My mini drama was losing my house keys. I hope they're at the office. And then getting told to run in and get a surprise EKG so I can go on a new medicine. It's off label for migraines--primary use is emotional incontinence. Which I now need to research, in case that will change my life any.

But mostly I just want to lay down flat and drink. Eating really isn't working. Cheese, bacon, chocolate, bread,...all I managed was a slow salt & vinegar chips. But I can drink.

What does it filter out of the blood?

Blood clots. With my BMI as high as it was at the time of my surgery, the vein doctors wanted to put it in because the chance of a blood clot forming during the surgery or in the month or so following it was 8% without the filter, but only .5% with it, so I was all over that idea. Too bad they didn't schedule the removal before I left the hospital back December 2nd, like they were supposed to.

Wait, Kathy, so you don't need it but it's okay to leave it there?

Well, before they came up with removable filters ten years ago, they would leave them in all the time, so unless I have a problem with it, the doctor said that it should be okay. The filter is tilted in the artery, and the hook that makes it easy to remove is surrounded by scar tissue, so he was afraid if he yanked any more (or harder), it would tear the artery wall and then there'd be some major surgery going on. Better to leave it alone.

I would have anesthetized myself by passing the fuck out as soon as he brandished a scalpel.

They had me all covered up with surgical drapes and my head looking to the left so they could get to the jugular on the right side of my neck, so I didn't see anything (thank goodness!).

Yeah, everything about that story is horrifying!

I had more trauma from the upper endoscopy I had in October, when instead of giving me "twilight sleep" and mostly knocking me out, all they did was numb the back of my throat and give me one Versed (which did absolutely nothing) before shoving that huge thing down my esophagus. I still can't think about that procedure without crying. Today's was no problem at all, comparatively speaking. The worst pain was actually from having to keep my arms still--my right shoulder was killing me by the end, and I was desperate to rotate my arm ASAP!

You know, call my crazy, but I think it's a little funny that since Newt Gingrich "announced" his candidacy via a Tweet directing people to YouTube, it used a bit.ly shortening of the address. .ly is Libya, right? Shouldn't politicians be avoiding doing business with Libya?

God, ita, I hope things improve and soon. At least, maybe you can eat something by tomorrow?

I had more trauma from the upper endoscopy I had in October, when instead of giving me "twilight sleep" and mostly knocking me out, all they did was numb the back of my throat and give me one Versed (which did absolutely nothing) before shoving that huge thing down my esophagus

YIKES.

YIKES

They sent me a followup letter a few weeks ago, asking me to schedule another one to see how things are going in there. I think not.

They had me all covered up with surgical drapes and my head looking to the left so they could get to the jugular on the right side of my neck, so I didn't see anything (thank goodness!).

I could pass out just from thinking about this! nnngggghh When did I become such a wussy girl? You are a brave woman, Kathy.

My dad likes to be awake for procedures. It's his curiosity. But even so, they give him something else (probably like what Kathy got) to prevent....I dunno, a freak out? In any case, dad is a chatty cathy under the influence, and so has provided the teams with great amusement. So far that I know of, he was awake for his hand re-break and various colonoscopies. They have to angle the monitors so he can see. He's been pronounced hard-core.

And he's horrifically bawdy coming out from under general. Last time he had that, his riffing with my mother had one nurse sitting down she was laughing so hard and the surgeon telling my mom she was a lucky, if brave, woman.

Thanks, but it was more a case of knowing nothing beforehand and then just trusting the doctor than being brave. As he was talking to me before the procedure and telling me that there would be no anesthesia (I had had the twilight sleep type during the first try in March), he complimented me by saying that I appeared to be a very calm person, so he wasn't concerned about using local and Dilaudid. That made me determined to prove him right, so when I complained about the pain in my stomach when he was tugging (it felt like I had done too many situps), I was apologizing for whining a few minutes later, after the latest dosage of Dilaudid had kicked in. (They ended up giving 3.5 units/mgs/whatevers of the stuff, which didn't make me loopy like I expected, but just eliminated any pain.)

Kathy, that sounds sounds so scary! And I'm sorry your upper endoscopy was so traumatic.

ita, hope you feel better soon.