The Last Several Days

Wednesday January 12, I checked into the hotel, and sat in a very nerved out waiting area. I was then asked to cross the hall, where I removed all clothes and had an injection for the IV on the top of my right hand.

They wheeled me down to the first floor where I had a CAT scan with an injection of iodine based contrast material. The tech explained that it would feel cool as it cascaded up my arm, and would make me feel I was peeing as it settled in my pelvic area. No fooling there! He put ‘Cheerios’ on my head to assist with the 3D image. The scan complete, I soon headed back to the Pre-Surgery center.

I got some very knee-high and very sexy embolism socks to wear, and Theresa and I waited it out, and had a few laughs. We took a photo at this time, called Pre Op Sock Boy, and waited. Before long, they wheeled my skinny ass over to the on-deck waiting area. At this point I met my Primary Care OR nurse, who by some fluke and stroke of luck, happened to be Daryl S. from my alma mater high school, Trenton High. THS. Small world.

Time to go. Tess, who is a pillar of strength, broke down a little as they wheeled me in. As expected, the OR was equipped with a host of bells and whistles, but as an unexpected turn, the anesthetist was a German, or East European of some kind.

“Now ve put you for some nice shlleeps. Are you ready? Haff a gut flight.” Yowser.

Later that night, I slowly came to consciousness in the recovery room.

"What’s your name?
What day is it?
Do you know where you are? "

I spent the next 48 hours in the neuro-intensive care unit, and immediately started the deep breathing arm and leg exercises. The poor old man beside me was fighting, and trying to pull his IV out.

"What’s your name?
Don’t pull that out.
What’s your name?
What’s your name?"

His name was Antonio, by the way.

Day one, I pulled up out of bed with effort, and stood up, using the IV for support. By day two I was walking to the end of the wall and back again with the IV for support. Things as far as dizziness have been getting better slowly from there. By the time I met the young and talented Dr. Rotenburg at the front desk on Sunday, he was asking with a smile if a Monday morning departure was a good thing. I said that it was.

Three things made me physically flinch and say “Ow” during this entire process: One was getting my catheter out (those in the know call them a “Foley”.) Two, was getting a shot of Tylenol in my bum and three, getting the drainage tube for my abdominal incision removed. None lasted a long time, thank you Jesus and God as well.

Thanks to all the wonderful, talented, courageous, capable, and brilliant people who took such excellent care of my family and I during what for us was a difficult time and for them was Business As Usual. I’m so glad they all stayed in school and did the required reading: Dr. Chen, Dr, Pirozmand, Dr. Rotenberg and related support staff, (more gushing later), Daryl, Crystal, Priscilla, Bindin and Anita, my primary care nurses, and Yuki who is just starting out but doesn’t have very far to go.

As Dr. Chen said to me just prior to leaving on Monday, “You can come right up to the head of the class.”

Surgery Date: 1/12/05
Days ICU: 2
Total Days Hospitalized: 5
Stitches in Head: 17
Stitches in Abdomen: 11
Total Stitches: 28