CareGiver Advice???????????
Chuck,
Here’s everything I can think of at the moment-
(A some-what-relevant collection of Re-Posts)
Great that you are helping another along!
Best Wishes-
Dx
________________________________________________________________________
“What to take to the Hospital and have at home After?”
It’s different for everyone,
But-
There Are certain things that I was
Grateful that I had at the hospital and
At home upon returning.
I’ll just spill out a mixed list of these.
Take what you want, and ignore the rest.
(a lot of folk say- “forget about it!” You won’t use a 5th of that crap!”
And probably not….Just stuff I found useful…)
At the hospital-
The typical toothbrush, hairbrush stuff, and-
The Fan (A oscillating Fan, not an admirer.)
And Chap Stick are tops of My list.
Small CD or tape player with headphones
And the music that makes you dreamy or happy.
Some even suggest ‘ear-plugs’ to block out all of the hospital noise.
Baby wipes also head the list as do those-
Dental sponges for washing your teeth
Withou****er or toothpaste, while you are NPO. (this is only for some)
Brush-Ups? And another brand
That I can’t remember the product name,
But they were great.
While you’re at the hospital “snag-up”
Some of those little 1oz pill cups they always bring your meds in.
Back at home they are instant measuring devices.
I also brought a couple of extra pillows from home,
Propped them under my arms at the elbows.
Don’t think I could have slept, even on the morphine without them.
On my last trip to the hospital
I had one of those little soft “bean bag pillows”
I don’t know the name, but Wal-Mart sells them.
They feel wonderful.
Go ahead and get a “baby spoon” too.
I know it sounds ridiculous,
But when you first start having even “cream soups” and yogurt
You want to make sure that you are taking insanely small bites
And the baby-spoon does help in that.
Get the rubber coated baby spoon.
Most of them are that type anyway
And when just home from surgery, any “metal taste”
Will gag you. Everything tasted like old pennies
To me when I first started having full liquids.
And some of the small Glad disposable
Tupperware-like containers for your return home.
Once you move to yogurt and cream soups,
You won’t be able to use up a full container in a day.
I’d just plop a can of tomato soup into the container,
Take out the large table spoon of it to put in a bowl,
Add the water to the bowl and throw it in the microwave.
Put a date on the lid of the Glad Container and pop it in the fridge.
That way I wasn’t re-heating the same
Thinned down soup again and again.
And I also knew what I should eat
Before I opened another can of something.
Don’t worry about the baby spoon staining.
For some reason the soft rubber coated ones,
Stain at the touch of tomato soup.
Just wa**** with a little baking soda
And throw it in with the rest of the dishes.
It may look a touch dingy, but it’s clean.
Large heating pad was helpful at home.
The hospital would not let me use my own,
But they provided one.
Don’t “stock up” on any food item that you think
You will use, because your sense of taste
Will be screwed up, and something you think you
Like now, may taste like crap Post-Op.
There will be that sticky residue from the tape for your IV.
I was in the hospital for quite a while, so it became an issue.
Those fingernail polish remover pads worked great.
Just make sure to wash the site thoroughly after
And use some good Moisturizing Lotion,
The acetone in fingernail polish remover
Can really dry out a patch of skin.
I’ve seen people recommend just Baby-oil,
But it didn’t do it for me. Could have been the arm hair.
Most recent- WD-40!
(a Men’s Board addition- experts with tape gum stuck in hairy arms!)
The SF Popsicyles were wonderful,
So was the SF Jell-O.
The most important thing to take to the hospital however,
Is an advocate.
A spouse or family member
Who can see to it that you are getting excellent care.
Those poor nurses are run ragged going from room to room,
And even when you have the best floor staff in the world,
Typically understaffing stretches them thin.
Having some one there to ask-
“The pain meds for this room were due
And were asked for 20 minutes ago,
Is there something that could be done to expedite this?
“Is the Dr. on the floor yet?
“There seems to be some new redness and swelling
Around the IV site. Could you come look at this?
The bed dressing in this room wasn’t changed
This morning as it usually is, is there someone we should call?
Someone who is CALM, Rational,
And Who loves You!
Is the greatest thing to have at the hospital.
You will then be more than a blinking light on the panel
To a staff member who is already facing a row of them
And each case may be a life and death situation.
Once home, I was very happy to have rented a large
Recliner! Without it I’m not sure I could have slept.
Foot Scrub. Yes, An exfoliating Foot scrub lotion/cleanser.
My skin was beyond dry once I got home.
