Monday, March 23, 2009
Yet another health and wellness update
I know it’s a little delayed.
The endoscopy came back OK. OK in that the only thing wrong with me are the gallstones that have taken up residence.
The procedure, well, I’d say it was aweful. I’d even say it was great. In all honesty, I don’t remember any of it.
I arrived at the hospital, filled out the standard “sign this” forms and waited in a nondescript waiting room. I’m sure I made some jokes about cameras, and offended other waiting room...waiters.
When they called me back, they didn’t have me undress, I just put the gown over the top of my clothes. Up on a stretcher, sit and wait some more. The nurse came to give me my IV, and I directed her to my left arm. My months of selling plasma, in addition to the $40 a week, taught me that needles in my left arm work better, and cause me less pain. She was appreciative, seeing the necessary vessel right away. More waiting. Hearing the lady on the other side of the curtain talk about her shingles on her arm. Watching them bring the same blood pressure machine to me. Hope I don’t get shingles.
A short bed ride into the ambulatory surgery area, and more (that’s right!) waiting. A brief conversation with the assisting nurse, where I assured her I wasn’t allergic to anything except for cameras with fiber optics on them. More waiting. Finally the doctor arrives. Asks me how I’m doing. Tells the nurse to begin. She injects me, and tells me to open my mouth. She sprays in some aweful tast…
..I’m looking at my arm. How did my arm get in front of me? Oh, I’m on my side. How did I get on my side? Where’d the room go? Hey, there’s DW. Wow, good drugs.
The next few hours (ok, the next 30 hours) are pretty much a haze at this point. I remember specific things, but its like they happened years ago, instead of days.
And tomorrow, I get to go back in, and have the gall bladder removed.
I’m hoping for more time warps, and an end to the pain that woke me this morning at 4:30. At least this time, I was only wishing I was dead for 2 hours. 25 hours from now, I’ll be back on a stretcher, and waiting some more.