to sip it as if it was scalding hot tea. I took FOREVER to finish it.
I was on drip for a while.
My 6 lovely teeth. This picture is smaller to make it look less intimidating.
My almost horizontally impacted wisdom tooth was crushed into many small pieces! Also, one of my upper wisdom teeth looks like it has 4 roots, lol.
So here I am right now, sitting in front of my laptop at home without any hint of pain in my mouth. I hope I won't wake up in excruciating pain later. Maybe I'll just wake up early to take my painkillers and go back to bed again.
Anyway, I'm really happy with all the healthcare stuff at NUH!! They made me feel so at ease that I wasn't nervous at all as I was lying on the operating table. They were really patient and kind. I can't believe it. Really CANNOT.
(At this point, I went to bed.)
I'm also glad that I have no facial swelling (yet). I just iced my jaw area last night so maybe that helped a bit. Plus I took some anti-swelling medicine too.
So on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being no pain and 10 being excruciating pain, I think I shall give my overall experience a 2. ^^ I woke up this morning feeling a lot better. I'm no longer feeling dazed and I am also not in any pain. I have no nerve damage, and neither did I feel very sick from the GA. No nausea, whee!
The only problem I have now is that I can't really fit three fingers into my mouth. :( I hope I'll be able to open my mouth wider soon! I still have a bit of a sore throat too.
That's about it! Once again, I'm very impressed by all the medical staff at NUH. My surgeon is Dr. Andrew Ow So if you ever need to get your wisdom teeth removed, you can look for him! ^^