It was as if my feet were trapped inside of 2 or 3 layers of dead skin.
Nothing felt as good as getting all of that dry dead skin off.
As the first couple of weeks wore on?
A hand exercise, Stress reliever ball.
A little “squishy” rubber ball that I would squeeze while watching TV
Or anytime. It gave my fore-arms exercise and in fact,
These little devils do relieve stress.
At night I was thankful for my sleep aids.
I had asked my Dr. for something
To help me sleep back at the hospital
And he had given me Benadryl. It helped me to sleep and it
Counteracted the maddening itch caused by the Morphine.
Once home, I was able to have a Benadryl
At night and fall softly off to sleep.
I used a “sports bottle” to get in my sips of water,
And I never left it out of my reach for the first 4 months.
Oh, ---New battery in the TV remote!
OK that’s everything that I remember
Being Grateful that I had.
I’m sure others will have others….
Have a Great one!
Best Wishes-
Dx
______________________________________________________________________
Pain Meds-
I was asked recently by a Pre-Op –
“What was the pain like?”
I was very quick to respond
That it wasn’t so bad really,
And the Drugs were Great!
This was awfully Flip and Glib of me,
And after giving it some more thought,
I had thought of a wealth of info
That I wished I had passed on.
So,
Some babble about Pain Meds while at the hospital-
Expect the best.
If you're in pain, ask for more drugs,
Or a change of Medication.
Tell the Dr. exactly how you feel.
If the Dr. won't be around for awhile,
Tell them to give him a call.
And They Will!
Successful Pain management should be just that!
Most important-
You will need to be able to describe your pain
On the universal rating of-
“On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being no pain,
And 10 being absolutely unbearable,
How would you rate your pain?”
Do not be deceived. If you speak in terms of
Extreme Discomfort, or “Very Un-comfortable,”
That has no place on the nurses’ or Dr.’s radar.
Speak in PAIN 1 to 10 lingo,
And something will be done.
Do be Completely Honest,
But don’t lie there felling terrible
Because it’s “Not time for your pain meds again yet.”
That just means that they are not adequate to do the job,
And should be adjusted.
The Nurse can not adjust the level, frequency or type
Of pain management.
Only your Dr. can do this,
So let him or her know ASAP while they are there.
If the Pain Medication you are receiving
Is making you nauseous
Tell the Nurse, and ask her to contact the Dr.
To ask for a Drug that does not make you nauseous.
For Example-
If you have a problem with the Morphine
Making you Nauseous,
Tell them to try something else. Demerol,
Or a Demerol/Phenagrin Mix.
It’s your care. They’re getting paid,
So they are working for your well being.
And keeping your pain at a “managed level”
Is part of that care.
Have someone with you who can
Be your advocate. (Most Important!)
You should be comfortable, calm and
Get the rest you need to heal.
We have the technology!
Your Nurse, if like most nurses,
Will be stretched very thin
Looking after more patients than
They should be asked to serve.
Hospital Administration is fighting to
Keep the overall “bottom-line” in the Black,
And it is the Nurses that are carrying Most of that burden
Be understanding, yet,
Don’t accept the-
“Do you want your pain medication or Not?
Because This is all I can Do!”
Your Key to Getting the attention of your
Health Care providers, when it comes to Pain
Is the simple Phrase-
“This Level of Pain is Unacceptable / Un-Bearable
And something must be done.
Would you please put a call into my Dr.?
Or get me a CONSULT?”
In the Very Litigious Society we live in
Every Hospital knows that failure to provide
“A Consult,”
In an area of expertise outside or beyond
The expertise of your Dr.,
Opens them to future Liability
Should something go wrong.
I’m not saying be a bully and a horrible patient,
But know that you will only get results if you
Know how to ask the right questions.
I’ve had 8 fairly Major Surgeries
In the last Two Years and have amassed
A good bit of Anecdotal information.
Some of this is just from comments from multiple Nurses,
Some is from a touch of web research.
Look it up for yourself and be informed
Before you head in to the Hospital.
So, if your pain is coming on up
And part of your discomfort is from
Gas and constipation,
The Dr. will explain to you that Pain Medications
Cause more constipation and Gas.
This is Very True of Morphine and Demerol.
However, Nubaine, which is just as effective
Does not typically have this side effect,
Nor do most of the Synthetic Opioids.
Morphine tends to cause a number of people to itch.
If this is the case with you and the itching is causing
You to lose rest, ask the Dr. if he could put
Benedryl on your list of medicines on an “As Needed Basis.”
