Surgery (TW: Mentions Needles and Blood)

Her surgerery began in an hour. She was nervous, and a little scared. She was mostly happy, I think. She thought about all the pain she was going to go through. “On Park Seonghwa’s beautiful face if this isn’t worth it in the long run I might actually break something over someone’s head.” She shakes her head and smiles. “Why am I scared at all? The surgery itself isn’t really something I can feel until after.” She wonders aloud. She shrugged, and put on her favorite songs. Her phone was kidnapped three weeks ago by her mother, and she doubted she’d see it again, so she pulled out her trusty school computer.

She decides on a song that always makes her feel good. “Make Up” by Sam Kim. She puts the song on and sighs. “Waiting is the hardest part. I wish I could just go now and get it over with so I can go back to sleep!” She complains aloud, not really sure who she’s complaining to. Whoever is listening in on her through an electronic device? Her sister, asleep in the next room? It didn’t matter to her. She was just realeasing her nervous energy. After three days of wearing a mask and eating alone in her room, she is ready to have the surgery done so she doesn’t have to any more.

Her mom comes back from ordering her coffee, and the girl wishes she could have food before the surgerey. It was going to be a while until she could eat normally. They leave for the hospital, and the girl answers questions like, “Any history of bleeding disorders in your family?” She shakes her head yes and no. They leave and she must change into a hospital gown. After she has changed, her mom calls them in. They must check her veins.

They try to warm the hand and pat her hand over and over. They tell her to keep flexing her hands, to get the blood flowing inside her veins. They come back and find that her veins still are not coming out to play.

There is an issue and they have to get someone else. Her mother says, “Sorry, you’ve got veins like me.” The person in question finds a vein after lots of warming and patting. She slides the needle into the vein gently, and just like that it’s over. The girl stares at the blood inside the part they took off when they stuck her. She never flinches at the sight of blood. They start putting liquid in the vein to make her sleepy.

It doesn’t work right away and she starts thinking about the surgery, and wonders if she can have ice chips after. The nurse comes in and gives her something through the IV to make her relax. Soon enough, yet another docter comes to take her away, wheeling her bed away. She waves to her mom, who doesn’t see it. She is soon distracted by the docter asking her about herself, like where she goes to school and how old she is. She is starting to get drowsy but she answers as much as she can. "Alright dear. I'm going to have you hop onto this bed here and you can just lay down for me, okay?"

She does as she is told, and the sleepiness over takes her. She wakes up in an ice cold room. She shivers violently and opens her eyes for intervals, sometimes closing them again because she was still groggy. "You're awake! Okay, perfect. I brought you some apple juice, like you asked. I have ice chips too if you need them." She doesn't remember asking for apple juice. Maybe she was half asleep. The nurse covers the girl and she stops shivering.

"Thank you. Can I have an ice chip?" The girl raises a hand and vaguely points at the oce chips. The nurse smiles and gives her some. The nurse asks her questions, and she trys to lay on her side to sleep but the nurse says she can't yet. She takes small sips of the apple juice--her mom warned her that she would really regret it if she tried to take a big drink. The nurse finishes her questions, and she is wheeled to a recovery room.

Her mom waits for her in the room, a doctor too. They talk while she struggles to open her eyes. "How long was I out for, Mom?" She says about an hour. The doctor waves goodbye and her mom lets her sleep. The doctor takes out her IV when she comes back, and helps her stand up and walk so they can make sure she's ready to leave. She changes back into her clothes, leaving the hospital clothing in the room. Another nurse is there to walk them to the car. She walks to the car and the nurse waves goodbye.

She takes off her face mask as soon as she gets in the car. Her mother stops at a store to buy her a humidifier for her room so her throat does not get dry. If the scab gets dry and cracks, her throat will bleed. She sleeps in the car until she gets home. Then her dad asks to see her throat, and says it doesn't look like a mouth anymore. All the girl wants is to sleep, and after showing everyone who wanted to see, she falls into her bed. She was asleep before her mom put in the humidifier.

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And she is awake now! Gotta tell you, tonsillectomies aren't exactly fun, but they are not the worst either. Only eating soft foods is going to suck, but hey. It's better than getting a sore throat every week. My advice to you is lots of ice chips and cool drinks, and start slow on your soft food. It will hurt for a while. But yeah. I woke up from passing out all day and now have to alternate fluids and applesauce for now.