Day 1 Surgery

The morning of my surgery was anything but typical. When I arrived at the hospital, any residual jitters were practically nonexistent. The "heads-up, chin-out" mantra became concrete. I literally, sat in preadmission with a well made-up mind to go with the flow. I was confident and determined, well until I ran out of FB updates and started checking the wall clock every few minutes. Ah...the resurfacing of the inevitable, and uninvited jitter parade.

Finally, our number was called and I was ushered back to the dim-lighted den of apprehension and fear. By today' standards and protocols, most patient teaching is so detailed and with the internet packed with information, the public is almost medically certified and surgically astute. You are responsible for sterilizing your person, nasal cavity while assuring you are fluent in medicalese. I expect civilization to gravitate to self-operation in the next five years. Eighty percent of the population will be capable of administering personal anesthesia while a preprogrammed robot performs the surgery.  Anyway, back to my reality. As soon as the nurse stated; "you'll start to feel sleepy..." I woke up in a hospital room, all loopy and elated to have jumped the first of many hurdles.

Pain is as guaranteed as opening your eyes and realizing you've undergone an invasive procedure. The secret to maintaining a civilized response is to take a few "woosahs," and introduce yourself to your temporary pain-partner.

Next...coming to the stage; RECOVERY