Pre-Op
As instructed, I arrived at the hospital at 9:00am. The procedure was scheduled for 11:00am. I brought a LARGE book and settled in for the wait. Wasn't necessary. I was quickly escorted to the pre-op staging area. Here's what happened next:
- A nurse dropped off paper underwear and a hospital gown
- After I removed my clothes (and dignity), I was asked a series of questions (a Series of Questions):
- What is my name, first, middle and last?
- What is my birth date?
- What procedure am I having? On what foot?
- How tall am I? How much do I weigh?
- Am I allergic to [anything under the sun]?
- Is anyone in my family allergic to [anything under the sun]?
- Have I ever been sick?
- Has anyone in my family ever been sick?
- Do I smoke? Drink? Take drugs?
- Etcetera
- A physicians assistant (PA) arrived. The PA asked me a Series of Questions.
- Another nurse stopped by. She washed and shaved (!) my foot. Then she asked me a Series of Questions.
- The anesthesiologist stopped by. She asked me a Series of Questions. She also said that I would be partially anesthetized before getting a spinal block. After the spinal block, I would get additional anesthesia. She predicted I would remember none of this. She was right.
- The doctor stopped by. Same Series of Questions. I'm confident they've got it now.
- I walked into the operating room under my own power. Big lights. Lots of people. Lots of cutting tools. For the first time I feel a pang of anxiety.
- The anesthesiologist said that she's added anesthesia to my drip.
Post-Op
I remember nothing after the anesthesia was added to my drip. I woke up in the recovery room, listening to a couple of nurses discuss how long it would take for me to come to. When I settled that for them, my brother joined me bedside.
Until the effects of the spinal block wore off, I had no feeling in my legs -- left or right. After 60 - 90 mins., the feeling had returned and my left leg was strong enough to get out of bed and head home. It's around 2:30pm.
I took two oxycodone pills as the spinal block wore off. Pain was manage-able.