Man, Those Ears are Huge!

In three days I’m having surgery. The only other surgery I have had was a C-Section. I guess this is a bit different.

We were sitting at our Christmas table enjoying our Zuppa Tuscana when our conversation drifted toward my upcoming gall bladder surgery. I was calm and collected. I’d been put out before, I mean, sheesh, I did have my wisdom teeth out.

When I shared my couple of “being put to sleep” stories, my sister who works daily in the operating room says, “You weren’t put to sleep. You were given medicine to make you forget.”

“Huh? Of course I was put to sleep. I remember the dentist saying, “Lie back and relax” and I remember laughing at him because, well, those drugs they gave me just made me loopy and his ears reminded me of Dumbo. I know, it’s not nice. Talk to the drugs.

She went on to inform me that they will put me out and insert the tube down my throat.

My reaction was a bit stronger. “What? They’ll put the tube down my throat? But why?”

You see, I’ve only pictured serious conditions having tubes in their throats. You know, coma patients who are on life support, that kind of thing.

“Because, you’ll die without it. They paralyze you and you won’t get oxygen without the tube.”

This time I went a little ballistic. “WHAT????” I found it difficult to put my words together. Maybe the pain isn’t really all that bad!

She continued. “They really only put you out at hospitals because they need emergency lifesaving equipment if something should go wrong. They won’t do that at the dentist office. There they just give you Valium and a drug to make you forget.” (She actually named the drug and a quick cursory search on the internet is not finding the info)

My pulse quickens and I feel a trembling in my chest, stomach, groin, well, pretty much all of me. I’m not liking this. Really, I’m not. “But, but…”

My sister once again shares her wisdom. “You’ll be fine. They do these surgeries all the time.”

I just love my sister! I look heavenward. “Lord, I know you’ve got this.”

As I’m reading my operation paperwork, I notice that this may be a good time to discuss advance directives, living wills, and durable power of attorney. Reading the information leads to a discussion with my husband in regards to advance directives, living wills, and durable power of attorney. Do they pull my plug or don’t they????

My husband decided he’d make the doctor do it.

Also, if I’m left in a coma for any length of time, won’t I get a sore throat? I hate sore throats!

And the thing I am thinking about the most three days before the surgery?

Did I really laugh at my dentist the entire time I was being worked on? How embarrassing!