It was somewhat nerve wracking in the days before the surgery, even though I felt like I’d been there before. I had a rough time coming off anesthesia after my ACL surgery so I anticipated feeling really yucky for a bit after this one too. The medical staff were of absolutely no use to me before the procedure. Prior to surgery I had to meet with a pre-op doc, who, I think only knew about assessing patients for proper anesthesia. She didn’t know anything about my surgery and couldn’t answer any of my questions. What a waste of my time. To make things worse she wore an insincere perma-smile that offered me no comfort during this stressful time. She tried to sell me on the idea of getting a nerve block put in that would remain attached to me for three days after the surgery. Basically this is a bag of drugs attached to a tube leading directly into a nerve that constantly pours into my leg to numb it completely. During that time I would not be able to move without assistance. Since I live alone and seem to have a high pain tolerance anyway I declined that terrifying suggestion. I’d prefer to have control over my own pain management with the Ibuprofen and Narcotics I’d already been prescribed.

Breathe in…breathe out…surgery tomorrow.