It is (almost) time

Early sedation.

What a wonderful phrase!

It means one less worry for me as I count down the final week before my total hip joint replacement surgery.

During my whirlwind of pre-op appointments last week, I learned that I will be “sedated early” – just as soon as I meet with my surgeon and he “signs off” on my procedure. As Tony, my nurse, explained, “I don’t know why it’s taken us so long to figure this one out. Sedate early, not for your sake – for ours. Because if you get anxious, we have to deal with you!”

This is huge. This means I won’t have to endure that gut-tightening gurney ride down the hall and into the OR where the combined assault of sights, sounds and sensations never fail to send me into a fit of uncontrollable shakes.

One less worry. And yet there are many more clamoring for attention: the possibility of post-op infection and blood clot(s); pain; dislocation of the new joint; mobility -- or lack thereof; preparing myself and my family for the recovery period (grocery shopping, bill paying, cleaning, gardening [yes, gardening ~ who knows when I’ll be able to pull weeds again!], etc.

And, of course, the biggie: will Dr. Wellman succeed in inserting my new hip joint at the correct angle? All the latest medical technology will be deployed to ensure he will, and he has assured me he will not leave the OR until he is satisfied that my new hip is stable. What more can I ask?

Until now, the whole idea of having this surgery has been a surreal blur as I’ve gone from one doctor’s appointment and/or imaging test to the next. Then one Saturday morning, at the ungodly hour of 5AM, I sat up in bed and thought, “You’re actually going to let someone replace a part of your body with a piece of metal and plastic? What are you thinking???”

“A part of your body that’s broken and doesn’t work anymore,” Mark clarified much later that day. Good point.

I replay that conversation with increasing frequency as these final days tick by. I still can’t believe I’m doing this. And I totally cannot imagine what life will be like with a pain-free right hip and a normal stride. But I am looking forward to finding out.