{"id":96205,"date":"2026-05-07T09:11:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T16:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=96205"},"modified":"2026-05-08T11:07:53","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T18:07:53","slug":"ouch-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/?p=96205","title":{"rendered":"OUCH! No Food, No Drink? Impossible!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I give thanks every day for my life with Dr. Mary; my “problems” are minuscule!<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s NOT a great day when you wake up and cannot have coffee!\u00a0 Not even a scone, a donut, or anything else.\u00a0 I am fasting, which means looking at food and drink with deep emotional attachment but without any physical contact.<\/p>\n

Fasting before a surgical operation is mainly to reduce the risk of aspiration.
\nWhen you’re under anesthesia or heavy sedation, your normal protective reflexes\u2014like coughing, swallowing, and keeping stomach contents down\u2014are reduced.\u00a0 If there is food or liquid in your stomach, you could vomit or regurgitate it and accidentally breathe it into your lungs.\u00a0 This can cause serious complications, such as aspiration pneumonia, airway blockage, or lung injury.\u00a0 Fasting also helps:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Reduce nausea and vomiting after anesthesia
\n\u2022 Make anesthesia safer and easier to manage
\n\u2022 Lower the chance of needing emergency airway interventions<\/p>\n

Typical instructions often include no solid food for several hours before surgery, while some clear liquids may be allowed up to a shorter time beforehand\u2014but the exact rules vary depending on the procedure, your health, and the type of anesthesia.<\/p>\n

We worked in the office until 9:00 am, then got ready to go to the hospital.<\/p>\n

\"\"

I drove, knowing full well that Mary would be driving home!<\/p><\/div>\n

Off we went at 11:15 am and arrived at 11:45 am, because apparently we were running a highly efficient medical shuttle service that day.\u00a0 As we pulled into the parking lot, there was Robin\u2014right on cue\u2014ready to be Mary’s loyal sidekick, emotional support human, and all-day entertainment committee.<\/p>\n

Within minutes, I was whisked into Pre-Op by the transportation officer, where I immediately began my important work: relentlessly teasing the nurse.<\/p>\n

As we skidded down the hallway, I made automobile sounds and honked my horn at everything coming my way.\u00a0 When she asked my name, she did not believe it was Clem Kadiddlehopper!\u00a0 She may have thought she was there to prepare me for surgery, but surprise\u2014she had unknowingly enrolled in my masterclass.<\/p>\n

\"\"

I am ready to go into the OR!<\/p><\/div>\n

Then it was off to the OR, where I was technically “awake” the entire time\u2014though I use that term loosely, since I was operating at about 12% battery and had no Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n

I even chatted with the doctor while he examined me using the catheter, because apparently, I decided this was the perfect time for casual conversation.\u00a0 Nothing says “small talk” quite like discussing your insides while someone is actively navigating them.<\/p>\n

The procedure lasted about 30 minutes, and then I was moved to post-op recovery, where I enjoyed a luxurious 6-hour stay in what I can only describe as a very exclusive medical waiting room with terrible amenities.<\/p>\n

Finally, around 7:30 pm, they decided I had behaved well enough to be released back into society.<\/p>\n

I closed my eyes when the procedure began and saw an angel in the room watching over me!\u00a0 I am a lucky man!<\/p>\n

\"\"

Keeping me from misbehaving — only an Angel can do that!<\/p><\/div>\n

This procedure required entrance through the groin, and that entry point tends to leak after the operation.\u00a0 The nursing staff checked in the groin many times and after a while I needed to put a sign up stating “Groin Peeks, 25\u00a2”, I would have made a fortune.<\/p>\n

After a while, I asked people walking by if they wanted to see my groin.\u00a0 Mary put a stop to that activity, saying that when I offered a “groin peek” to a cafeteria worker, janitor, and another patient, that was too much!<\/p>\n

\"\"

Six hours flat on my back, only being disturbed by “peeping Toms”.<\/p><\/div>\n

I had other thoughts also!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For hours, Robin and Mary were by my side in recovery; I never felt so loved and cared for.\u00a0 I think I’m spoiled!<\/p>\n

We made it home and watched “Little Women”, the 2019 version.\u00a0 We made it until 11:00 pm, and then our eyes began to close.\u00a0 Time to go to bed!\u00a0 Off we went, and we slept until almost 7:30 am!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s NOT a great day when you wake up and cannot have coffee!\u00a0 Not even a scone, a donut, or anything else.\u00a0 I am fasting, which means looking at food and drink with deep emotional attachment but without any physical … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[228,184],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor","category-just-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96205"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96229,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96205\/revisions\/96229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lilesnet.com\/dailydiary\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}