High as a Kite and I Loved It.

I had been dreading having a bronchoscopy for months now and now having gone through it, there was nothing to be concerned about. My adventure went like this.

Mom and I get to hospital 90 minutes before procedure. I get set up in a bed in day surgery and change into the gown from hell. It took us 15 minutes to figure out how to button it up. It was hysterical. At one point I was gonna just get some tape and tape it around my neck.

Next I have some fun doing Snapchat filters on Mom. LOL.

I was very nervous during all this as I am not a fan of the unknown. I did have a chat with God last night and gave it to Him to deal with. I had a very nice nurse and after I told her I was a pretty hard start when getting IV’s in due to damaged and overly used veins, she puffed out her chest and said well I am 3 for 3 today. I gave her my trust and we got it in on the first try. Getting wheeled down to the surgical suite was a bit nerve wracking because in my head I see this big huge operating room light and machines hissing all around while nurses scurried about getting ready for their god,the specialist, in this case. Dr.Douglas Stephen Helmerson. I think its hilarious that when we get our hospital ID bracelet it has the docs full name on it.

On my arrival to the scene of my imagination I was disappointed to see it was just a grey room, little machinery and my bed placement kept me from seeing what the nurses and respiratory therapists were prepping. That’s ok they introduced themselves and gave me the coles notes of the procedure. As I had told Douglas Stephen Helmerson that I have a bad gag reflex he suggested they start drugging me up a little bit with the midazolam, enough to get a little high but not so much that I couldn’t execute what they asked of me. I then was told to gargle and then swallow the lidocaine. At this point my memory was becoming fuzzy but I do remember gargling each time to a song. I think they were laughing hysterically. After that _____________________________ and then I am in recovery.

I felt like I had all my faculties with me but alas I did not. When doc came in to ask if they had taken my sugars I said no and both the nurse and mom said Uh yes you did, don’t you remember rummaging through your bag to find your pricker? Ha I do not! And then I see I went a little cray cray with the snapchat filters while high.

Upon arrival home I had to do some more meds to keep the mucous moving and then I passed out for 7 hours. I just woke up. My only concern now is preventing an exacerbation deep in the lungs as the doc had the camera down there, poking around and suctioning out some lung butter and disturbing the flora that my body has become friends with. We amicably live together and when a foreign agent invades us we may react. I feel pretty good, lungs feel fine, throat is sore, and my teeth hurt. Its a bit of a yuck feeling but I’ve felt worse.

I appreciate all the texts and emails and fb posts of encouragement. Thank you! Here’s to the next few days in keeping me from having an exacerbation. I’ll be back in the gym on Sunday!

N

Get busy livin’ or get busy dyin’