Meeting the Surgeon

My wife and I arrived to meet the surgeon. I had really no idea what the experience would be like, but I knew what to expect and I had come to

Peace with it long ago. I was actually joking with my wife a little.

After a short wait they called me back and took my weight and blood pressure. My blood pressure has been up just a little, which is odd - my blood pressure is usually rock solid. "Are you nervous?" The nurse asked. I didn't think I was but then she added "your heart rate is up." Maybe I was nervous.

I was taken into an examination room that had a large chair in the middle that reminded me of a barber's chair.

The nurse left and then a doctor's attendee arrived. She answered all of our questions while doing an examination. Then she felt around by throat and neck. 

There is a chance my vocal cords could be damaged during the surgery so they needed to look at them using a scope that would go through my nose. I thought it would be easier to go through my mouth but I guess that would have been less adventurous. The doctor sprayed a numbing agent into my nose whose only effect was to numb the roof of my mouth. She then painfully fished a hose through my nose and down my throat while she watched the incredible journey on a TV screen. She then asked me to sniff and make various sounds, but I was in so much pain that I found it difficult to do. After she was satisfied with her inspection, she removed the hose.

The surgeon came in a short time later, answered all out questions, and gave us a ton of information. After a while I realized I would only remember a tenth of what he was saying. I was very thankful my wife was taking notes. Although afterwards she admitted that there was so much information - she couldn't write it all down!

The surgeon felt my neck and commented how easy it was to feel the goiter.

The surgeon then explained that the breathing tube used during surgery had electronics on it that would notify him if he was getting too close to the vocal cords - kind of like the game Operation. These electronics make the breathing tube a little larger than normal and most people complain of discomfort from the tube while recovering from the surgery.

The surgeon and attendee left, which gave me a few minutes to assess my aching nose and numb mouth. The attendee returned with a consent form for me to sign. She read through the entire form. The most concerning aspect was a 1 in 10 chance they could cut a vocal cord nerve. If they do that, my voice will become breathy, I could choke on food, and I could die from aspirated pneumonia. I never realized the chance of that happening was so high!

I signed the consent form. The doctor left and as the surgeon's nurse arrived. She gave us a binder that contained all the information we had been told verbally - thank a God! There was no way I could remember everything that was said.

There was more information given than I can remember. At some point I will go back through all the notes and write more about it.