This is not a drill


Last I wrote here was that all systems were go. I posted here about an hour after getting the call back on the 18th.

We settled in for dinner (a rosemary grilled chicken and peach salad) before packing and heading the 55 miles to Duarte. We had reservations at Hope Village, the on campus hotel for patients and their care givers (no - the public can't reserve a room, and the family can't come for vacation). I settled in for a pretty restless night of sleep. I think the only person who got less than me was my poor wife.

I was up before my 5:15 AM alarm went off and showered as instructed. Okay to use soap and water, but nothing on my skin afterwards (no shave, no deodorant, no make up). About 5:45 we started our short walk to Helford. As always, we were greeted by the most courteous staff and sent over to the waiting area for admitting. We sat for maybe 5 minutes when I was called. All the paperwork was ready - including my wife's contact number, email, etc., so they could keep her apprised during the procedure.

Next was upstairs where we sat for maybe 5 more minutes. At that time, I was whisked into pre-op, changed into my gown, and started getting prepped for surgery. I made it a point to wear my "This is not a drill" t-shirt, because, well, this was not a drill. By this time it was about 6:30 or so and my wife was let in. The plan was to start surgery at 7:30. As things were described to us: it would take about an hour to set everything up (get anesthesia going, position my body, get the robot in place). Because of Covid, my wife wasn't going to be able to stay in the OR waiting room. She would have to go to another waiting room (the library) or back to the hotel. But not to worry. The staff would call her every two hours to let her know how things were going, and the doctor would call her when the surgery was done. I convinced her that she might as well use our hotel room, get some breakfast, and watch TV while waiting. After all, the procedure should only take a few hours. There had even been discussion about possibly being sent home later in the evening.

My surgeon, Dr. Yamzon showed up at 7AM. We talked a little bit about the procedure and he started marking me up to make sure the right kidney was being removed. The anesthesiologist's team showed up about 10 minutes later to talk about how anesthesiology was going to work and to have me sign consent form. Things were now in full swing. At 7:30, the bed started moving. Time for the big show. I remember someone asking me to move over to the surgery table. Next thing I remember......




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