The day went like this

4:45 - Up - let the dogs out, shaved and showered

5:45 - Craig picked me up and took me to the hospital

Sat in the waiting room until 7:20

Met with a young lady who wanted to see my insurance cards. I had left them at home because you aren't supposed to bring valuables with you.

She scanned my driver's license which I had brought with me in case I needed to prove who I was.

Gave her my birth date and signed an electronic form signature pad three times. My handwriting is more legible than my doctors.

Was directed to ambulatory waiting room where I waited some more

A nurse came and got me and took me back to room 43 where I was told to undress and get on a bed. I did so and waited for her to come back. Then she asked me the same questions which everyone else asks me. When was I born, what am I allergic to. I told her I did not know what they were and they would be listed on the computer - I do not pay any attention to things like that. What was I having done. What was my Doctor's name....etc. etc. ad infinitum ad nauseum.

Blood pressure taken

Heart beat checked

temperature taken

Room 43 is cold when you are in a flimsy gown'

Read my book for about an hour and a half while I waited. Surgery was supposed to have been at 7:30. At 8:30 I began to think about leaving and saying the hell with it all.

Waited some more. Overheard someone say that the anesthesiologist had not been ordered.

Continued to wait. I think that what ticked me off the most was that no one really came in and told me that the Dr. or someone had screwed up and the lady who "passes gas" had not been ordered.

Finally someone came to get me and in her cheerful way began to take me to the waiting room for the operation. I said something about not being happy about having to wait this long (Remember I had had nothing to eat or drink (Not even water) since 11:00 the night before)

- she made the remark that sometimes when you weren't the first operation of the day you had to wait. I told her that my surgery was the first and I had been waiting a long time. She seemed surprised.

I told the nurses in the pre op room I was thinking of just canceling the surgery and forgetting it and the nurse left and a passive aggressive head nurse came in and tried to sooth the savage Jay. I do not like people to be passive aggressive with me and I do not like to be patted. The other nurse asked me the same questions I had been asked before including what was I there for what was I having done.- (Aren't they supposed to know?)

I actually began to feel that I was in an initiation where the candidate is taken around the room and "the same questions were asked and answered as before."

Finally the Doctor came in. Now you have to know that I really like this guy but at that point in time I was very unhappy. This is not the service I was expecting. My friend was expecting me to be done by 10:30 as that was what I had been told and so they called him to let him know it would be longer (at lest they said they would) - He knew I was not pleased.

They put me under (as much to shut me up as anything) and the next thing I knew I was waking up with a hell of a big bandage on my foot. (see post below) -

Then it was back to the refrigerator known as Room 43 where a really nice nurse who had taken care of me when I was in the hospital before came in to ask me some more questions - and to bring me some orange juice and coffee. (I asked for a Croissan'Wich but they did not have one.) Some of these were different from the others. She went to get the surgical shoe that I have to wear and helped me to get dressed, called Craig who was Johnny on the spot and took me home. I let the dogs out and noticed when Miles made a leap for my foot that I was bleeding.

Since then I have spent most of the day with my foot in the air and wondering when it is going to start hurting. I think Mark used long acting blocker on my foot but I can feel in my toes but there is no real pain. I think I will take the pain pills in with me in case I need them during the night.

Jon was over and told me some more stories about Spain. He went and got some Chinese food. I did not have much of it because it always shoots my Blood Sugar up.

That is about it. I think I will survive. It is probably about time for me to go to bed. That shall be an interesting operation. Stay warm and think good thoughts. Hugs, j

Addendum: I slept well so far I am not in any real pain and have not had to take the pain meds. At least that is a very good thing.