Surgery Day

I drove up last night and stayed at the new SCCA House, a facility for patients of the SCCA, relatively inexpensive, very nice, and extremely sterile. It's set up so that people can have long-term rentals there, so the room was HUGE! Good parking too!

I went to bed late, after a shower with hibicleanse, then got up early and showered gain with hibicleanse. Then drove to the UW medical center and checked into my appointment. My surgery was only the second on the day, so it was early, but also mostly on time...perhaps.

I think it was about an hour lately really, but concidering some of my previous wait times that was decent. They called me back, had me change into a gown, the "bear hugger", and begin putting in IV's, asking questions, confirming ID, etc etc. Kind of nice getting all that attention. I told the anesthesiologist that I thought I was over sedated last time and that it was at UW, so they could make a better dosage. Then the surgeons' resident came in and asked more questions and confirmed the site of the surgery and signed the location. The surgery before mine was running a bit late, so I got to wait there a bit...

The anesthesiologist wheeled me into the surgery room where a nurse and more residents were prepping the room, where they had my CT/PET/MRI images up on screen. I transffered from the gurney to the OR table and just laid there while they continued to prep and wait for the surgeon. The anesthesiologist gave me a dose of "2 beers in one shot," as she called it, and I made jokes as if I was at a bar. Then I kind of dosed, but woke up a bit and they still hadn't started, but they got news that it would be starting soon and that the surgeon was on his way. I know I got another shot of the "2 beers" and I think I got a mask of oxygen, but after that I was out...

Couple hours later, they wake me, I'm in recovery and I make a couple drugged up calls. Fun for everyone, right?!?!?! Then I remember them wheeling me out....then I remember waking up in my old room on the 6th floor. I am given a PCA of morphine, but after 2 shots of that I quit because I'm convinced it's giving me a headache; I ask for tylenol. The nurse wants me to breathe deep and I tell them I want to walk. There is a lot of commotion as they urge me to get up and walk, and they really wanted me to move to a chair in the room. The wound has a drainage, so that's attached and I have to clip it to my gown and try not to pull it out. With some effort I stand up, make some movements to a chair, then sit down. I'm sitting there, drinking water, and for the first time after anesthesia get sick and vomit. I feel better and decide I want to change.

I make my way, hobbling, to the linen closet and get a new gown on. I then hobble back to the room and just relax. I got up and walked around a couple times, but most of the day was spent in bed. Many of the nurses seem to remember me(good/bad sign), and are pleasant. I make a trip to the 'kitchen' for goodies, then order pizza delivered really late. It's really good and I got to sleep full.

Scheduled for surgery 4

April 15...

Last check ups in a nut shell...more cuts!!!

02/23/2010 - Chest CT/MRI. Early...Chest CT is cake, almost fall asleep in the MRI...
Wait while they look the scans over, get to chat with them, mention some swelling I noticed after I was given the check up schedule... Get felt up a lot, then told to schedule a PET...

03/05/2010 - PET...Early. way too early for a Foley catheter, not to suggest that there is ever a good time, sheesh. Later they inject me with a radioactive sugar and let that disperse throughout my body, walk me to the PET machine, lay there for around an hour as that scan runs... get the catheter out; go try to make the most of a nice weekend in Seattle!

03/09/10 - time to get results, if you can even call it that... Something there, glows pretty bright on the PET, but not as bright as they'd expect... Begin, again, the process of pre-op quesitons and scheduling. The only thing definative at this time is that I'm going in for surgery, on some Thursday in the future, and getting the thing removed and biopsied.

See buddy Allan, see IMAX 3D of 'Alice in Wonderland,' go to Red Mill after being thwarted on our attempt for grass fed burgers, then safely navigate rush hour traffic and contemplate next steps as I drive back home. Powerball ticket bought...

More about the Insurance thing...

Apparently some kind of resolution is coming about on the contracts between my insurer and UW et al. Good, I guess, but the whole thing leaves me disappointed...

Tripping to Seattle

Next check up is in Seattle 2/23/10. Kind of looking forward to it, kind of not. It's going to be good to get up to Seattle, see a friend or two, seafood(fresh), hang out at the clinic, you know, good times!!

I don't REALLY mind it, everyone there has been super and I can't say enough good about them, so they are just great. Th only thing that really bugs me about it is losing time to get up there.

I am looking forward to maybe wowing them a bit with how active I've been...Admittedly not as active as I'd like, but I'm playing Ulty again(pretty regularly), almost doing Yoga regularly, Soccer regularly, running (still not regularly), some weight work irregularly. So, Physically I feel pretty decent, but I do notice my respiration is not quite up to par; I'm convinced that's because I'm not running as regularly as before.

The Insurance forecast

doesn't really get any better, but currently I get some sort of reprieve since my insurer is still working with the UW, or the other way around. So I'm in some kind of gray area until the end of the month, which isn't so far anyhow...

Typical....

Just typical... Odd, how, for the 100th post here, a post that might seem to be a landmark of sorts, I received notification today that UW and, by association, SCCA will no longer be taking part in my insurance's network. yay.