Report from Appointment today

A Dream of Floating
acrylic, envelope

We had a long uncomfortable wait at Dr. Luis Barbe's office, but when we finally got to see him, he gave us his full attention. He was fully present and attentive and sympathetic. He listened to me (although he talked over Keith at one point).

He took one look at my butt and declared I had to have an operation. He said I could stay overnight. This was a huge weight off my mind. I've been terrified of the pain, because I've been in such agony I can hardly stand it. He said I could stay SEVERAL days if necessary. And that they would give me injectables for pain.

 I hope that the secretary made the appropriate arrangements, though, because he told me I needed ONE fleet enema in the morning, but she told me one the night before also. Which also means there may have been other miscommunications.

 He said the procedure (operation) was more than 95% successful in general and that he has never had to redo one. (I hope I'm not the first.) He said the operation itself only takes about 15 minutes and is very simple. He said that there was less than a 5% chance of anal incontinence.

 He said yes it hurts, it hurts a lot, but the hospital will help me deal with it, with injectables, (and later vicodin, miralax and metamucil.) I sure hope Katherine scheduled me for overnight.

THE EARLIEST they could get me in was Thursday June 27 at 3:00 (Or so--she said the hospital would call--they always want you in an hour earlier or something. (When they call, I will ask them about the overnight thing.) Dr. Barbe also said I could go in at 9 AM and have the nurses administer the enema. I don't know if I'm forgetting anything.


Note:  I wrote a report on the botox procedure, May 30, but that's on a computer which is missing, which is why it never got posted.