Pre-Op visit the day before surgery

It was the day before surgery and I was excited! I couldn't believe it was happening after months and months of planning. Besides planning for the surgery, I also had to get things settled at work and for when I returned home. I would not be very mobile when I returned home so I needed to be sure to have a wheelchair rented and other items ready. Taking medical leave from work was a complicated process and luckily everyone at work was very encouraging and helpful. I worked as close to the day of surgery as I could so I didn't have to take too much time off work beforehand. 

My pre-op appointment with Dr. Wu was scheduled for the afternoon of October 19th. During this time, Rachel took some additional X-rays to use as baseline for their files. I was provided with pre and post surgery instructions, and it was explained how checking into the hospital would work. She showed me how to do physical therapy exercises on my feet, which I was to do after the surgery was completed. I was also given the surgical boots and crutches to use post-op, and Rachel showed me how to use them. She had me demonstrate to her how slow I should be walking with the boots and crutches. Walking very slow and light on my feet were the main items emphasized. It was interesting adjusting to the shorter crutches, but it was not too bad. I then had one last meeting with Dr. Wu and we discussed my anesthesia options and again what the pros/cons were to the surgery. I decided to go with general anesthesia (versus spinal anesthesia), where I would be given medication and then intubated. He asked if I had any additional questions and when I was finished, I was ready to go for surgery the next day. 

Next stop was to eat as much yummy Hong Kong food before surgery! Since I had to fast for several hours beforehand, it was best to eat as much as I could and while I could still walk too! :-) I had Hong Kong Thai food and it was delicious! Curry crab with roti.....yum.