Minor Surgery

*Note: Not for the faint hearted if you get squeamish about blood.

This morning I had minor surgery to remove a cyst that was growing on my head. It had formed, ruptured, formed and ruptured on multiple occasions. Finally after seeing a general practitioner, a dermatologist and then a plastic surgeon, I was able to get it removed today.

I arrived at the hospital around 7:40am and I thought I was going to just collapse inwards. My insides were squeezing. My dad opted not to come inside with me because he didn't want to pay for parking, so I signed in and waited by myself. And it was just memories that were making me anxious, as well as all the familiar things. The no-slam doors, nurses' running shoes. The colours. The smells. The same signs. After so many years I thought I'd forgotten all of it. But I could probably direct myself around the hospital just as well as I could before.

Then I got my wristband. "Oh great, another one," was all I thought. Afterwards changing into a night gown. They were explaining to me how to wear it when I'd already worn that exact one years before. It was the same all-over pattern. I'd worn so many of them that I knew which ones I liked and which ones I didn't. Which reminds me, I once got a gown that had long sleeves and pockets, which at the time I thought was a total score from the usual short sleeved, cold and drafty ones, but I digress.

I was constantly asked over and over again if I was okay. Why do they ask you that? Did I not look okay? I walked into the operating room and laid down on my side. They stuck a needle in my head to freeze the area, and I could feel it instantly entering all parts of my body. My heart rate shot up and I could feel my heart pounding so hard in my chest. They had to calm me down because I was shaking so much and I couldn't control it. I'm still not sure if that was normal.

Finally she began working on my head. I couldn't feel any pain, but I could hear her ripping into my skin, tugging at the cyst and stitching me up afterwards. When I sat up again there was a huge pool of blood on the pillow I had just been lying on.

When I got home I noticed my hair was still sticking in all directions so I went to wash out what I thought was just hydrogen peroxide. But to my surprise it was blood! My hair is just stuck together all over in a mess of dried blood that I'm not allowed to wash out until tomorrow morning. I'm supposed to remain sitting for the rest of the day but I was super tired. I propped two pillows on top of each other and leaning into it, I fell asleep for the next three hours. The freezing was starting to wear off and my head was throbbing.

For the rest of the day I get a free pass to be lazy and will completely utilize that time to eat more soup and corn on the cob. In about two weeks I have to go back to her office to have these stitches removed. I'm just happy that after finally so many months, I am head cyst free!