Tubey McTuberson

Hi friends!

This post is a lot more technical than the others I've written so far. #sorryi'mnotsorry. But I included lots of pictures to keep it interesting.

In all seriousness though, I think it's incredibly important to be educated about your procedure and recovery. In my opinion, doctor visits, hospital stays and the like are a lot less scary when you are able to understand what is going on around you. Knowledge really is power. Hopefully, this post can provide some explanation behind some really interesting tubes, wires and devices! 

I had a lot of tubes coming out of me after surgery. I wasn't really surprised, because I had prepared myself and my family by reading about what they were called and why I would need them (this handout was extremely helpful; I highly recommend it). So, when I woke up from my surgery, I was mostly just curious to know what was going on with my body and how the various wires and tubes were helping me recover. The following is an actual interaction that happened immediately after I woke up from surgery. 

Maya: So, do I have a bunch of tubes coming out of me? 

Nurse S. : Yes. You even have a tube coming out of your belly button. 

Maya: *long pause*    I. am. so. cool. 

I am so cool, but what's even cooler is figuring out what every tube and wire is there for. Starting from my head, here are the various tubes and wires that were connected to my body (all photos are mine): 

Me rockin' the CNIRCPM, nasal cannula and electrodes

CNIRCPM (Continuous Near Infrared Regional Cerebral Perfusion Monitor)

This thing has a long complicated name. Basically, it's a sticky pad of sensors that looks like a giant Band-Aid and was stuck to my forehead. It monitored the blood flow to my brain. I had this removed on Thursday morning.

Nasal Cannula 

A little tube was inserted in my nose to help me breathe and give me some much-needed oxygen. This was removed on Thursday afternoon. 

Electrodes

These were cute little patches stuck to the skin on my chest, connected to wires that plugged into a monitor. These patches and wires monitored my heartbeat and heart rhythm. If you've ever had an EKG (electrocardiogram), you're probably familiar with these little electrode patches. I was allowed to disconnect the wires from the patches when I got up to walk, go to the bathroom, or take a shower. Other than that, these were connected to me 24/7 until I was discharged. 

Heart IV/Catheter      

Jugular IV

I could write an entire post on how cool this thing is. It's basically a device that is inserted through the jugular vein and down into the heart. It connects outside your body to a monitor and shows continual, real-time monitoring of the pressure in the heart. It is also used as a port to administer drugs and fluids. The catheter is attached to the neck with a few stitches so that it doesn't move around or get pulled out. When I had this removed, the nurse asked me if I wanted to see it. Obviously, I said yes, and immediately my mind was blown. I was staring at about 8-10 inches of needle that was inserted down my jugular and directly into my heart. Is that awesome, or is that awesome? 

Pacing Wires

Psych. I didn't have any pacing wires because my heart is awesome. ;)  Usually, before closing up the chest, the surgeon will place two little wires in the heart that exit through the chest. These wires will step in and help control any abnormal heart rhythms that might arise after such an invasive procedure. The pacing wires are usually removed within a day or two of the surgery. I woke up from surgery expecting to have these coming out of me, so I was pleasantly surprised when my nurse told me I didn't need them. Success. 

Arterial IV

IV port on my right hand
(blood pressure cuff is on left, barely in picture)

A needle was inserted in my hand and went in through my artery to monitor my blood pressure. It was also used to draw blood for blood tests. My arterial line made my pinky and ring fingers feel weird and tingly, so it was removed early Thursday morning. When my nurse needed to draw blood, she just did it the old-fashioned way and stuck me with a needle. 

IV ports (2-one on each hand)

A needle went in through my hand and into my vein to give me fluids and medicine, including pain meds and antibiotics. This eliminates the need to find a new IV site and stick the patient every time medicine needs to be administered. I had these IV ports in my hands until I was discharged from the hospital.

Blood Pressure Cuff

A little thing on my arm that continuously squeezed my arm and monitored my blood pressure. I wrote here about how annoying it was the first night. 

Pulse Oximeter

A lighted wire attached to one of my fingers that measured the percentage of oxygen in my blood. It also kept track of my pulse. I wore this until I was discharged from the hospital.

My pulse oximeter... E.T. phone home?

Chest Tube

A tube that went in through my bellybutton, under my skin and up near my heart and lungs to help drain air, blood and fluid. This was probably the most uncomfortable part of my recovery.  Every few hours, my nurse would come in and drain my tube. It felt like a vacuum cleaner was attacking my chest and sucking everything out of me. If you've ever been personally attacked by a vacuum cleaner, I'm sure you understand the feeling. So uncomfortable. When I went on walks around the unit, I had everything removed except for the chest tube, and my nurse carried my little drainage reservoir around like a purse. I had my chest tube removed on Friday afternoon, much to my relief. 

Foley Catheter

A tube in my bladder that drained and measured my urine. Not the most comfortable thing in the world, but when you're laying in bed with a healing heart and a broken sternum, going to the bathroom is honestly the last thing on your mind.  I had the catheter removed as soon as I was strong enough to get up from bed and walk. 

The chest tube is the thing that looks like a little straw 

The Mystery Sensor

I had some sort of sticky patch and sensor on the lower left side of my back, right under my waistline. I have no idea what this was called or why it was there. I think it might have been part of Team Electrodes-EKG, but I'm not certain. If anyone knows what this was, I'd love to find out!