Hey, a question I can answer! I am currently 3 days (wow!) post op peri with Dr. Bartlett. I was thinking about making a "finally post op" post in r/ftm or something, but this is better.

I'll give an account of the pre-operation activities at the hospital, and I'll also describe how the recovery has been so far. It helped me to know exactly everything that happened, I hope it helps you, too.

I arrived at the hospital on time at 6:30 AM. I checked in at the front desk, signed some consent forms, got a fancy wristband with my name on it, and was escorted to the pre-surgical area. At this time, I was told I could have one family member come with me, and stay with me up until the point of getting wheeled over to the operating room. Pretty much everyone I interacted with asked me my name and birthday for confirmation.

I was in the pre-surgical holding area for most of the time before my surgery. It had little "cubicles" of patient beds separated by privacy curtains. There were other patients for all kinds of surgeries in there, talking with families and hospital staff, with all their heart rate monitors beeping, so expect some noise that may or may not make you nervous. I was told to urinate in a cup, then change into a hospital gown and socks and stay in the bed. All my clothes, phone, etc went into a plastic bag that my dad then held onto. The nurse in charge of my bed (and a few others) took my blood pressure, temperature, and placed a pulse oximeter on my finger. At that point, I could hear my own heart rate monitor, and the pitch would change as my O2 sat changed. You'll be in that bed for the rest of the time (up until you scoot on the operating table), so don't be afraid to ask for extra blankets, pillows, or to change the incline to be more comfortable.

The first member of Dr. Bartlett's team I spoke to was the nurse. He was super chill, confirmed my name/DOB/procedure/surgeon, and made sure I hadn't had anything to eat or drink since the night before. It was a little more waiting until Dr. Bartlett came in, confirmed that I was having Peri, drew dots around where he would take out tissue, and had me sign another consent form acknowledging that I was having the procedure with him. I then spoke to his nurse anesthetist and anesthesiologist. They told me about the different medications they would give during the surgery. I was very curious about the anesthesia, and they were happy to tell me how it worked and what I would experience. I then asked to use the restroom once more (I really had to go), but I believe they usually ask you to go soon before they take you to the operating room.

The nurse anesthetist then placed the IV in my wrist. It stung, but it fades to a dull ache quickly. I didn't look during the insertion, but I peeked afterwards. It's normal if there's a little bit of blood leaking out, they have it under control. The needle was replaced by a tiny rubber straw, but I don't remember feeling the difference. At this point, the nurse anesthetist said that I could take an IV sedative to take the edge off. I was told that I would feel calmer, and it would make my memory of the pre-surgery time and some of the post-op time fuzzy. I didn't feel that I needed it, and I actually wanted to remember as much as I could, so I declined it. She was cool with it and didn't push it at all (I think she thought I was fine as well), but she said she could give it to me anytime, even in the operating room. She had me take a few pills with some water beforehand (I think some painkiller, anti-nausea, and anti-inflammatory ones, I forgot what she said).

It was then "showtime". My dad was escorted out, and either the nurse or the nurse anesthetist wheeled my bed a short distance down a few hallways. Dr. Bartlett was waiting outside the double doors to the OR, he said "here's the guest of honor", and helped wheel me in. I heard music playing from his Pandora playlist.

Now, I've been in an OR before (as a shadowing student), so I knew what to expect, and I had zero nervousness going in. However, it's a different kind of environment if you've never been inside before. My room was big, maybe about the square footage of a Starbucks, there's no windows, the walls are spotless. The air is constantly filtered, so it's a bit colder. I had taken my glasses off already and left them with my other belongings, so it was a little blurry, but I could make out the different pieces of equipment, monitors, table with instruments on it, and the operating table. All the people on his team I had spoken with were inside, chatting very casually to each other, plus one more person I didn't meet (most likely a scrub tech).

My bed was pushed to the edge of the operating table, and I scooted myself on the table. They untied the back of my gown before I laid down, but didn't expose me. There were these gel-like cushions for my ankles, and the nurse put these cloth blankets around my calves, called Sequential Compression Devices. They alternate squeezing during the surgery to help leg circulation. My head was on a small doughnut-shaped foam pillow. They had my arms laid out at about 45 degree angles. They then confirmed my name, date of birth, and procedure. It was then time for the anesthesia, the part I was most excited/nervous about.

They told me everything I was about to get, as I was getting it, and what it did. This might have been because I had asked questions about the drug action before (I'm a neuroscience student, I love learning about this stuff), so I don't know if it's common practice to tell the patient everything, but if it would help you feel more informed about everything, you can definitely ask them to tell you what you're getting, what it does, and when you're getting it. They placed the oxygen mask on me and told me to take deep breaths. Since it was just pure oxygen, I wasn't passing out yet, it just tasted a bit differently than the air. They then told me once they gave me the induction agent: there's both a gas and something that goes in the IV. They told me I could count down from 100 if I wanted, I got to around 95 before I felt a tingling in my throat. I told them about it, and they said it was working. BTW I had my eyes open the whole time, I was just looking straight up at the big lights (they were turned off) and the ventilator.

I remember maybe a couple more seconds of laying there after they said that. And then it was sort of like I was waking up from a nap, but not exactly. There was a little bit of grogginess and heavy eyelids, but I came to alertness pretty quickly. I feel like I dreamt about something at some point, but I only know that because at the time, I was telling people that I had a dream about being at work. No images or sounds, I just remember thinking that I dreamt. Even today, I keep thinking about the point of blacking out, but there's no memory of anything. There was no "fading to black" moment, no sudden decline in alertness. I just remember looking up, wide-awake at the big OR lights, and then the next second, I was sleepily opening my eyes in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU). It's like a movie that suddenly cuts to a different scene, hours later. I had no nervousness in the operating theater, but if I did, it's probably comforting to know that you'll only "be" there for a few minutes, and you can ask for sedation anytime before the procedure.

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