Surgery Day

I was scheduled for afternoon surgery. Each surgeon does 2 procedures per surgery day: AM and PM. The OHI requests that afternoon patients arrive at the hospital by 9am so that all the preparatory work can be done and you can be ready as early as 11:30.

Wednesday, March 5, we woke to a winter storm that was made worse by a layer of ice caused by freeze-thaw earlier in the week. The plan was to leave the house by 8am. Under ordinary circumstances an hour would have been way too much time, but with the storm and the fact that it had occurred over night, the roads were going to be terrible and Ottawa drivers tend to react poorly to bad conditions. The vehicle plan was for my parents and I to take my truck and M. to follow in her car. As soon as we started to move the cars around I knew it was going to be trouble. First my mom's car got stuck, then M.'s and I then just asked everyone to park their respective cars and we would all go the truck. The truck had no problems in the snow and was the perfect vehicle for the day.

The troubles didn't end there. On our way to the exit we encountered a car partially blocking the rode spinning its wheels and clearly going nowhere. My dad and I got out of the truck and started helping out. It's still amazing to me that there are people in Canada that insist on driving in winter without snow tires. This guy actually had summer slicks on his wheels. His driveway was uncleared, the roads were uncleared and here he was trying to drive around on summer slicks. My dad and I were there for a bit when my mom finally got out the truck and said "sorry we got to go, my son is having heart surgery today and we don't we don't have time to help you". As soon as she said it my dad and I realized how futile the effort was and how unimportant it was to help this guy get to Tim Hortons for his morning coffee. We got back in the truck and drove around the guy and off to the hospital.

We got to the hospital on time. I hadn't drank or eaten anything since 9pm the night before so I was starting to feel pretty light headed. We registered at pre-op and started getting ready. First order of business was personal information. Then, it was ECG, blood work and a chest x-ray. Being in pre-op I didn't have to wait in the typical lines, I just show up and they would take me right away. After that, I got changed into the typical hospital gown that covers the front of your body and has to ties in the back. Shortly thereafter a nurse came in for the shaving of my chest and legs. I then took a shower with more of the antibacterial soap/brush used by surgeons. I walked back to my pre-op room and waited. M. and my folks joined me.

About an hour later (roughly 12:30) a nurse came in and said they were ready for me downstairs. She gave me a couple of pills (relaxants) and said they would come by and pick me. Shortly after 1pm a guy in OR clothes with the shower cap showed up. They transferred me to a wheeled gurney, fitted me with an oxygen mask and off we went. Staring at the ceiling I made my way down to the OR, the orderly told my parents we were at the farthest point they could go, a big set of double doors opened and then shut behind me. After that I was placed in a waiting area. I don't remember much, just a bunch of people coming by to talk to me and look at my chart. Lots of checking and double checking of my personal information.

Maybe 20 minutes later an orderly came to pick me up and we entered the operation room. Operating rooms are pretty nifty, if you're a gear fanatic. I don't remember the details, I just remember a really technical room with a bunch of people moving around with purpose. They moved me from the gurney to the operating bed and then people started poking me, inserting IVs and taping stuff to me. At some point I fell asleep...

I woke up to a dark room with a young nurse checking my blood pressure. My mouth tube had already been removed and I was aware of the room. She told me my M. and my parents had just been in to see me. I asked her for some ice and fell asleep again. Throughout the night I would wake when she was either checking my blood pressure or administering medication. I'd get some more ice and then fall asleep again.