My Doctor Made the List...

I was in the grocery store last night, and decided to go over to the magazine section - figured I needed something to read in the next few days.

Well, I noticed "D Magazine's Top Doctors for 2009" issue was out... and I got curious.

Sure enough, my surgeon is in there... so that's a good sign going into tomorrow. Whew! (That's not his picture by the way...)

Speaking of tomorrow, it's almost 24 hours away. Am I ready? Do I know what to expect? Nervous? All of the above???

Here's what I know...

Tonight the anaesthesiologist will call me around dinnertime to ask me any final questions he has before the surgery. I will not eat or drink anything after 9 PM.

The surgery is scheduled for 9:30 AM at Medical City Dallas. We'll get there between 7:30 and 8:00. At that time, I'll be in a little room in Day Surgery on my gurney dressed in my hospital gown (awesome). I can wear shorts through the surgery, though, so that's good.

Close to 9, they'll wheel me into a larger room. There is a nurses station in the middle, but all of the patients expecting surgery will be in their "stalls." I can still have someone with me at this point. They'll hook up my IV - Dr. Rutherford or his assistant will come get me.

Next, the excitement begins. They'll wheel me into the operating room where I'll see a bunch of "masked" men and women. Last time they told me to think of a place I'd rather be at that exact moment - which I remember briefly thinking of "a beach" and then it was Night-Night City for yours truly.

They'll put a breathing tube down my throat, apply a turnicate to my upper thigh (to slow down the blood flow to the leg), and then start the operation. I've been told it will take about an hour, and then they'll remove the breathing tube.

I'll then be moved to the Recovery Room, which is a large room with a bunch of other patients hooked up to a bunch of machines. They'll start to wake me up, and then ask me a bunch of questions that I should know the answer to (name, age, etc.). They'll also ask me my pain level.

If my pain is 5 or above, they'll start to give me a bunch of meds to bring it down. Last time it took them 2 different doses before it came down from a "high 8." I think they are looking for something in the 4 or below range...

I'll then be moved back to the Day Surgery area (initial little room) where I'll see my parents. During the surgery, they will be in a general waiting room with a bunch of other people waiting for their loved ones. There will be a large screen on the wall with my name on it and a little icon that will communicate where I am in the process. Once I go to recovery, Dr. Rutherford will come speak to my mom to let her know how things went.

If there aren't any complications, or excessive pain, then I can go home. I think it's about 50-50... although the Physician's Assistant told me the other day that most stay overnight. I'm packing an overnight bag just in case.

And that's that... life heading back into normalcy. Hopefully... :-)