Here we go now, as Ozzy would say

Brian was just in to brief me on what will be coming next.

I told him I was hopeful to be released after the catheter ablation procedure on my heart, but he cautioned me that I would more likely remain at St. Joseph's Hospital overnight.

For one thing, the surgery is to start at 1 PM and there is to be a mandatory four-hour bed rest afterward, period.

As the electrophysiology mapping of my nerves and arteries will most likely last two hours, that would put me out of the operating room and into recovery around 3 PM.

So, after the four hours of lying flat on my back, that runs the clock up to 7 PM.

Yeah, that probably means I will be staying here.

At least I have a piece of home with me: my soft, warm, blue socks.

I had spotted them near the front door and grabbed them to bring along.

They have tread, so I was hopeful that I'd be allowed to wear them instead of those thin, gray, hospital-issue socks.

Thankful I am that I brought them and have been allowed to wear them!

(smile!)

Thankful I am that I made sure to have a healthy last meal last night, too.

Mindful that I would not have food in my system until well after the surgery, I watched the clock after the WNS of turkey tetrazzini.

I wanted to get as close to the witching hour of cutoff as possible.

So, at 11:30 PM, I dined on Ensure High Protein, in the vanilla flavor, as well as a fiber-rich Fiji apple, cut into six slices of crunchy delight.

Truly, it really was quite satisfying!

I made sure all of it was eaten up just before midnight, too.

 

I even woke up without any hunger pains.

All I ingested were three of my usual meds: Synthroid, Ramipril, Sotalol.

I abstained from the diuretic ("Very sensible," Brian told me) and the Eliquis, partly because I usually took that much later and partly because I didn't want uncontrolled bleeding (which warranted another "Very sensible" from the nurse).

So, what did I do whilst awaiting the arrival of brother Smitty at 10 AM?

I watched a show I don't usually watch.

The morning talk series don't do much for me, but it was already well past 9:30, so the news part would be over and done.

This one, with Al Roker, promised to have Kool & The Gang, so I tuned in.

And they were true to their promise!

They had the recent Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees at the end of the show, giving us a full five-minute medley of their hits!!!

Naturally, I danced along for all of them, from "Jungle Boogie" to "Ladies' Night", from "Get Down On It" to "Hollywood Swinging", all the way to "Celebration"!

What a perfect exit line for me this morning!

(smile!)