I'm Home!

I am now home from the surgery and happy to report everything went well. I experienced no ill effects from the anesthetic, and the morphine administered during the procedure kept me pain-free and surprisingly clear-headed for most of the evening last night. I successfully polished off a hospital dinner of mac & cheese with ground beef and I was even able to make a few phone calls to let people know all was well.

Overnight was a little more of a struggle. I developed a slight fever, and because they had me on IV fluids, I was up and down to the washroom quite frequently... with IV pole in tow (it's not so easy to navigate those things through a dark hospital room while your gown flaps open at the back). Nevertheless, I only needed pain medication -- Tylenol 3, baby -- once, around midnight. By this morning, the fever had broken, but the pain and discomfort were a little more intense -- particularly when I try to speak or swallow. Considering how much tissue Dr. Irish appears to have removed (it looks like somebody scooped out a perfectly formed tablespoon of my tongue), it seems remarkable that I'm not in more pain -- even one of the nurses was amazed. However, it's early going yet, so I musn't get overconfident. Jeanette is out now having my prescription filled.

One last adventure to report before I go and rest. There was some confusion early in the day yesterday when we showed up at the wrong hospital. Yes, despite the specific instructions we'd been given (I'm talking maps and room numbers) to check in at Toronto General Hospital, the kindly gentleman at the desk told us we should be across the street at Princess Margaret Hospital. *sigh* As I've said before, at least it's only the little things that have gone wrong through all this!

A very big thank you to Jeanette and my mom for accompanying me to the hospital. How wonderful to have a family who gets you belly-laughing seconds before you're wheeled into surgery. (Jeanette's misadventure with a motion activated sink just outside of the operating room will have us giggling for years to come.)