Success!

Surgery went as well as could be expected. I was quite relieved. And I was even more relieved that I was able to talk directly with the anesthesiologist. He and I discussed potential interactions between the anesthesia and drugs I was already taking for other health conditions. He assured me that precautions were being taken, which greatly diminished my fears shortly before the procedure was performed. That, more than anything, is what had me anxious leading up to the day of the procedure.

Arriving early, I filled out paperwork, submitted insurance information, and then waited. I was, after not too long, called back to prepare for surgery. After languishing in a hospital gown, cap, and socks for nearly an hour, various members of the surgical team came to visit me. When it was finally my turn, they wheeled me into the operating room. I was told that I was being given something through the IV that would help with anxiety. Within a minute or so I found myself growing drowsy. Just as I was wondering how they would lift me from the bed, which was on floor level to the elevated operating table, I lost consciousness.

I came to an hour and a half later, groggy, but relatively coherent. As the last effects of the anesthesia wore off, I carried on a conversation with a nurse about theology, believe it or not. My partner was by my side the whole time, minus the actual surgery, and after it was time for me to leave, arranged for a taxi to take us back to the apartment. She then got pain meds and an antibiotic filled for me at the drug store as I rested in bed. The first day, my throat was sore and hoarse from having an oxygen tube inserted into it during the procedure. The site of the incision itself was completely numbed up and packed with gauze. Some very odd mesh, disposable underwear had been put onto me at some point immediately after surgery, while I was still under.

Since then, I've been taking it easy, trying not to do too much. There are lots of things forbidden to me for the time being. Showering has been a challenge, because I can't get the incision site wet. I'm also afraid of doing much of anything that would cause additional pain. I've had to find creative ways to sit. I can't lie on my back when sleeping; I have to lie on my side, instead. I'm not to sit on hard surfaces or to apply direct pressure to the site. In two weeks, the stitches will be removed. I'm wondering what my scar will look like.