The rest of the story.......

7:18 am - Wednesday - February 6th - Winslow, AZ - 33º F, 73% humidity, wind 21 mph out of the southwest......sunny today with a forecast high of 40º F.

I think it's time for an update on the reason for all these doctors appointments over the last 10 days.  I discussed previously that I had one surgery scheduled for February 25th for the cyst in my right cheek saliva gland (parotid cyst).  The next part is kind of personal, but I'll just put it out there anyway.  For a number of years I have had what is called a 'lipoma' on my right buttock cheek.  A lipoma is a non-malignant fatty tumor.  Until the last couple of years it has been small and didn't really bother me, but it has grown larger over that time, and a little painful when I sit for long periods of time, so it was time to have it removed.  that surgery occurred Tuesday.  It was done at the Flagstaff Ambulatory Surgical Center (outpatient surgery) at 11 am.  The surgery itself took about 30 minutes, and was closed using surgical glue......no stitches, and no dressings to change!

We left Winslow around 7:45 am in order to arrive by the 9 am check-in time (two hours before the surgery).  From reading the weather forecast we knew it would be very windy Tuesday, and in Flagstaff it would also be snowing.  As we drove west on I-40 we could see the ever so heavy cloud bank enveloping Flagstaff to such an altitude that even the San Francisco Peaks, which include Humphreys Peak (12,633' elevation) were covered.

With about 10 miles to go we entered the snow zone, and as we approached exit 198 it was snowing quite hard.  As we exited the Interstate the snow was already sticking to the local streets.....very concerning at the time as we would not be heading for home until almost 2 pm.  As we approached the first signal off the Interstate a VW Beetle just like ours slid into a pickup truck beside us.....uh oh, it's slippery!  I immediately shifted down to 2nd gear and just crept along at about 10-15 mph giving myself lots of stopping room in front of me.

We reached the Ambulatory Surgical Center around 8:50 am, found a parking spot across the street and then walked through the snow to the registration office.  Within 10 minutes I was taken (with TLE) to the pre-surgical waiting area (several curtained spaces), had my vital signs checked, and then Molly (RN) inserted an IV catheter in my arm, and hooked me up to an IV bag.

By 10:40 am I had been seen by my surgeon (Dr. Aldridge), and the anesthesiologist, Dr. Hendrickson, and within minutes after that the two attending nurses arrived to walk me into OR #1.  Within minutes they began to administer the anesthesia and then the next thing I knew I was awakening in the post op area, and it was done.  It was now a little after 12:30 pm.  Once I was knocked out they intubated me, and then flipped me over onto the operating table to do the surgery.

Within minutes of my waking up TLE was there with a big smile on her face.  It took me about an hour to completely wake up, and by 2 pm I was getting dressed and being wheeled in a wheelchair out to the car, which TLE had driven over from the parking lot.  The drive back down the hill to the Interstate was not as treacherous as it had been 6 hours before, and within 6 minutes we were on the Interstate cruising eastward at 70 mph....within 10 miles we emerged from the cloud bank, and snow to very windy, but clear skies.  The winds were blowing over 35 mph, but they were coming from behind us (from the west).  We were home by 3 pm, and by 4 pm I was in bed taking a two hour nap.  Man, that anesthesia really knocks you out!

After I woke up TLE served me some chicken/potato soup (she combined two soups together), which was thick and creamy.....just as I prefer it!  We watched several recorded programs and were in bed a little after 10 pm.  

As of this morning (Wednesday) I have not had to take any pain medication.  The wound area is tender, of course, but otherwise I hardly think about it.  When I sit I am sitting on a small pillow, to be sure.  So, there you go!  We roll our wheels on Thursday down to Camp Verde, AZ for a few  days, then into Mesa, AZ where we will have the annual service done on the Newell at 'All Aboard America', and then head to the property of our good friends Tom and Darlene over in Wittman, AZ where we will stay until my next surgery, and follow appointments are completed.  Life is good!

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