Yesterday’s 12-minute procedure turned out to be a 12-hour day. It was a nightmare! Everything that could work against us did. The biggest thing we learned is that we can’t take this old electric car down to Tampa anymore. It’s just too damn far. And thanks to Biden, they’re doing away with the fast chargers. They’re making a different kind of fast charger that we can’t use. Our first alternative is to carry on with doctors closer to us. Our next would be a rental car.

Sometimes I wish we had just gone to a bigger city. Even though this is considered a rural area, it doesn’t feel very rural when your neighbors are just a few feet away.

Okay, so on with yesterday. We left the house at 7:00 and stopped at the first charger as planned. We were supposed to drive some more and stop at a second charger, but there was an accident, as usual, so we had to head straight to the medical building.

So we get there, check in, breathe a sigh of relief since it’s right before 9:30 when the appointment was supposed to be, and take a seat only to be informed that we were in the wrong location. So with just 6 miles of charge to spare, we had a hustle over to the proper location and then building. This took quite a bit of walking, as if I wasn’t already tired enough, because it was a complex with many buildings and we didn’t know which one to go to. Of course, it had to be the one furthest from our car. It was actually in a regular hospital. You check in down in the lobby, and they put a hospital band on your wrist. They’ve changed a lot since I was last in the hospital. They’re very thin now and they don’t have that round snap thing on them.

They said the whole thing wouldn’t take more than a half hour but we were there for 3 hours. First, I had to wait in the waiting room. Then I was brought into a changing area where I changed into a gown and got into bed. The mattress was soft and comfortable and they gave me a warm blanket which was nice since this area was as chilly as the waiting room had been warm and stifling.

Several people came to talk to me while I waited for what seemed like forever in this room. Every other one had a foreign accent. The anesthesiologist placed the IV portal in my arm. Then others came to make sure they had the right information. A male nurse verified that Tom was my designated driver. I didn’t know the GI doc himself would be there, but he was. He wasn’t just hanging around the place but he did the scope as well.

After what seemed like an eternity, a large jovial nurse came to fetch me. I was wheeled into what looked like a typical OR. She, the doctor, and the guy who said he would be my “bartender” handling the anesthesia and breathing were very friendly and reassuring. Mr. Bartender put a mask over my face. This was just oxygen. Then Ms. Jovial had me turn on my side. I don’t know why, but they usually do the scope with you on your left side. She put a wedge behind my back to keep me from rolling onto my back. Then the party began and I was gone in seconds. I remember saying, “Wow,” as I suddenly felt super woozy, and then it was lights out completely.

What literally felt like one second later I was coming around. When we get up in the morning, or whenever we happen to get up, we have the sense that time has passed. Not in this case literally. It literally felt like I was put out just a second ago. But nope, I was out for 12 minutes. They gave me propofol, the same stuff that killed Michael Jackson. They also gave me sodium chloride. This was mild sedation, though, and I’ll probably get something a lot different when it comes time to remove the gallbladder if that ever happens at this point. I’ll get to that in a little bit. They also took a sample for a biopsy of my stomach.

I was surprised by how fast I came to. With heavy sedation, you’re very groggy. In this case, if I was a driver and didn’t have far to go, I could probably make it. It’s a damn good thing too, with the 7 ridiculous hours it would take just to get home. I can’t say I got a lack of vitamin D yesterday! I even got a little color with all the walking we did.

I didn’t think I would be told of any results yesterday. But sure enough, the endoscopy turned up two problems. I miss the days when all my tests were negative and when I would hear, “Everything’s okay” or “You’re fine.”

Instead, I’m told I have a hiatal hernia and gastritis.

The rest of the update is coming soon.