*WHEW!*

What a night! I'm sure Courtney would agree that work was certianly hopping tonight. I am still tired from Six Flags fun yesterday, didn't sleep well last night, and today has certainly kicked me in the pants.... I plan on sleeping like a baby tonight.

Anyway, today has been super busy! Got up at a decent hour to see Ben off to Atlanta and was enjoying a quiet morning. Then I remembered I had pre-op testing this afternoon.

I am having a surgery next Thursday. The last time I had surgery I was five, and I only have one memory (a very unpleasant one) from that surgery. This time I really don't know what to expect.

Working in an O.R., I knew they did pre-op testing, but that didn't register when I thought of my own surgery. (You know how that always works??!) I scheduled the pre-op work a few days ago, and in all of the craziness the last few days, completely forgot about it until about 10:30AM. Good thing I checked my organizer then, because my appointment was at 1:30. When I made the appointment, my mind could only think of one thing. That one thing? "I hope they don't have to draw blood."

I know they have to draw blood. I guess I thought my sweet-as-all-get-out self could convince them otherwise. Funny part? I almost did. Let me fill you in on what happens when you have pre-operative testing. (Or, at least, when I have pre-op testing.)

I signed in and began filling out some papers. I met with a nice woman named Jeanine who made sure my basic info was correct, then I sat back in the waiting room. Then another nice woman came and took my height and weight, then led me to a waiting room. Dana the MA came into the room and took my blood pressure. My BP is always great, and this girl's oxygen saturation is 100%!!! Becca then came in and we talked about all kinds of things regarding family history of illnesses and the like. Becca was most definitely awesome. She was really sweet and funny and told me of the awesome fight that happened that morning between two teenage females in the very same room I was in. (This fight involved a bottle of milk and some braids...) Becca gave me a lot of good advice and information and a hug, saying "Will you come up to visit us? I like you." Next, she sent in a little sixty-year-old Pakistani woman. This was Shireen, an anesthesiologist. She was AWESOME! At first, she thought I had a heart murmur, but then realized it was her stethoscope rubbing against my shirt. Then she looked at my teeth and tongue (for anesthesea mask purposes). Then she took a look at the surgical site. Next she told me she was proud of me "like her own child" for having the surgery done. She didn't want to move onto the next room, so she told me all about her family, how they came to America, what she did before that, what her children are doing now... Then she hugged me, laughed, and said "We need more patients like you". I said, "Shireen, you don't have to get any blood from me, do you?" Shireen said "You can't trick me! It won't hurt that bad!" (She was serious.... I was soooooo close!) Then another nice woman came in to draw blood. I explained to her that I do NOT like needles and I didn't do well with shots or injections of any sort. She promised to be nice, and she WAS! It was pretty much completely painless. So sticking me three or four times to find a vein. What a stellar team!

All in all, I would call today a success. From here on out, I just ask for prayers for a successful surgery next week! :)

See?? No bruising or anything!