My girlfriend drove me to the hospital, but she couldn’t stay since she had to go to work. She felt guilty about leaving me there, and she said that she’d cancel her meetings if I needed her to be there. I told her not to worry since she was going to return to the hospital before my surgery was over, and I’ll see her when I regain consciousness.

I waited for hours and was finally called back into the pre-op area. I had a backpack with me full of extra clothing and books. I probably stared at the same two pages of a book for about an hour. Every receptionist and nurse that I encountered was a bit surprised that I was there by myself. Before that, I didn’t think much of being there alone, but their surprised looks made me feel a bit abandoned. So if I do have another surgery, I’ll make sure that I have someone there with me. If nothing else, so that the nurses won’t make me feel badly.

Reminder: It’s good to have someone with you before the surgery for emotional support.

I changed into a gown, and the nurse measured my blood pressure, etc. I then spoke with the anesthesiologist in his mid 40’s. He put an IV in me, and I waited around for some time. He asked a few questions about my health, whether I was allergic to any medications, etc.
He gave me a choice of either general anesthesia or blocking the pain only in the lower portion of my body along with mild sedatives. I said to do what’s best for the surgery, as I didn’t really care. In retrospect, I should have done more research into this. If I am given a choice, I need to be able to make an informed decision.

Anesthesiologist replied that I wouldn’t have been given an option if they had a preference for one way or another. However, he still went to check with the surgeon and came back and said that they’d decided to put me under general anesthesia. I asked what the likelihood of not waking up is, and he said that there is a higher chance of dying in a car accident on the way to the hospital.

As they were rolling me down the hallway towards the operating room, the anesthesiologist slipped a drug into my IV. The nurse was talking to me while she was rolling me down the hallways, through sliding doors where it progressively became cooler. They maintain cooler temperatures, I assume, to keep the infection rates low.

Well, he put me under real good, and the last thing I remember before the surgery is being rolled into the operating room.

After the surgery, I regained consciousness surprisingly refreshed and almost euphoric.. then I got dizzy and nauseous. It was miserable, but the nurse was very kind and gave me some juice and butter cookies. I took some pills, probably some pain killers.

I was in a new cast. I’ve heard that some people get bandages/splint. I think that is a better option since if there are any complications, swelling, it’s less torturous for the patient.

My girlfriend was there waiting for me. I went to the bathroom, and then she drove me home and she took good care of me. I slept and slept.

I woke up around 9pm, and I felt better. My food intake for the day consisted of cranberry juice, cookies, hot chocolate and a bananna. I hope I lose some weight through all of this.

The schedule is: Non weight bearing until a follow-up appointment in 10-14 days to get the stitches removed, and another cast. Partial Weight Bearing after that.

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