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drwexOn Tuesday I went in for the second try at the stone-removal operation. It was successful - the stone is dust. I have a much smaller piece of plastic in my body now and an appointment for next week to get it removed. After that, follow the diet and hope.
I reached a pretty high level of freak-out before the procedure. Part of my ongoing mindfulness practice is for me to identify and name emotions I'm feeling in as honest a way as I can. It turns out I have a hard time separating "nervous", "anxious", and "afraid." I used all three words to tell people how I was feeling but I'm not sure I conveyed things accurately.
I'm also still freaked out about the idea of having the stent extracted in an office procedure. Being unconscious when that sh*t is being done is OK but I warned the urologist she'd need to feed me at least a Valium or equivalent beforehand.
Being nervous/anxious/afraid tends to lower my verbal filters and make me even more chatty than usual. The Lahey people took it in stride. Even the urologist put up with me asking her personal questions. I think she chalked it up to anesthesia aftereffects. I'm sure there are rules about not flirting with your doctor but she is so very my type, and I bet she intimidates lots of people. Why people (men) can't appreciate smart, competent, witty women is a topic for a whole other post.
I also had a fun time bantering with the anesthesiologist who kept making alcohol analogies. He had a "fun cocktail" and promised me "no cheap wine." He also warned that one of the shots was "like cheap bourbon, burns at first, but feels really good afterward." I told him I was amused that not only did he have those analogies but that he'd assume I knew what cheap bourbon was like. (Yes, I've been to New Orleans, why do you ask?)
I also got to use my observation skills and then confirmed I was right. During the pre-op wait time there was a nurse tending me and things were pretty well set, we were just going over routine stuff when she excused herself. I noticed that the gentlemen on the other side of the curtain from me was somewhat agitated. Even though the nurse working with him hadn't said anything, my nurse had noticed and moved to be in that space so there were two of them present. When she came back I asked how long she'd been working - nearly 20 years - and I explained that I guessed she was a veteran because that sort of peripheral awareness (sometimes called situational awareness) is a big thing in my field of UX. Ask me about the Orly ATC tower redesign sometime. Anyway I complimented her on her skills, which she was sort of surprised by.
I should say that throughout this whole experience I've found the Lahey nursing corps to be uniformly excellent. The front-line people (PAs and techs) and the doctors have a higher quality variability but the nursing backbone seems really solid. I hope Lahey knows what they've got and treats them well. I'll be putting this on my feedback to them.
I did not tell the nurse who called me yesterday for an extended discussion of how much I'm bleeding (a lot the first 36 hours, almost nothing now) that she was utterly ruining fruit punch for me by making repeated comparisons of bloody urine to fruit punch. I'm back on the med that turns my pee orange, so that's kind of funny. But it's definitely helping with the pain.
Now if I can just remember to stay properly hydrated.
I reached a pretty high level of freak-out before the procedure. Part of my ongoing mindfulness practice is for me to identify and name emotions I'm feeling in as honest a way as I can. It turns out I have a hard time separating "nervous", "anxious", and "afraid." I used all three words to tell people how I was feeling but I'm not sure I conveyed things accurately.
I'm also still freaked out about the idea of having the stent extracted in an office procedure. Being unconscious when that sh*t is being done is OK but I warned the urologist she'd need to feed me at least a Valium or equivalent beforehand.
Being nervous/anxious/afraid tends to lower my verbal filters and make me even more chatty than usual. The Lahey people took it in stride. Even the urologist put up with me asking her personal questions. I think she chalked it up to anesthesia aftereffects. I'm sure there are rules about not flirting with your doctor but she is so very my type, and I bet she intimidates lots of people. Why people (men) can't appreciate smart, competent, witty women is a topic for a whole other post.
I also had a fun time bantering with the anesthesiologist who kept making alcohol analogies. He had a "fun cocktail" and promised me "no cheap wine." He also warned that one of the shots was "like cheap bourbon, burns at first, but feels really good afterward." I told him I was amused that not only did he have those analogies but that he'd assume I knew what cheap bourbon was like. (Yes, I've been to New Orleans, why do you ask?)
I also got to use my observation skills and then confirmed I was right. During the pre-op wait time there was a nurse tending me and things were pretty well set, we were just going over routine stuff when she excused herself. I noticed that the gentlemen on the other side of the curtain from me was somewhat agitated. Even though the nurse working with him hadn't said anything, my nurse had noticed and moved to be in that space so there were two of them present. When she came back I asked how long she'd been working - nearly 20 years - and I explained that I guessed she was a veteran because that sort of peripheral awareness (sometimes called situational awareness) is a big thing in my field of UX. Ask me about the Orly ATC tower redesign sometime. Anyway I complimented her on her skills, which she was sort of surprised by.
I should say that throughout this whole experience I've found the Lahey nursing corps to be uniformly excellent. The front-line people (PAs and techs) and the doctors have a higher quality variability but the nursing backbone seems really solid. I hope Lahey knows what they've got and treats them well. I'll be putting this on my feedback to them.
I did not tell the nurse who called me yesterday for an extended discussion of how much I'm bleeding (a lot the first 36 hours, almost nothing now) that she was utterly ruining fruit punch for me by making repeated comparisons of bloody urine to fruit punch. I'm back on the med that turns my pee orange, so that's kind of funny. But it's definitely helping with the pain.
Now if I can just remember to stay properly hydrated.
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Date: 2018-07-19 03:57 pm (UTC)I'm really glad you're ok.
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Date: 2018-07-20 07:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-20 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-20 08:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-19 09:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-20 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-19 10:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-20 05:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-20 06:58 pm (UTC)When I went in to have a hysterectomy, the anesthesiologist asked me how I felt, and I said, "Nervous." He told me that he could give me something for that, and I told him that being nervous before major surgery was normal and appropriate, and I didn't see the need to remove my normal and appropriate emotions. He seemed quite surprised. :-)
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Date: 2018-07-20 07:15 pm (UTC)Anyway, thanks for the good wishes.
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Date: 2018-07-20 07:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-07-22 06:04 am (UTC)The fruit punch analogy reminds me of the midwife at Mount Auburn Hospital when PT had just been born, describing in great detail with various food analogies (Dijon mustard, etc.) what his poop should look like over the next couple days. I said "You know, I think you enjoy this part of your job a little too much".