The "It's Memorial Day and Me and My Peeps are Dialyzing"

iPod shuffled to "I'll Be Around", The Spinners. The congas make you want to move. :)  Yes, it's Memorial Day, and yes, the dialysis center is up and going. Remember, your kidneys, 168 hours a week.  My kidneys , 9 hours a week.  I need every hour I can get, and I'm takin' it!! :-). 

So on a bright and early morning in December I arrive at the hospital for outpatient surgery. I register, then go and wait in a holding area with Brian and a few other anxious people. After about 20 minutes someone comes and takes all of us to the area where we get prepped for surgery. It looks like a surgery factory to me. About 25-30 little areas with a gurney and privacy curtains for patients. Nurses galore and other assorted medical folks teaming around. I get assigned my very own little nook and nurse.  She gives me the initial disrobing instructions (all jewelry left at home). They even took my glasses. >;-(   Shoos Brian off temporarily.  "Hello Stranger", Barbara Lewis, from Ann Arbor (!).  I whined about them taking my underpants, as the surgery was on my left arm....  The nurse took pity on me and brought hospital underpants. Lololol. I never knew they even existed. You won't find them at Victoria's Secret, but they worked for the job at hand. Lol. Nurse chuckled with me. :-). I thanked her.

I get visited by the IV nurse, the surgeon's assistant, my next RN, a couple of residents and an anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist asked questions, then tells me how I'll be anesthetized.  Someone  created a binder with my information and it gets fuller an fuller right before my eyes!! My life!! At least my life since I entered the hospital. Lol.  Eventually Doc comes by and let's me know I'm next. Two surgical nurses come by and stay with me and then move me to the "operating room".  

An operating room is very bright and very full of stuff and full of people. So, people are doing stuff around the room and around me. Doc says hi.  I'm talking with the nurses. Then I wake up and it's over. Lol. No counting backwards from 100, just out for the count. "You're Still a Young Man", Tower of Power.  One of my favorite songs. Horns, vocals, lyrics, harmonies, piano, listen to that piano. It's as good as the horns, and they are known for the horns. Crank up the volume!!!!!!!!!!

Doc says its a good fistula, come see him in a week and then I get rolled to recovery. I'm not really groggy, just maybe silly and tired. The recovery area is quieter than the "getting ready for surgery" area. I have my own nurse again. He's monitoring my vitals and offers me apple juice and graham crackers (the snack of hospitals worldwide-lol). Considering I had nothing to eat or drink since I went to bed the night before, that was like manna. :-). 

My vitals are fine and I'm coherent. They let  Brian in, I get dressed and I get my post surgery instructions. The most important. Do not sleep on the left arm. Riiiiight.  I sleep on my left side. I'll figure it out.  We get home by 3PM. I'm still weak from the kidney failure thing and with the surgery that day.  Brian feeds me and I go to bed.  Tomorrow, I'll show my nephrologist and my techs my new fistula. ;-)

Signing off with "Just Shopping (Not Buying Anything)", The Dramatics. "I'd like to make you queen of my castle".  Ron Banks voice /swoon.   Y'all take care.  I'm gonna crank up the volume, close my eyes and get lost in the Dramatics. :-). <3