Well, I made it through.
We (my wife and I) showed up bright and early at the hospital, and after they got us back to the prep area, they had me change into the usual hospital gown. Gotta wonder, if they’re going to be working on the front, why do they put me in something that opens to the back?
They also gave me some of those “non-slip” socks that appeared to be for a size 7 foot (I’m size 11). Once I got them on, it immediately became apparent why I’ve never been any good at dancing.
Eventually there were the hundred questions from a one of the nurses:
“So, you’re here for a bilateral inguinal hernia repair with mesh?”
A bit startled at all of that, I said, “All I know is ‘hernia.’ I don’t know anything about the rest of that stuff.”
“Okay. Are you allergic to any medications?”
“I can only speak to the ones I’ve taken before. I have no idea about the thousands of others I haven’t tried yet.”
“You seem to have a problem with ‘yes or no’ questions.”
“Umm - it depends.”
In addition to getting me prep’d for surgery with the usual IV tap, they also put a tag around my wrist that identified me as a "fall risk.”
It was a bit cold in there, so eventually I thought I’d cover up to keep warm. I’m not sure why, but my wife said the guy tasked with wheeling me to the OR looked startled when he came in.
Later, coming out of the fog in Recovery something occurred to me, so I told my wife, “I remember when I got to the OR, there were only young women in there. No telling what they could have done to me once I went under. I think you should check me over for any signs of lipstick.”
Turns out my doc, according to nurse in Recovery, is a "hernia guru" and people even come from Houston for training with him. (For those who don't know, Houston is home to the world-famous Houston Medical Center - no shortage of qualified surgeons there.) So that was good to hear, even after the fact.
It eventually occurred to me to wonder, what was the point of the “fall risk” tag? I was on my back the whole time, from prep until they wheeled me out the door.
Like they told me, the first 3-4 days after were rough. I went back to work on Tuesday (5th day after) - probably a day too soon.
Feeling pretty good at this point, but I do get fatigued pretty quick if I embark on any ambitious undertakings.
I did get some new speakers put in my bedroom system while I was "down," so that’s always good.
Regards,
Wayne
