getting my act together

lvhn.org

Everyone who reads this blog knows that I neglect my healthcare. It's partially economic -- I had no insurance for most of the last 20 years -- and partly because I just don't trust/have faith in the medical field.

Now that I have Medicare, the money issue mostly goes out the window. Though I'll need to get a supplement. That 20% will kill my savings.

I have a laundry list of things to take care of. On the top of the list was a D&C. The gynecologist recommended it two years ago, but frankly the cash price of $17K just for the hospital was out of my league. So I played Russian Roulette and waited. Hopefully the pathology won't use the one bullet to shoot me.

Wednesday was the big day.  One call a few days before was to tell me that they moved the surgery to 17th street. Muhlenberg was filled with Covid patients.  I had arranged with Bonnie to take me. She lives in Allentown. She'd come out Susquehanna and Broadway, pick me up and head over to Muhlenberg. Now she had to drive to Bethlehem to go back to Allentown. 

They called on Tuesday, pre-op,  to tell me the details. They told me it would take 4-6 hours. The procedure was 10-20 minutes. WTF? I had a class at 11:30 on Zoom.  I had to be there at 5:30 am, so six hours was 11:30. Class began at 11:10. I was cutting it too close. I emailed the students and told them that class would begin at 12:15. They all came. 

Because of the change in location Bonnie was out of the house at 4:30. Thankfully she was allowed in and able to stay. They took me back and then they left her come back maybe 15 minutes later. I think that helped me calm down. I was itching like crazy. The special surgical soap I used the night before dried out my skin. Maybe I should have spent the extra $6 for the name brand. (I get that I'm cheap, but really $16 for soap!)

Then I was headed back to surgery. The staff that had greeted me while I was in the holding room where all there, except the doctor. I was instructed to sit on the table with my ass right above the break, and then lay down. Then they took my arms and spread them straight out like I was on a cross and tied them down. Meanwhile, they were putting inflatable tubes on my legs for blood circulation. My legs must have looked like the Michelin Man.  The nurse said something to me and then it was lights out. The next thing I know I'm waking up and headed to post-op. 

Now I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since midnight. Golly was I thirsty. I had cotton mouth. I drank two cups of water without tasting it, then another. Then a Coke. I chose graham crackers as a snack. That was not a good choice—they were just way too dry with a dry mouth. They sent me home with another Coke. (When I got in the house Pat gave me the "you went for takeout without me" look.)

Bonnie was waiting  in post-op. That was good. A was a bit groggy at first, but recovered quickly. The nurse came in and asked if I needed to use the rest room. I couldn't leave until I peed. I was escorted to the restroom and when we arrived back in the room Bonnie was told to go fetch the car. Fifteen minutes later I was out of there.

I would have just made class in time but I'm glad I pushed it back.

So far, no problems. I am taking it easy. No heavy lifting or strenuous activity. I did my class, took a little nap, did my second class, and then sat on the couch to watch mindless (The Masked Dancer) television. By 8:30 I was sleeping on the sofa. I woke up at about 1:15 am and went to bed.