What to Expect

Each time Enrique goes in for surgery he has an appointment at the "Prepare Clinic." This is a three hour appointment with an anesthesiology resident and several different nurses and admins.

This is the fourth time we've done it and it was the best. The resident was very competent and went through all the things we should expect.

Of course, this time we already know what to expect, so it didn't matter much. But, it was nice to see a good, young doctor in action.

It was the first time the doctor was clearly younger than we are.

In addition to the doctors being younger than us, this is what we can expect:

-The day before the surgery Enrique will get a call that will tell him the exact time of his surgery
-He can't eat or drink after midnight the night before, but he can take some of his medications with a sip of water
-The day of the surgery, we'll check into the surgical waiting room, complete with overnight bags for both of us
-Then we'll go into a pre-operative room (Enrique, his parents and I - and probably his sister this time, too)
-He'll change into a hospital gown and lay on a guerney while we wait for the anesthesiologist to come by and ask him a few questions
-His surgeon will stop by and initial the side of his neck where she will operate, with a pen
-Finally, they'll inject him with some quick acting "happy drugs" and wheel him into the operating room and we'll all waive goodbye.
-In the operating room, they'll sedate him further and he'll fall asleep