mine was green

I was barely able to look at it.

When the 8 PM episode of "Monk" came on, I first commiserated with Randy Disher.

He was under anesthesia for two hours, for what should have been a 30-minute tooth extraction.
Really made me wonder how long it might take him to recover from being put under, right?

But he had bounced right back, young man that he is.

The problem was that he had witnessed his dentist killing someone, but no one would believe him, all choosing to think it some hallucination from the drug.

Then, with only about fifteen minutes left in the show, Adrian is kidnapped by the dentist and his nurse and we come to this scene...

and it stopped me short.

The first think that popped into my head was: "Mine was green."

What "mine" was I talking about?

That device to keep his mouth open.

The one used on me was a bright green, with a circlet in the center, like some kind of target or bullseye to guide the camera.

That's right, I said "camera".

The Transesophageal Echocardiography, aka TEE, involved the use of two sets of electrical pads to monitor my vitals, one for the cardio team and one for the anesthesiologists.

I also had large electrical pads, roughly 6" x 4", attached to me; one was over the sternum, the other on my left should blade.

That was all part of the Direct Current Cardioversion, aka DCC, should that procedure be deemed safe.

The TEE would involve positioning a camera behind my heart to make sure no nasty little blood clots were hidden from view; if the coast was clear, then an electrical shock would be administered to stop my heart, in hopes it would start back up in its normal rhythm.

Now, then, just how would a camera be able to be placed in such a position?

Well, it would need to be carefully threaded to not land in the trachea, as that would take it to the lungs, a pathway parallel to the esophagus from the mouth; my guess would involve passage through the epiglottis, but I don't know.

What I do know is this: after my throat was sprayed twice with a numbing agent (that tasted like the worst fake-cherry flavor in the world), the bright-green bite-block was placed into my mouth to keep it open.

I had kidded with the team that this would be my "new Facebook profile pic" and they liked that I had my sense of humor intact.

Of course, I'd said that to allay my own concerns.

I'm glad nurse Erin maintained a hold on my right hand.

Now, if only I can conquer the coughing fits that strike when I am about to fall asleep.

I think it's a residual dread of whatever took place after the anesthesia kicked in.

As soon as it was administered, I had said "whoa..." as the room started spinning, and then I remember naught else...

or I think I remember nothing more...

until my body rebels against "falling" asleep.

When I spoke to Paul last night, he thought it possible that I was remembering something about the test procedure.

So, last night, I tried something different.

I always sleep on my side, not on my back.

The TEE-DCC had been done with me on my back.

So, in bed, lying on my side, I waited for the tell-tale signs of the coughs building up...

then, I told myself, "You are safe, you are on your side. You are safe, you are on your side. You are safe, you are on your side."...

and the cough sensation fell away from me and I slept...

I slept!

For the first time in days, I slept without enduring over an hour of coughing.

Even when I rose at one point for the bathroom, I easily returned to sleep!

i thank You, God.

Mornings are rough enough without coffee...

I need that precious sleep.