...and turns to anxiety and nervousness. I'm still able to have enthusiasm for the outcome but the reality of the cutting and the discomfort and the scariness are coming to the fore. I guess that's unavoidable and I do know what I'm getting into so there is no hiding from that. My other surgery experiences have set me up nicely for this one -- none have been bad but I am familiar with the turmoil and the uncertainty of the march up to the merciful oblivion.
I am understanding that my oblivion will be controlled differently this time. My mental numbness will occur with something (not sure exactly what) that will make me sleepy. The body numbness will occur through an epidural and then a femoral block. I need to look them up. In this way, the area undergoing surgery will be singled out for numbing and the rest of the body should be free from the heavy drugs. Respiratory anesthesia has caused me intense nausea in the past so I'm hoping to avoid that this time. The shoulder surgeries I had used a nerve block that made the entire shoulder and arm seem to be removed from the body and lasted a full 24 hours.
I am somewhat disturbed that I will stay overnight in the hospital. The doctors say the average stay is three days and I am hoping that I will get out before that. I will be in an orthopedic ward at Northwestern where Eric will have guest privileges overnight! I'm not sure how they make that out to sound like a good thing but they do.
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