Not only will it make the itching go away,
It increases the effect of the Morphine’s Sedation properties.
The Most used IV Pain Med, early on is Morphine.
It is the “Go To Drug” because it does its job well.
One of it’s draw backs, if you have to have it
For 5 days or more, is that it is Very Addictive.
One can also build up a tolerance to it
And it’s effectiveness decreases over time.
I have had Morphine on a self administering pump
And as an IV injection every 4 hours.
The IV injection was far more effective than the
More frequent lower doses.
Morphine also has side effects
When interacting with most Anti-Depressants.
It’s noticeable side effects for the average patient include-
Nausea, Itching, Increased Constipation.
It also aggravates Urine retention.
If this is the case with you,
Ask for a substitute.
Sustained use will also contribute greatly to Temporary Dementia.
In combination with the constantly interrupted sleeping schedule
The result is common “ICU Psychosis.”
Hallucinations that would leave Timothy Leary in the Dust!
Demerol is the second most popularly used IV Pain Medication.
It also is rather addictive, but not quite as bad as Morphine.
It tends to give many patients a feeling of “Floating” or “Bed-spins”
That lead quickly to nausea. For this reason it is often
Given with Phenagrin.
When paired with Phenagrin it is very sedative and
Will put the patient to sleep usually.
Demerol, like Morphine also can cause constipation,
Just not as bad as Morphine.
It doesn’t have the reputation for causing patients to itch,
However, that is listed as one of it’s side effects.
It also lists the same drug interaction problems as Morphine.
I have been given Demerol to slowly replace Morphine
When it’s effectiveness was reduced by my increased tolerance.
The Demerol / Phenagrin “****tail” was very effective
In keeping pain to a minimum while not giving me nausea.
As with the Morphine, I found the direct IV injections to
Be the most effective.
I have also been given Valium IV a couple of times,
But this was during procedures in radiology were they
Were setting a drain. It’s mostly an extreme sedative - anti-anxiety drug but
When used in conjuncture with pain killers and local anesthesia
It’s great.
So is SUBLIMAZE® (or Fentanyl Citrate)
It has an odd “out of body” sensation that’s very pleasant
And similar to AQUAVAN® (which is also very soothing)
(told ya I’d had my share of the Drugs!)
Nubaine would be my IV drug of choice.
The Pro’s and Cons of Nubaine are-
It is No Where Near as addictive as Morphine and Demoral,
But, it seems to have little to no effect on about 20% of people
And therefore is not a completely reliable Pain Management tool.
It also doesn’t increase incidence of constipation,
Therefore if your pain is predominantly
Being caused by extreme gas, it is very effective
In “breaking the loop” of more pain meds causing more pain.
So,
If you are having pain and the Dr. is not wanting to
Give you a higher dose of Morphine or Demerol due to
It’s ill effects on the digestive tract.
Ask about Nubain.
It has a much lower incidence of nausea, dizziness, vertigo, etc…
And is very effective when you are not in EXCRUSIATING PAIN.
Now all of this is not to suggest that you second-guess your Dr. at all,
BUT, do be very open and frank with him or her.
Pain management is however, just that.
Management.
They Cannot get rid of it completely.
And it is better to take something for it
Before it becomes intolerable.
But because pain is such a subjective aspect of surgery
And one that you are the authority on,
The system tends to err on the side of not “Over Doping” the patients
And will, if allowed, sometimes treat your complaints as
Less than objective, driven by the knowledge of the
Addictive powers of most drugs.
Full and open communication from you or from your
Advocate or loved one is the best way to insure that
You will have a fairly pain-free time of recovery.
There are many benefits of pain relief ....
You are much more likely to walk,
Cough and deep breathe effectively if you are not in pain.
You get no points or benefits for suffering....
As a matter of fact, it will slow your recovery considerably.
(Another hint, if you are awake,
Try to change position in bed every two hours after surgery....
If you have had surgery you already know how difficult this can be,
Yet it is a very effective tool in speeding recovery
And preventing pneumonia and atelectasis (lungs not breathing deep enough).
Expect the Best, and ask for it if you’re not getting it.
Once you have gotten past the first couple of days
Or even after the first day for many,
You may be moved onto oral pain management.
You certainly will before you are allowed to go home.
Lortab Elixir is very common for Gastric Bypass patients.
It is during this transition from the “Big Guns”
Of IV pain meds,
To the “Kinder, Gentler” oral pain meds,
That many people experience MOST of their pain.
