Surgery Day

Had to mention quickly that I do not have a lot to say about the day of surgery. I was extremely anxious, had suffered from anxiety attacks for more that a month, and thought the absolute worst would happen based on all of the things I had read online. Truth be told however, it was only through the support of my family and the strength of Christ that I was even able to walk into the hospital on my own power. Really, I was pretty much running on prayer alone at that point and boy am I grateful that He is loving, listens, and comforts! I would encourage anyone that is nervous or anxious to just turn over your fears to Christ. Seek Him first in prayer and stay focused on Him; everything else will fall in place.

As for the actual surgery, here is what I remember from my experience:

1. The entire process should have you checked in to checked out within 3 hours tops.
2. When you wake up in recovery, you are going to feel pretty decent. Make sure to start sucking down fluids right then and there.
3. Talk! Just do it. Don’t yell, don’t lecture, but talk in a soft voice as often as is comfortable. One of the nurses told me to speak up for myself as I was trying to signal messages for my wife to relay. The nurse explained that the more we use our throat, the less likely the muscles will become stiff and swollen. This greatly helps during recovery and makes it a little easier.
4. Trust your doctor! This is my second surgery with my ENT doctor and he is absolutely great. Do not go into a surgery with a doctor that does not instill 100% confidence in you before hand.
5. Once home, make sure to start hitting the liquids hard! Even if it hurts a bit, start drinking as much as you can until your eyeballs float. Best advice I received before my surgery and the best that I can pass on as well.

Okay, enough rambling here. The day of surgery was sort of a blur minus the constant praying before hand. By far, the surgery process is probably the scariest part going in to this process but in hindsight is by far the easiest phase. Just put your fears in the Lord’s hands and say a little prayer; you will get through this.