My Next Operation and Refusing to Fast

The more I thought about using Dr. H-- for lithotripsy, the less I liked the idea.  A couple more days passed, and STILL no one called me about scheduling the procedure.  Clearly, I wasn't going to get in on the half-day I have coming up.  I already have an appointment with Dr. L--, who is an hour away but who I like, and I figured I would just take the  latest scans from Dr. H-- in to Dr. L-- and talk about litho.  Maybe we could schedule it for spring break, so I wouldn't have to miss work. 

Then, Monday, Dr. H--'s office called.  They had put me on the litho schedule for this coming Friday.  For 2:00 PM. 

Hmmm...

I'd always been scheduled for early morning before.  But of course, the other operations were more involved and difficult.  (And Jesus Christ, I still get shaky typing that.)  They're clearly figuring this one will be quick.  And a 2 PM surgery time meant I could still work the half day.

I decided to take the appointment.  Is it better to get the appointment slot you want with a doctor you dislike, or wait for the doctor you do like but risk a bad slot?  I'm still not entirely sure.

(Fuck.  Still anxious.  Just saying I have another procedure coming up tightens up my stomach and makes my hands shake.)

Anyway, today the hospital called and caught me between classes.  It was the expected "here are your instructions" call, and by now I can recite the answers without thinking.

"You're scheduled for 2 PM," the nurse said, "so we need you here by noon."  Here she hesitated.  "Remember, no eating or drinking after midnight the night before."

I withheld a snort.  Sure.  The last three times I had surgery, I had to be at the hospital by 6 or 7 AM, and was admonished not to eat or drink after midnight the night before.  So in THOSE cases, I only had to fast six hours before surgery, but for this case, I was suddenly expected to fast for 14 hours?  Fuck that shit.  I've discussed on this blog before how the "no eating before surgery" rule is based on flawed research from the 50s, and throwing up under anesthesia is non-existent these days. 

Not only that, it makes no sense that one patient can't eat for only six hours, but another has to go for 14.  Even if I were inclined to follow the stupid no-food thing, I could eat breakfast at 6 AM (my usual time) and by 2 PM, I'd still have gone more than six hours without eating--just like a 6 AM patient who stopped eating at midnight the night before.  The illogic of the no-food order was so stark and obvious, the nurse was hesitating to give it to me.

Experience has also taught me that when I come out of anesthesia, the last thing I want is food.  I don't feel like eating until several hours afterward, when I'm home in bed.  The first time I had to go in for anesthesia (before kidney stones), I did go without eating, and I was starving by the time the nurse came to take me into surgery.  But Darwin had said we could go out for a nice, big breakfast after I got out of the hospital, and that was a nice thought.  When I was done, though, I had no interest in food and I felt like shit and just wanted to go home and sleep.  It's been like that for me for every operation since.  So I didn't get to eat before the operation, and I didn't get to eat afterward, either.  Screw that!

I'll eat a very nice, very large breakfast before work and, like I've done four other times, lie and say I've been fasting.

This is called "managing my own health care." :)

But I'm still shaky and unhappy about going in for this.  I can't seem to let go of the anxiety yet. 

Theoretically, this is the last one.  Barring the development of more stones, I'm done after this.  So maybe not having the hammer of continual operations smashing my psyche flat will give me a chance to get distance from this and heal.