Part 53 Abbreviated summer, or prelude to lights out


GG has come over to watch the kids for a few days of the upcoming week. I must drive to complete some errands and business during the two days before my next procedure on the 16th. The day arrives, and I have the support of my wife and her mother, with me at the hospital. I am prepped by some new nurse faces this time, but they seem professional and have a sense of humor. One starts my IV without multiple jabs to find a good vein (always a plus in my book). I look for some consistency, since this facility is still new to me. The nursing staff is so important, because these are the first people who interact with you in the operating area and make an indelible impression. It will be a while before the anesthesiologist comes by. And it will certainly be a while before the pro doctor Ra- makes his grand entrance, striding swiftly in, accompanied by his residents and flashing an amiable smile with a confidence that instantly puts me at ease. But the first procedure was uneventful, so I really have no need to worry about this one. And this time all this will be taking place not in the hospital itself but in an adjacent outpatient area. Confidence is in the air.

The anesthesia slides into my tube. Before they wheel me into the procedure room, I am unconscious.

Boxers in the ring, after the fight is over, have claimed that they never saw the punch coming that knocked them out. I too was sparring with the unknown, gaining a little confidence now and then while having what I considered a healthy respect for my opponent. I try to cloak myself in optimism in general, in part because I genuinely feel that way and was raised to believe that way, but also because it is a practical strategy to function optimally in this world.

Regardless of your orientation and determination, though, life unravels in its own way, with its own bag of surprises.