Donna in Hollywoodland

Arriving At The Hospital

My friend Karie drove me to Glendale Memorial Hospital . We had to arrive in the Short Stay Ward by 6:30 am.

I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since midnight. No water. No nothin'.
At first when they told me I had to that, I was like "What? - not even a sip of water?"
Then I went home and looked up "Preparing for Surgery" on a search engine.
It has to do with the anesthesia. Something about normally you have a reflex that keeps the food in your stomach from going over into your lungs.
But when you have anesthesia, you lose that reflex. The reflex just doesn't work. And whatever is your stomach will hop on over into your lungs.
I'm not a medical professional, but it sounds like all of this is connected, and once you have the anesthesia you pretty much don't have that reflex.
And getting food or water into your lungs, is not a good thing and you can end up with a whole 'nother problem.

So after I read about that, I was afraid of my own spit. Seriously.
I didn't even brush my teeth this morning.

So I am in the Short Stay Ward, and they give me the little back-less gown to wear. Which doesn't make sense to me, because I am having surgery on both Breasts - so you would think I would have it opening in the front. But I do what they say and change into it.

Then, a nurse comes to take my vitals, temperature, blood pressure, heart rate. Now it really doesn't make sense to take my blood pressure because I am going in for surgery, and I am scared to death. I tell her "Oh, boy, just watch these numbers".
I was right - it was 195.
I said "My blood pressure has never been anywhere near that high in my entire life."
I'm as nervous as heck, so of course it is going to be high.
The look on the Nurses face said she didn't really believe me.

The nurse notices that I still have my socks on.
"Oh, no" She Says, "The socks have to come off."
I'm like : "The socks ?"
She says something about the operating room being a sterile environment, and nothing from outside can go into the operating room.
So I ask "What about my underwear ?"
Her reply "Yes, your underwear too. Just wear the gown only."

I keep thinking of Jack Nicholson in that movie Somethings Got To Give , where his butt was showing through his hospital gown.

Just me in my little smock.