Thursday, July 12, 2007

Surgery Scheduled

My surgery is scheduled for Wednesday, August 29th. My plan is to return to work the Monday after Labor Day, i.e., September 10th.

Before the surgery, I have a pre-op appointment on August 13th. Also, the company that makes or sells the neck braces (one of which I must wear continually for six weeks from when they put it on during the surgery) may contact me for a fitting. If not, they will fit me on the morning of the actual surgery.

I know it is strange to be excited about going under the knife, and I know I won't enjoy it in the event, and will probably be scared, and the aftermath will probably be very unpleasant, but I actually am excited and happy to have it scheduled. I kind of "can't wait," as silly as that is. It's not so much that I anticipate having my problem solved - though that's certainly the hope based on which I'm choosing the surgery at all. I think it's just the new and exciting proposition of having surgery.

(Yes, I am looney tunes.)

I am saving up questions for the surgeon. So far, I have
  • How do you make sure that you operate on the correct vertebrae? Do you count them or are they each just really distinct to you? (It's not like having your leg amputated where you can just write on the other one with a sharpie ahead of time "NOT THIS ONE.")

  • Do they insert the urinary catheter before or after I'm under? (I have anxiety about this.)

2 comments:

Sally said...

I just have to point out how amusing it is that you are feeling excited about *surgery* but a little anxious about having the catheter inserted. I guess the catheter is a known annoyance while the whole surgery thing remains kind of novel and interesting? I assume you've had a catheter before - is that right?

Tam said...

I've never had a catheter before, but it doesn't strike me as fun at all.

Wait - so surgery strikes you as fun?

No. My excitement has no rational basis. But since I'm having the surgery anyway, there's no point in fighting whatever enjoyment I get out of anticipating it, regardless of how bizarre or unfounded such enjoyment is.