Category: Personal

Though my birthday is not till Wednesday, Aug. 13,  I celebrated with an early dinner last night (Aug. 10) at Roy’s Hawaii Kai. Wife Vi and our grandnephew John partied with me.

My entrée of choice was Roy Yamaguchi’s misoyaki butterfish but I opted for a white rice musubi. As is the restaurant’s tradition, I donned a party hat and had a yummy ube panna cotta dessert…yep, a purple treat.

And if you must know, I’ll be 84 on Wednesday.  

Well, it went well.

Talking about my Same Day Surgery yesterday (July 17) at Queen’s Medical Center.

The visit was to replace an outdated Abbott neuromodulation device and replace it with a new, compatible  Boston Scientific version. It’s part of the therapy to control chronic lower back pain and soreness in my sciatic right leg.

Some things haven’t changed,  when I last underwent this procedure:

• I’m still a risk for falling. Soon as I checked in, I received the customary wrist band, which  boasts your name and birthdate. But because of my mobility issues and could fall,  I must wear a yellow band with a “Fall Risk” declaration. For safety’s sake.
• Those silly hairnets still are issued. Necessary, I suppose, but no one looks great with this bonnet.

However, some things have changed:

• Socks for the fall prospects are bright yellow like corn on the cobb. Yep, had to put them on, but they were comfy!
• Those horrid open-back gowns are still donned openly but now there’s a bunch of snaps at both shoulders, to enable easier access for aides to paste body switches on your chest. Or check your heartbeat.

There’s quite a village to get patients “fixed,” so it’s not a surprise to get a pre-op visit by your doctor (mine is Dr. Jeffrey Loh), plus a retinue of staff/nurses, like nurses, anesthesiologists, and others who buzz in to take blood pressure, temperature checks, and more.

I also had a pre-op visit, as well as a post-op visit, from Michael Chrysler, the Hawaii rep of Boston Scientific, who donned what looked like scrubs – but he wore a very special red head net. He regularly visits the hospital when a client/patient has a device implanted. I’ll have learned how to properly utilize the new acquisition. And medical insurance should cover the cost of $20,000.

So: I have a new device installed, and that means a wound on the mend. Dr. Loh had to oversee the removal of the old one and the installation of the new one. This involves a magnet that transmits signals to wires attached to the spine.

I’m on antibiotics for a week – pills must be taken once every six hours – and I have a follow-up office visit with Dr. Loh next Friday, where Chrysler will meet me and run through the how’s of operating a controller that will help me navigate the Boston model.

The downside of the surgery? I cannot shower for a week, nor can I wet and/or remove the bandage protecting the zone where the magnet was installed – on the left cheek of my butt. I had a request to Dr. Loh to be sure the magnet was attached deep enough to avoid the fate of the Abbott magnet, which was inserted with a bit of a tilt, which was awkward and a bit painful when I moved around when asleep.

Of course, my wife Vi continues to be an angel in these medical quests. She was bedside before and  after the procedure. Thanks, hon; that’s dedication.

A postscript: I didn’t miss it earlier but thought about it now.  For some reason, I wasn’t moved to a recovery room like in past procedures. I recall recovering patients were asked and served juice and a cracker when asked “are you thirsty” or “are you hungry?”   Must be an inflationary issue to cut back. —