It’s that transition from “too much,”
To- “not quite enough,” that is tricky.
Know that if you have moved off of the IV’s
You are on your way to merely discomfort
Rather than Pain, and it’s soon to pass.
The Lortab elixir and the 2nd most popular-
Vicodin, as well as Hydrocodone,
All increase your gassiness and constipation,
So use them sparingly.
Once you are home, Walking is one of the best
Long range pain management tools and
Since most of the pain will be from “trapped gas,”
The Walking targets the problem rather well.
Once home, also try a simple
Heating pad. Place it on your back and not on your
Actual incisional area.
The comfort from the heating pad comes from increasing your
Blood flow in the area where applied,
And increasing blood flow to your incisional area
Could increase your odds of having a Seroma.
(Blood or Fluid Trapped within tissue.)
Another great pain reliever is a loved one willing
To rub your hands or your scalp.
Any such stimulation releases endorphins and causes
You to just “feel better.”
This long of a post surely makes up for my Glib-
“Not so bad, and the Drugs are great!”
Any of you out there with pain med info-
Please add on to this post.
(Bob, Have a relatively Pain Free Recovery!)
Best Wishes-
Dx
_____________________________________________________________
F is for…..FEAR!
I’ve seen several folks out here dealing with the anxiety of upcoming surgery
And thought I’d re-post-
(a few years old- Please skip if not an interest…)
Some Thoughts about FEAR…..
Everyone seems to have those Pre-Op “jitters” the week or two before surgery. From reading the Boards over the last couple of years, that just seems to be a given fact.
With some,
It seems to be shear excitement,
The kind one gets just before the wedding.
And yet with others,
It seems to be full-blown FEAR!
I was not one of the Fearful and I’ve given it some thought as to Why that might have been.
2 reasons-
First, I don’t know that I viewed the procedure of WLS as THAT risky.
Four months earlier I had just had Open Heart Surgery to replace an Aortic Valve that had been faulty since birth.
I remember thinking-
“Compared to an operation where they stop my heart for 45 minutes, cut out a major portion of it, replace it with Teflon and Stainless Steel, then Hope it starts back up when they hit it with the electricity? WLS - Is a ‘Walk in the Park!’”
Perhaps that’s why I got to be one of the Rare individuals who had extreme complications.
I don’t know that I would have been as serious about my aftercare and so completely compliant with my Dr.’s’ orders if I didn’t view them at the onset as a matter of Life and Death.
Jolly for me – I’m now Below Goal and I attribute that success, (Rightly or Not) to the seriousness that I felt in approaching all of my aftercare, Diet, supplements, exercise, etc….
The Second thing that kept my fear at a minimum-
Was a combination of my Personal Spiritual Faith and my belief in the “Odds.”
I do, and have done a great deal of flying in my line of work.
(A lot easier now that I fit!)
I made and make as many as 40 flights a year.
I’ve had people ask me-
“Don’t you ever get the feeling that one of these flights, Your Number will ‘Be Up?’”
I have faith in the fact that “The Odds” are MUCH greater that I’ll be killed, driving within 2 miles of my own home, than meeting my death in an Airline Accident.
My Spiritual Faith lead me early on to jokingly pray-
“Let me Make it Home, or Make the News!”
That said, I’d leave it in the hands of my creator to watch over my safety, or use my Spectacular Death in such a way to focus the attention of the Media,
Perhaps even the whole World, on some issue that needed to be addressed.
(talk about Attention Hore!)
I just didn’t ever want to die in some insignificant way.
Of those faiths – Odds and God,
The only one I think I could pass on to others is “The Odds.”
Everyone has his or her own personal belief system in place,
But many have a skewed view of the statistics of DEATH.
We tend to hear about sensation deaths because
The News doesn’t cover the boring stories, or No one would watch.
Here are some facts / figures-
The following are the chances of how one might die figured over your full lifetime and calculating only those people who come in contact with the various means of Death.
Example-
Only counting those people who ride motorcycles-
The chance of Death in a Motorcycle accident are-
1 in 1,214.
Get it?
Car Occupant? - 1 in 247.
(And who says motorcycles are so dangerous?)
Air Travel? – 1 in 4,023.
(That’s why I’m less afraid of flying than driving home)
So, What about Surgery?
Lumping ALL surgical procedures together, Tonsillectomies, Lung Transplants, Trauma Reconstruction (from all those Car accidents)
The risk?
Death due to Surgical Complication? – 1 in 1,222.
