The procedure was two hours earlier than last time, which meant I didn't have to fast for as long during the day, but I had to quit eating earlier. No solid food after 7:30 am, no liquid after 11:30am. Concscious of both my recent whining about my weight gain and my nausea after the last procedure, I opted for multi-grain toast with low-fat peanut butter instead of a breakfast taco this time, hastily scarfed down at approximately 7:29 and 30 seconds. Also conscious of how thirsty I was last time, I spent the next four hours drinking buckets of water (and walking back and forth from the ladies room at work). And obsessing about food.
I am perfectly capable of going six hours without eating during the day and I probably do it on a regular basis without thinking twice. But knowing I wasn't supposed to eat, and being afraid I might inadvertently eat something (which would delay an already difficult to schedule procedure), made it an entirely different scenario. First world problems...
Got to the appointment early and the waiting room was very crowded. If you have ever been to a pain management clinic, you know that while everyone has the common denominator of chronic pain (or a loved one with chronic pain), you encounter a wide variety of humanity. Kind of like going to Walmart. My patient, long-suffering husband (aka my driver) waited in the waiting room through the entire procedure. I think I got the better end of the bargain. My favorite overheard waiting room conversation between two strangers:
Stranger #1: I've lived here for 30 years, but I've been everywhere really. I've been in Milwaukee...and Minnesota.
Stranger #2: Oh, you lived in those places, too?
Stranger #1: No, but I visited them.
The procedure was uneventful and I slept for about three hours after getting home. Hallelujah! In a fit of sedative-induced poor judgment, I let my patient, long-suffering husband talk me into sushi for dinner. It was the least I could do after leaving him in the waiting room for an hour. This is a neighborhood place we frequent, where they know us well and I could go in my sweatsuit and post-procedure stupor without feeling self-conscious. I ate lightly and tried to stick to less spicy items, but be prepared for "the post where I vow never to eat sushi again."
No immediate change in pain level, but I knew not to expect it. It will be a day or two before I know if it was a success. Thanks for all the well wishes and good thoughts. Tomorrow is my "rest" day after the procedure, which of course means we have a concert scheduled tomorrow night. Not a choir concert, so I don't have to sing. I just have to design and print the program, sell tickets, manage the volunteers, and do all the accounting related to the ticket sales. What could possibly go wrong?
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