What Tomorrow Will Be Like

Enrique and I will leave the house at 7am in a cab and pickup his parents at their apartment. We'll go to the hospital and hang out in reclining chairs in the dreary surgical waiting room until Enrique is called upstairs to the pre-op ward.

He'll change into a backless hospital gown and we'll sit around his bed and tease him and generally try to keep him occupied.

The surgeon will come in and take a pen to his neck and initial the area she'll cut. This is to avoid any mistakes in the operating room.

Nurses will come by for various reasons and each time they'll ask his name and birthday twice, just to be safe.

The surgeon will introduce the anesthesiologists. The surgical resident will come by. Everyone will be friendly and jokey.

Last time, one of the anestesiologists said "He'll wake up fine, not believing he's been under for so long; the whole time you'll be frightened to death. That's the way it goes every time."

He was right.

When it's time for the surgery, they'll usher us out into the hallway and then give Enrique a shot of a happy tranquilizer.

We'll see him one minute later, just as the drug takes effect as they push his guerney into the operating room.

He'll have a big hazy smile on his face and a glazed look in his eyes. He'll smile at us and waive and for the first time in a month he won't be the least bit worried about what is about to happen.

Then we'll go downstairs and wait.

The surgery is supposed to last six hours, but your never know. We'll probably go for a walk, have some lunch, maybe even make it to the deYoung museum.

I'll update the blog as we learn things.