Seems scarier than flying,
But not nearly as bad as being in a car.
How does it compare to other events that we take for granted?
Accidentally Poisoning yourself? – 1 in 262.
Being Assaulted by Someone? – 1 in 182.
Burning in your home? – 1 in 1,116.
Burning in a Building (such as Office) ? – 1 in 1,382
Inhalation impairment -
(choking on food or under cleaners bag) ? – 1 in 665.
A fall outside of your home? – 1 in 472.
A Slip or Fall in your home? – 1 in 246.
Yes, more people are killed each year in the tub, by a piece of soap, than die on the nations highways!
For the skeptics among you- You can spend your own time researching such morbid trivia yourself at-
Kearl’s Guide to the Sociology of Death.
trinity.edu/~mkearl/death-2.html
Just put the- http://www. In front of it.
(told Ya this was an old re-post – pre-link days)
Now all of this is not to add to your angst about the world we live in,
But rather, to put it in perspective.
You are more likely to be killed by an assault, in your car,
In your burning home, choking on your food, or slipping
On your front step or worse yet, your bathroom floor,
Than you are of dying in surgery.
Are you afraid to go in to your bathroom?
Get in your car?
Pass people in the Mall, who might very well attack you?
Probably not.
On the “Surgery Boards,” Some often get caught up in the
Differing complication –vs- success rates between
Lap and Open RNY, DS and Band.
Those differences are very real, but I avoid focusing on those options in the
Same way that I avoid fostering My Spiritual Beliefs, on to others.
Everyone has his or her own Salvation (medical or mental)
And it’s the same when asking people
Who have had what they know to be a “Life Saving Surgery,”
“Which is Best?”
I prefer to try to opt for the notion that Pre-Op jitters really are the equivalent to the Pre-Wedding Nerves.
(On that point, With the Divorce rate as is, your chances of a complication free, Super Successful WLS are Far Greater than having a marriage last for more than 8 years!)
Your Odds of Dying from Obesity related causes are FAR greater than your Odds of your Surgery going wrong.
Give your aftercare and Diet more serious and solemn concern than you do the thought of surgery. In the long run it will be AS, If not MORE important to your health.
Throw off the Shackles of FEAR!
While preparing to lose Weight, Take the Time
To “Lighten Up,” and Let Go of Fear and “Hostile Dependencies.”
You Take With You, What you Embrace.
Don’t ‘Embrace’ the Negatives,
Let ‘Em Go!”
Have the Greatest!
Be Nice to the Nurses-
(They’re overworked)
Enjoy the Drugs
(As much as you can)
And most importantly,
Hurry home to start walking –
(Away from those pounds, and)
Into your New Life!
Best Wishes-
Dx
_______________________________________________________
Infections Are, (ranging from very mild - To severe,)
the most common WLS complication...
I’ve had 8 procedures in the last 4 years
Ranging from Open Heart Valve Replacement
To simple Hernia Repair.
And yet-
NO Incision Infections!
What are the Odds?!
Not Great if left un-tampered with…..
But-
I’m a bit of a Germ Hater,
And I think my Pre-Surgery actions
May have contributed to not having the problem of infections.
So here’s what worked for me-
(please skip, if you’ve read before or don’t need)
__________________________________________________ _______
In the week before Surgery,
I prepped my home as if my Open Heart Surgery
Was going to be performed there!
In my little crazed brain,
I equate Germs with BUGS.
They are too small and reproduce Way Too Fast.
100,000 times faster than rabbits, and without the Sex.
I took an interesting Course back in Undergraduate School-
"Insects and Human Welfare : Biology 547"
I learned to Identify 100’s of Bugs and How to kill those that are a threat.
It was one of the oddest, most interesting classes I ever took.
I have a bizarre, insatiable Curiosity about everything.
If I was a Cat,
Curiosity would have already taken my 9th Life Long Ago!
One of my Favorite Books is-
Richard Feynman’s, "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out."
But I Digress-
Always,
(Obviously) J
I did learn that the surest way to wipe out a population of
Insects is to use Multiple Methods in Tandem.
For Example-
If you use Raid to kill roaches, it is fairly effective at first
But only about 95% of the Roach Population will be killed.
The remaining 5% will be resistant to the Poison in Raid (Orthene)
If you use Raid again on the next Generation of Roaches
It will only kill about 75% of them and eventually after 9 generations
You will have a house full of Roaches that are Raid Resistant.
The trick is to use 3 different Insecticides.
