September 10, 2002 - 6:33 pm
Well that’s done with. Thank goodness, and thanks for all the nice comments, especially the surprise appearance of my big brother! I have no idea how he found my page but I assure you I will not let him keep me from bringing you things like Mr. Rogers quotes taken entirely out of context, a list of revelations about this year’s crop of college students, or the lazy-ass road workers who painted a stripe right over a dead badger.
We got to the hospital this morning around 9:15 and went through registration, then they assigned me a room and I got changed into one of those loverly ass-exposing hospital gowns. The anesthesiologist came in to chat. He was very, very nice – I had specifically requested that I not get the guy who called me fat while placing my epidural last September. The nurse came in and started my IV, from which I barely have a bruise anymore, and they gave me a “margarita”, which was really a dose of Versed. Fantastic stuff, that. I was totally calm but completely lucid. They came to get me and I was disappointed because Pretty in Pink or something was on TV and I wanted to watch it.
I got wheeled into the operating room, scooted over to the operating table, and they strapped me down (which would have completely freaked me out if I had not been dopey). I noticed the anesthesiologist injecting something into my IV and… hey! who turned out the lights?
I did wake up right at the end, which they told me to expect. They were stitching me up. Then I guess I scooted over to a gurney, but I don’t remember that part, and they wheeled me back to the room. The doctor came in and said that it looked fine, and he thought it was just old scar tissue. I asked to see what they removed and they were a little shocked, but oibliged me. Couldn’t see much, just some pink stuff.
The nurse gave me a pain pill, removed my IV, helped me sit up, and I saw the news that we were upgraded to a higher terrorist threat so we watched the news for a while. Then they wheeled me to the door and we went to get greasy burgers at Dirty Martin’s Kum-bak Place, after which I fell sound asleep for3 or four hours.
I definitely felt the pain when I woke up, so right now I’m waiting for the pill to kick in. As long as I don’t move my arm, I’m ok.
Anyway, I’m so relieved it’s over with. Anticipation’s a bitch. If they had scheduled the appointment the same day I went in, I wouldn’t have had time to get worked up about it. I won’t know the pathology results for a few days, but they didn’t seem too worried.