Follow-up Visit with the GI

Logan and I joked that we were doing a tour of all the healthcare facilities in New England after visiting the ICU.  We visited CMC, Dartmouth Hitchcock in Nashua, and Lahey Hospital all in a short time span. Today, I visit another healthcare facility: St. Joseph’s Hospital. It’s a followup procedure to check on the varices and re-band them to continue the healing process. It’s done at the hospital (as opposed to the D-H facility in Nashua) because the GI  doctor has blood available in case a transfusion is necessary.

Here are some questions I’ve asked anesthesiologists and other facts I’ve learned about anesthesia during my many adventures into unconsciousness:

• Will you sing the ‘Bonanza’ theme song while wheeling me down the hall to the operating room? (He did)
• Am I at higher risk of death with anesthesia because of the repeat procedures, i.e. has my body adapted to the anesthesia and needs more each time? (Not if it’s done properly and no)
• Do you know how anesthesia scientifically works? (No)
• Redheads require more anesthesia than others
• Propofol (Diprivan) is the anesthesia that doctor usually uses, which is the same drug Michael Jackson used as a ‘sleep aid’