I bribed a nurse here to use one of their laptop PCs to surf while I’m waiting for Kelly to pick me up. As expected, this Thinkpad seems to have all sorts of web bugs and other virus-type things (Gator, etc.) installed. The hardware itself is speedy, though: A Thinkpad R40 Model 2723-BSU with Mobile Pentium. Looks brand new.
The surgery went extremely well. Dr. Farrell has done hundreds of these, so he had no trouble at all with me. The procedure took two hours. Kelly and I got to the hospital right at 6AM and were directed to the Pre Ambulatory area for prep. I changed into a smashing hospital gown and answered many questions from the anesthesia team.
At 7:15, I said goodbye to Kelly and was rolled into the operating room. I was given a relaxing drug (no whiskey, alas) and looked around the room from my bed, trying to take in as much as possible. Even when you’re not doped up, its hard to get perspective when you’re lying flat on your back!
Soon the anesthesiologist started the anesthesia. Around that time, I said hello to Dr. Farrell, who faded quickly from memory. That’s the last thing I remember.
When I awoke, I was in the PACU and my throat was sore. A strange pressure was in my abdomen, but no sharp pain. I was getting a dose of morphine. That medicine and the anti-nausea medicine made me very sleepy. I dozed in and out.
Kelly was soon brought back and sat with me for a while. I discovered it was after 10AM. I chatted with her a bit before my droopy eyes got the better of me. Kelly was asked to return to the waiting room after another patient was moved in next to me (damn HIPPA regulations). Speaking of HIPPA, Kelly had poked her head out once from our curtained area and was instantly pounced on by a nurse, who escorted her back to my area. Medical folks take this stuff very seriously (though they seem a bit slack in letting patients access their computer systems. Heh).
The PACU was noisy as hell. Even with my sleep-inducing drugs, I had trouble falling asleep. There was, I assume, an elderly patient named “Mr. Minter” next to me, who was being nearly shouted-to by the nurse. I did manage to rest, though.
I waited almost two hours in the PACU for a hospital room to become available. Finally, I got wheeled into my room. I shared a room with a younger man named Dominick, who joined the Marines seven months ago. He developed a cyst in his knee which required surgery. Later, his injury became infected, requiring another surgery to heal it. Bone grafts were applied and reapplied. Sounds like fun, huh. He’s got a good attitude for having been through that kind of stuff, though I wonder how it will affect his life in the Marines.
He had a family friend named Bill visit him. Bill was a character, having been a Marine in Vietnam. He also had had multiple surgeries, and reinfections. At one point, he pulled up his shirt to show me his laparascopic scars. I liked him immediately.
Just heard that Kelly is almost here, so I gotta stop here. Plenty more to talk about, so expect another post soon.
One last thing: seems I have no pain whatsoever, even without drugs. One thing about me is that I heal very quickly. I’ve got a method for this which I’ll explain later.
Morphine … COOL!!!