NPO and the Beginning of the Beginning

In case I might forget, this is what popped up on my screen this morning when I opened my computer.

Egads. In case it might slip my mind that I am having my knee taken apart and put back together today. I suppose the best thing to do with surgery is not really think too much about it beforehand, but that is super hard when I am a blogger. It is my job, nay, responsibility to ponder everything, especially the largest and most obvious thing that will happen to me this week.

When I was a kid, I though it would be cool to break a leg or get my tonsils out. Many of my friends did, and they got to stay at the hospital and eat ice cream or lay on the couch all day, watch tv, and have their friends come over and sign their casts. Heck, I never even had the excitement of the chicken pox. I had my wisdom teeth out when I was seventeen, and the best thing about that was a lost five pounds.

I was talking to Gina the other day and saying how before the skiing accident, I haven't had anything bad happened to my body. I've had a few major tragedies in my life, like losing Ada, but aside from the stillbirth (which is horrible), I've never had cancer or some chronic health issue that impacted my life. Several dear friends survived cancer before I met them, otherwise I would have brought them soup and watched their ids. Another friend had an early hip replacement. I was counting my lucky stars.

Now it is my turn, and I am not looking forward to it. Jane from my PT team wrote in my notes that I was "looking forward to the surgery." I thought I'd make myself more clear yesterday at my last PT appointment before the surgery. Evan wrote:

Lauren is going in for surgery tomorrow, she is nervous but ready to get it over with.  She is curious about what to expect in terms of pain and what she should do following surgery.

That is right. I was slipping going up stairs, and I don't want to live with that for the rest of my life. Still, I think about the Boy when he had his tonsils out. I remember my friend Heather telling me how freaked out she was watching her son wake up from anesthesia. He was in an altered state, and it was scary. I remember the Boy lying on the couch, lethargic and unable to eat for a week. My empathy for him is much greater today.

I remember with my wedding thinking that it started with the dress rehearsal. Following that logic, the surgery really started last night. After midnight, I am NPO. I did my last round of exercises and then took a shower with some kind of chemical scrub brush/sponge to get rid of any bacteria on my skin. I can't wear lotion, make-up or deodorant today. (Beware if you see me this morning. You are not on the movie set for a zombie film.)

I am signing off until after the surgery. Have a great day! I know it will be better than mine. I am glad to be getting this over, so that is a good thing. I'll be happy for this day in two years when I am back at Whistler. I'll thank myself then for doing what I am doing today.