Pre-op rituals

Recently I met two ladies who are beacons of inspiration for me. All of us met through a social networking site. I'm not sure if I can name it, because I didn't reallly read the terms of use.

These ladies happen to have the same surgeon, for the same reason that I do. While we each have different experiences and different journeys we've gone on to get to wellness, I really do have a renewed drive to reclaim what I've lost because of them. Like me, they're active 20-somethings who don't see a reason to stop living because they've been side-lined. It's so awesome to have friends with very similar interests beyond a common maladie.

What's even more inspiring to me is the instant bond we all had. When we first decided to get together for dinner, we spent 4 hours talking about everything from our prefered anaesthetics to our favorite hospital foods. Hells, we even dropped trow and compared scars. We all had similar stories of being 40 years younger than any other patient we had ever crossed-paths with.

Being in a place where you don't have to explain why you're walking with a cane, or why you don't workout, or why you take so many pills is such a positive experience.

I think being a patient has been so central to how I look at myself for so long that I forgot how to have fun at the same time. That's the gift the three of us have given eachother more than anything.

I have DS fests arranged with one of the gals. We also have bopp alongs while driving and listening to whatever beatz we burned that day. I have found friends who will drive to the hospital with me just so I don't have to be bored in the waiting room. Friends that can empathize and not have a problem when I say stuff like "hey, I'm in way too much pain to get together. rain check?".

We started a tradition of going for dinner the night before any of us have a surgery. I'm in the OR tomorrow, and tonight was not an exception. Anyone who has an op knows that you can't eat after midnight. I won't eat this evening (though I do wonder if I'd turn into a Gremlin if I did). I had a great dinner at Koi tonight. We totally psych eachother up for the next days events. Is it morbid that we call this tradition "The Last Supper"?

At dinner tonight we discussed our pre-op routine. The general patient stay info was clearly not written for anyone who has any idea what we go through. We all go to the hospital commando, for example.

We also believe that you should have some type of pampering before hand. Some say to relax you, but for me it's more about being practical. I had a night at the Salon last night. I just wanted to not have to come back for 6 weeks. I can't. I also needed to stock up on my salon products. My hair is looking so rad right now. The thing is, I don't think that having bones broken and reset is an excuse to not maintain some semblance of basic grooming.

I was debating whether or not to pack my flat-iron for my stay. Also... should I hold off on manscaping? How much dirt do those nurses really need on me anyway? What if there's a hot resident or something? Eff it, I'll be on a morphine drip and focusing more on getting around without bending my hip past 70 degrees, getting dressed, and taking that first morning constitutional to give a hoot about potential hotties.

It was such a great chat about the things you just learn to make happen for yourself. There's more to caring for yourself than popping pills and having operations. You have to do something that will put you in a good mood for recovery too.

It's also our last chance for any "normal" social interaction for awhile. While I'm sure the nurses are great people outside of work, I'm not sure I'd want to interact socially with the people changing my catheter :

"Hey man, good to see ya. Nice room you got in here. You're looking good today.", "Thanks. Would you mind not kicking my piss bag? It's attached."

or worse... the poor bastards that have to shave my ass so I can get fileted:

"How are you doing Michael?", "My ass is chafing", "Yeah sorry about that, I ran out of aftershave."

This surgery is going to be so much fun.