Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

• Surgery to remove the cyst

Today was the big day. I went in for my surgery to take the lump off my waist on my back. I felt fairly calm about the whole affair but I guess it was a little bit nerve-wracking being in a foreign land and not sure about the health care here. Everybody recommended that I go to the states to have it done, but in meeting with the doctor s I felt good about their expertise and confidence level of the surgery. They were very professional. The hospital is not quite as up-to-date as one you would find in the United States, but it seemed to be clean and everybody seemed to know their jobs very well. All the nurses were very friendly and helpful to make sure I had everything I needed so that was no different than back at home. 

The funny thing about these types of surgeries is that they put me out. So one minute you're sitting there and the next minute and it seems like only a matter of seconds they're telling you to wake up. When I did wake up I was in a recovery room with someone talking to me telling me to wake up. It was an older nurse and she was very nice and visiting. As I woke up we visited about her and her family. She has a daughter and her husband died at 36 or something like that. I talked to her about eternal families and the importance of families in general. She has a lot of faith and was very devoted to her husband as she never remarried. 

I told her about temples and how families that go to the temple can be sealed together as husband and wife for time and all eternity. Anyway, we eventually got it interrupted. I hope I run into her again because I believe that she was a sincere person and would be receptive to the church. 

We were in the hospital for a little bit and told him we were ready to go home. They thought we were going to stay overnight, but since I was feeling fine I didn't see any need to. They gave me a bunch of prescriptions to take for pain and infection. The amazing thing about after the surgery was there was absolutely no pain. Well I take that back. There was a little bit of soreness in my throat where they stuck a hose down it when they had me sedated. And for some reason I had a sore vertebrae and I'm not sure where that came from. It was kind of like it had been bruised. At any rate, I got out of bed thinking it was going to be painful and there was no pain at all and I just walked out of the well. I didn't walk out because they insisted I go out in a wheelchair, but I could have walked out. 

We went home and so far I still feel fine. I wouldn't even know I had surgery if it wasn't for my sore throat and the little soreness in my back vertebrae. 

Before surgery.