1.9.2026 update

 Better late than ....

Yesterday was slow and hectic both.  Moments of quiet and spells of hornet like activity.  Nurses in, doctors in, all with questions.  And we had questions.  Us; what anesthesia will you be using?  Chances of leaving today?  How big is a gallbladder?

Finally, John got a shower around 2:30-3:30.  First since Sunday.  Felt good and I am sure that the crowds appreciated it.  Then, not sure of the time, a trip down to surgery for meet and greets with surgical docs, nurses, anesthesiologists.  Chatting with the surgeon, she mentioned that I would be her fifth cholecystectomy of the day so she would be well warmed.  I wondered aloud if after so many, would she be well, exhausted?  Well received humor, she laughed with a tinkling laugh.  All of the folks down in the bowels of hospital were nice, with senses of humor.  Well tested senses of humor I can assure you.  She promised me a Reese's Peanut Butter, her favorite and from her stash, after the surgery.  It was on the blankets and mentioned by the team when in recovery.  Unfortunately, it did not survive the trip back to the room.  So....My streak of no food since since a DICK'S Deluxe hamburger shortly after Monday's colonoscopy continued.  I called out for a banana but was refused.  Apparently I am on a potassium restricted diet.  Who knew there was such a thing.

Anyway, back into the room at 6:30 pm, groggy but feeling good.  Relieved that the ordeal was close to over.  Things had been up in the air for so long.  30+ hours in an Emergency Room room.  Just waiting for a hospital to find a bed for me.  Maybe the lack of shower, but how would they know?  Too groggy to write, especially on a phone. 

Fat fingers and having to correct auto-correct constantly.

Sleep until 11:30pm, when I started this entry.  Slow going, especially since I have a oxy sensor device taped to the tip of my middle finger finger, dragging a cord behind it.  Dragging it across the touch pad which moves the cursor around.  Start, stop, relocate cursor, start again with breaks for cussing.  Finally, at 12:20 or so, the mechanic in me had an idea.  Nurse had carelessly left left a small spool of tape on the nightstand!  Ah ha!  Let's tape the trailing cable to the forearm.  Typing became much easier.  

Pain is largely gone.  i can tighten my core, abs if there were such, with out the pain level shooting up from 2 to 6 or more.  I call that a surgical success indicator,  I have only had Tylenol since surgery, none of the narcotics.  

So, this portion of this entry was written between 11:30PM and 1AM..  A long time for the brevity of it.  We will add to to it in the morning with a time stamp to indicated where a totally lucid writer started back up.  I think I am well on the way to being well.  Signing out for now to see if I am on a saltine cracker restricted diet.  Back to you in the morning.  Thanks for all the well-wishes.