I had my
pre-op meeting today at the hospital and I found out just how major my
major surgery will be. To recap what I already knew was going to happen: on
Tuesday the surgeon will slice me open, remove some bad
intestine, open up closed pieces of bowel, and seal me back up. Today I got the details.
First the anesthesia: they will turn off my lungs and put me on life support by placing a tube down my throat and into my lungs. Then they will deaden my muscles so as not to have involuntary movements during the procedure. After everything's all over they will turn this all back on, of course.
As for the surgery itself, the procedure is scheduled to last five hours and after it's over I will find myself with up to four drains embedded in my gut that will allow bad fluid to leak away harmlessly. I will also have a tube run from the surgery site up my throat and out my nose to remove even more fluid. These will all be removed before I am released from the hospital. They will have me up walking around and eating soft foods within the next day. Pain medication will be provided (probably morphine). Obviously I'm not looking forward to all of this, but it has to be done. Think favorably of me next Tuesday around 1pm ET.