2 procedures at the UW Medical Center

This week I had 2 routine procedures done at the UWMC on Wednesday and Thursday. 

I have problems with blood clots and so need to take an anticoagulant pill.  When I have a surgery, I switch to heparin injections which can be neutralized by a catalyst in cases of excessive bleeding.  Changing from pills to injections and back to pills is a hassle to deal with.  Fortunately for me, I was able to schedule the procedures on consecutive days so I did not have to change from Coumadin to heparin to Coumadin twice. 

Wednesday's procedure went well.  I incorrectly set my alarm and so overslept.  They told me to come asap.  I was 90 minutes late.  It worked well for everybody, they moved up the next person's procedure to my time slot.  By the time I got there, they were ready for me and I did not have to wait long before starting my procedure at 11 AM.  I was on my way home at 2 PM.  After sedation (light anesthetisia), they required a friend come get me to release from the post-op ward.

Thursday's procedure had a longer wait time to get started since I was on-time and things were running late.  The pre-op staff was incredibly kind, helpful and supportive.  Stacy was a pleasant distraction when she chatted with me for 10 minutes.  After the procedure, I got some strong pain medicine making for a more pleasant wait for a bed in the post-op ward.

Once upstairs, the kitchen was a wonderful surprise.  I could call in an order off the menu and get it sent up in about 30 minutes.  Lunch was pot roast with mashed potatoes and gravy.  Dinner was a cheeseburger and a salad. 

I slept in the evening and could not get back to sleep until about 3:30 this morning.  At 4 AM, the RN woke me to see if I wanted pain meds.  I declined while wondering wtf?  Turned out her assistant had to take my vital signs (blood pressure, temperature and oxygen saturation in my blood). 

I could not get back to sleep.  I finished the Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke.  Two residents came by on rounds at 9 AM.  Neither one of them was at the procedure so they could not tell me what happened.  I slept for two hours and it was time to go.  I picked up my meds at the pharmacy on the way out and was glad that was all over.

It was a fantastic organizational experience performed by the UWMC to coordinate two procedures with MDs in 3 locations.  I am grateful for their expertise.