Awake at 3:45 and out of bed at 4 AM. Marcia, Lizzie and I drove down town to Mercy General for the procedure. Got my groin shaved, both sides. Left hand was poked 3 different times to get an IV line in. Got a yellow plastic bracelet stating I was a fainter. Yeah, yeah, I know, all you out there reading this were wondering when all my fainting spells would catch up with me. And despite my protestations the reputation stuck plus the preparing me for the installation of a defibrillator or a pacemaker, 'cuz ya never know. One of the nurses who attempted to talk to me about defibrillators and pacemakers got mad and wouldn't talk to me when I cut her off stating, "It ain't gonna happen." Later she did come back with an example of the heart monitor or 'loop' as it was called by the medical staff, but she showed it to Marcia and Lizzie first.
Finally my cardiologist showed up, 7:30 - 7:45, and I was wheeled into the operation room. I was bundled and covered up and checked over once more then the doc said give him Benedryl, 50 to 1. My left hand up to the elbow began to burn. They kept asking me how do I feel, do I feel relaxed? And my inner voice said make the burning stop and I'll feel fine, then, you know what? I didn't care anymore.
The doc was kind enough to include me in a conversation, or bring me up to speed, he was having with a nurse about politics. Apparently how they prep themselves for these procedures. I had heard '5,000 Euros,' which had to do with his sister and brother-in-law in Germany's healthcare system. The doc was messing with my right groin and the next thing I recall experiencing was the voices of the doc and staff on the far side of the room, or so it seemed to me, laughing and talking. A nurse walks by and notices I am awake and asks me how do I feel? 'OK, I guess.' Then they begin prepping me for the heart monitor implant because the doc could not get my heart to atrial fib or do anything abnormal, something he and I expected with a wink and a nod to the attempts to bring on the abnormal.
They put a hood over me so I couldn't see the doc installing the heart monitor but I was conscious during the procedure. Didn't feel the pain, couldn't feel the pain, I was flying high.
The last part was having to wait 4 hours for the wounds, especially the groin, to not react adversely. I had to lay flat on my back for a couple hours but I was able to suck down a Peet's Mocha. The first food since last night. After 2 hours I could sit up at about a 45 degree angle. I ate my lunch from that position. A nurse found a paper and a National Geographic to help me while away the last 2 hours. My nurse returned from her lunch break and checked me over for discharge. Once she got me up, slowly, the first destination was the bathroom. Then it was get dressed and go home.
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