The surgery is over. I wish I could tell you what it was like, but I don’t really remember much about it. Between nitrous oxide and whatever it was they pumped into my veins, I was on a mini-vacation. I also remember the surgeon kept calling me “George.” That’s okay, I’ve been called worse.
I’m more than 2/3 of the way through this sojourn, having completed 20 of 30 dives and competed the surgery.
How was the surgery? Like I said, I don’t remember much. It would have been nice to stay right there in the chair for a few hours, with the same drugs of course, because the afternoon wasn’t a whole lot of fun. The front of my face felt like I had been kissed by Hiawatha.*
Between a Vicodin script and some well needed sleep, I was able to weather the afternoon pretty well.
One more thing - toward the end of the procedure today, the surgeon said, “Look at this! There really is something to this hyperbaric oxygen therapy!” The doctor was referring to my ample blood flow, much stronger than some people in my circumstance are known to have.
Tomorrow, back into the tank.
* The Hiawatha was a high-speed passenger express that ran from Chicago to Seattle on the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, better known as The Milwaukee Road. The stunning train was designed by legendary Brooks Stevenson. Today, the Hiawatha runs 6 times a day between Milwaukee and Chicago.
