For the next 12 hours....

a couple of pictures from the first procedure...the upper endoscopy.

Do not:

• drink alcohol
• drive
• operate machinery
• make critical decisions
• do activities that require coordination or balance

The whole procedure was pretty much painless. I felt more like I was at a day spa (not that I've ever done that). The nurses were very easy to get along with - and the one nurse there that I know personally came by to give me a bad time. The recliner that I was initially placed in (for the "pre-op") was comfy...and I got a heated blanket. When I was escorted back to the procedure room the nurse draped me in a blanket and and then guided me by the elbow - I felt like royalty. The drugs they gave me in the procedure room were awesome. Totally. I slept like a baby - with no memory of the procedure. (Yea!) Waking up in the recovery area was easy - a cup of cranberry juice and some crackers and we were out of there. The most painful part of the whole thing I can honestly say was the blood pressure cuff.

Truly the hardest part of this whole thing was the prep. Clear liquids only - all day yesterday - and then 36 Sennokot tablets. Even that part wasn't nearly as traumatic as I expected. I was pretty hungry by the time of the procedure - but hey, I lost 4 pounds over the last couple of days...how spa-like can you get?