Swapping between each application
The original 5% that were Raid Resistant,
Will have the odds against them of also being resistant to
The Poison in "Black Flag" (Dursban)
And if any of those remain, the chances of them being resistant to
A third, Different insecticide are less
Than their chances of winning a Power-Ball Lottery. On a Thursday.
(great info by the way for a college student in a cheep ‘roachy’ apartment.)
So-
Going with this "How to Kill Bugs" info
Tucked in my head,
I went after the Germs in my house the same way.
(see, I’ve come back to the Topic)
Since the greatest concentration of Germs can be found in the
Bathroom and Kitchen, (Water, go figure)
I attacked them completely.
Scrubbed with Lysol Cleaner (Raid)
Until my kitchen and Bathrooms were spotless.
Then came back the next day with Bleach (Black Flag) cut with water.
In the shower,
I just sprayed down the whole thing with Bleach and water and let it
Dry while I was away.
The Next Day I did similar with Ammonia.
It helps to have all of that "OMG, My surgery is 5 days away" Energy
That needs to go somewhere.
In my case, Cleaning Like a Crazed Joan Crawford
Was very Stress Relieving.
And it looked like we were putting the house on the market!
But I didn’t stop with those rooms.
You know that commercial where the guy is jumping into bed
And he stops-
"All That ‘Body Soil!’" –
And then they show a depiction of the sheets close-up
And it’s bubbling with crap?
Well, based in fact.
Anything that has been living on you
When you got in bed, got in there with you
But it didn’t necessarily get up for coffee the next morning.
My Bedclothes Got all but boiled in Oxy-Clean, and Bleach, Twice.
Sterile, is as Sterile Does……Then it was on to ME!
Our skin is just crawling with little germs and fungus at all times.
I took long hot showers twice a day for the 3 days prior to surgery
(this was actually a recommendation of my heart surgeon)
And scrubbed with pHisoderm® Skin Cleanser
Followed the next time by - Betadine® Solution 10%
Followed by- Hybiclens®
So that I wouldn’t get as dry as a Dust Bowl
I moisturized with Neosporin Ointment and Cream between showers.
I paid particular attention to Skin folds and went
After my nails with a nail Brush as if I was "Scrubbing In for Surgery" myself.
Because I was!
(For those who are interested in a whole lot of Anti-Bacterial Products for
Home and Personal Use, Visit-
http://www.masune.com/Fast/ProductList.asp?Section=1570&SubS ection=-1
I also did likewise with Anti-Fungal sprays, creams and ointments,
Switching from Tolnaftate to Lamisil.
While killing off the "Bugs," I might as well get the "Mushrooms."
For Men –
I also know that Hair and Hair Follicles are the Vacation Spots of Germs,
I dealt with "Extra Hair."
When I went in the first time for my Open Heart Surgery,
Two dear Nurses/Orderlies Used little clippers to shave me from neck to toes.
The reason for the electric clippers rather than "shaving" with a blade, is that
Shaving creates little tiny nicks in the epidermis that give germs a great number of
Lush Oasis’s to live in, even with the palm trees cut down.
And speaking of hair?
My poor little Dog got a bath in Betadine Surgical Scrub.
No Germ Left Behind!!!
And then, they do say that the average human’s mouth
Has more germs than a dogs Butt….
So,
Yet Another one –
Some Doctors have their patients gargle with Listerine
The morning of surgery.
Since they go through the mouth/throat to perform
Some of the stuff (gross) and that he wants everything as germ-free as possible.
By the time I was rolled into surgery, the Operating Room
Was a cesspool compared to me.
But, as a result, my chances of having an infection were greatly reduced.
And for me, It’s all about the Odds!
7 full out surgeries, and a "out-patient, surgical procedure" later?
100% success!
I know it seems More Than Obsessive, and to a degree it was
But it did focus my Pre-Op Jitter Energy in a Productive way
That reduced my chances of one of the most common complications
That hit folks no matter what surgery they have.
The other plus side was,
That even not having a shower or bath of any sort for quite sometime
In the Hospital, I remained fresh as a Daisy,
And I had blemish free skin like a newborn.
Those little Germs are great for making cheese,
Leavening our bread, Making the important stuff
Like Wine and Beer,
But just like Bees who give us Honey?
They’ll sting your @ss if given half a chance!
Enough of my rambling.
Go Forth and Win the "War on Bugs!"
Best Wishes-
Dx
Capricious; Impulsive, Semi-Predictable 
