GoCats76's Journal

DBS surgery is...well click on the link for an explanation.

Description

Procedure 

OK.  The appointment is at St. Joseph's for 5:00 am.  We have to get up at 4.   Are you kidding! I haven't been up that early since taking on-call at Motorola 6 years ago.  So Elizabeth, my Dad and I get there at 5:30 and wait for 2 hours since we already did all the preliminaries Tuesday. The anesthesiologist comes in and explains what is going to happen.  No surprizes here.  He puts in my IV (not 4) and we wait.  

Everything happens quickly now.   They take me into surgery and the anesthesiologist explains the machines that litter the OR.   Ah, another techno-geek.  The team comes in (about 15 of them) and they inject the good stuff into my my IV.   I said goodnight and woke up in the mask thing.   All I could see is something like wax paper over my face.  They said that used to be darker but people got claustophobic.   Ya think!  Don't see much but hear plenty.  Someone keeps adjusting the grate, screwing the thing tightened, opening and closing some part of it, it felt like a jail cell.  Not a problem, though.   All I can think is just be patient and listen to the Dr's instructions.  He asks me to say "now" when I feel tingling in my left hand.  I do.  Then the same for the right hand.  I dodn't feel anything until my whole arm moves.  The Dr says "Ok, that's enough" and something about 5 volts.  I listen for the next hour and a half but only hear them talk about closing me up and the staples.   That's all I remember until I wake up in recovery.

Almost no pain.   Amazing!   I am so happy to be through that.   They move me to ICU and Elizabeth, Christine Jorgensen and Dad come in.   Yeah.   They are so thrilled, except Dad.  I don't know his head is at.   He says nothing.  The three of us talk for awhile.   The nurse is awesome.  This is easy.   Elizabeth stays for a while and lets me sleep the night.  

It's now 3:00 pm on Friday and I am ready to go.  

Thank God that went perfectly.