I am cleared to get operated!
We went in to the hospital to meet with the final two bosses to get cleared for operation - the anaesthetist and the nurse.
Anaesthetist
He was fairly quick and to the point. I was impressed about his scrutiny of my file, noticing my little heart condition, and discussing the current and future effects of the drugs I am on. He described very clearly how things would go, how I would feel, and the risks (low from his point of view - all the risks would mostly be from getting my head cut open).
Nurse
The real final boss. The nurse was empathetic but also serious. She went over everything, looked at all the meds I'm taking, spoke about the surgeon (no one else she would want to cut her head open), and got down to how it would go for April 7.
I am booked by the surgeon for April 7. I will get a call on the 4th to confirm. If it's a go, on the 6th do a deep clean, shower, etc. Stop eating at midnight. Take my meds normally with a bit of water in the morning. Another deep clean in the morning, remove all jewelry, etc. and head to the hospital (time not yet given, but likely something like 7am).
Operation is booked for 5-6 hours. I'll be hooked up to an arterial tube, iv, electronic stuff, and put under. Catheter will go in. Operation. Joanne will be asked to wait at home for the phone call when I come out. Typically not into ICU but recovery. If all goes well, I'll be tumour-free and home in 1-3 days. If there are complications, I might stay in longer for physio.
Light duty for a few weeks. Stay vigilant for signs of infection, bleed or stroke, but apparently not too common. That's it! It might just be 9 days until the operation!
