I used to have times when I struggled to find subjects for my Thoughts papers. Recently, I’ve had to make lists of subjects to write about, so I don’t forget things. When I started writing these back in 1991, I had less happening in my life. Who would guess I had more going on in my 50s than I did in my 20s. Before I start reliving my younger days, I’ll talk about the big happening in my life right now. I had my first surgery on May 22.
The day before surgery to get the polyp removed from my vocal cord, I found out it was going to be at 9:30 am. That may sound late to some of you surgery veterans, but I must set an alarm for 11:00 am to make sure I get to work on time. If I can sleep later, I will. I got up at 6:00 am and found out that the surgery wouldn’t be until 11:00 am. This being my first surgery, I didn’t know how much would happen before the surgery. They took me in just before 9:30 am and had me put on a hospital gown that opened in the back. Even though I knew this would happen, I was still surprised. This was an actual surgery.
It felt weird to get completely undressed while hearing people just a few feet away behind a curtain. I knew the ties went in the back, but I didn’t realize how hard it would be to tie them. Trying several times on both the ties, I finally gave up and left them untied. I hoped they wouldn’t make me walk anywhere. If I bent over, it would have fallen to the ground. Luckily, they didn’t ask me to bow. A nurse asked me several questions to make sure I was ready for surgery. The only potential problems were the cat claw marks on my arm. This was from giving Willow her medication. They were just scratches so it wouldn’t be a problem. Someone at my work who is a nurse told me to leave my wedding ring at home. I, of course, forgot. I left my ring and glasses on the chair by the bed.
A nurse put a stint into my vein. This is how they would give me the anesthesia. An anesthesia technician came to talk to me. English was not his first language. I barely understood him. After repeating himself several times, I got what he was asking. He asked if my parents had any surgeries. I said “yes” but couldn’t come up with what surgeries they had. Eventually, I just said maybe they didn’t have any surgeries. He decided that no answer was good enough. I did point out that this was my first surgery. He was surprised and impressed. I thought he was going to administer the anesthesia, but he didn’t.
They let Patti in to see me, and she was entertained by the cap I was wearing. Admittedly, when I saw it later, I realized how huge it was. It was like a giant beret. I was either going into surgery or going to entertain the other patients with my clown miming skills. Patti’s presence was a welcome distraction. I told her about the ring that was on the chair so she wouldn’t miss it. We took off to the surgical room, and I was conscious and talking to them. The next thing I remember was waking up back in the room where I last saw Patti. They reminded me not to talk. It took me a while to remember not to answer people with my voice.
This was the end of my first surgery, but not the end of this story. Did I ever speak again? Did Patti take advantage of my inability to speak? Would the cats pretend not to know me because I couldn’t speak cat with my voice? You’ll just have to wait until next week to read Part 2 of the story. When they make my life into a show of some kind, the last thing you see on this episode will be “To be continued …” (Any chance to use an ellipsis is one I’m going to take.)
Thoughts from Life 
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