Firstly, from the pre registration manual I got, I read somewhere that I
had the option of choosing a local, regional or general aesthetic. Right on,
I figured that I would go with the local and maybe I’ll get a chance to watch
this whole thing on a monitor. Turns out that this scripture is in fact very
dated. I later learned from my mother, a retired nurse of 35 years, that the
new operating program will push you to general anaesthetic so they can
essentially release you asap. Spinal or regional would have meant a longer
paralysis and likely would have meant an over night stay. So there I was,
instantly hooked up to IV without any choice, boom, just like that the anxiety
started to set in. The apex of fear came hours later when I was laying there
the cold, dreary, atypical pale green hallway about to go into my operating
room, only just an arms length away. I had doctors and nurses going back in
forth beside me. I overheard a multitude of conversations making the moment for
me all the more surreal. A Doctor arguing with with someone via a cell phone
about using the car, another sharing a laugh about a gym incident earlier in
the day. Just to add to my anxiety level, I
couldn’t see anything, as they don’t allow contacts or glasses, which for me are
truly bottle bottoms. Reality hit home when I could hear my surgeon, the great Dr
Tran, orating to a recorder “patient Hackwood, Christopher, complex and
lateral tear with evident flap, partial MCL tearing....” Then, in an instant
I was hurried in, an orderly on either side, arm and arm. I was quickly
strapped to the table, told to take some deep breaths of oxygen while staring
up at the classic triplex of very formidable light. The last thing I remember
was visualizing a 3:20 finish, crossing the line waving a banner with “Boston”
inscribed on it.
I will know all of the details on my post op appointment Tuesday of next
week where I remain hopeful that sublime visualizations can in fact become
reality.
"Never ever ever quit"
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