Surprisingly, I slept close to six hours the night before my surgery. I didn’t expect this, I thought for sure I’d be awake right up to 4am – my scheduled time to rise. But, I think my mind had made peace with it and allowed me to rest. But 4am sure came fast. I was up and taking my no-fancy soap shower, packing my overnight and goodie bags and then sat and waiting for Adam to de-zombify himself.

Nerves still hadn’t hit me even as Adam and I walked into the hospital and to the pre-op surgery area. I was a little surprised about how the pre-op area is set up. You walk in and immediately to your right in the worlds-smallest waiting room. Continue your path and you’re in what kind of looks like tiny ER or triage area… which I suppose is normal. I’ve never been to a hospital in this capacity before, so what do I know? I turned the corner and proceeded to sign in, promptly at 5:30 as instructed. Next up, a nurse weighed me and took my temperature. After that I was given my own little curtained-off nook in the pre-op area.

My parents showed up, looking nervous but trying to hide it for my sake no doubt. I still didn’t feel nervous. I felt excited.

I had a handful of visitors – the nurse who checked me in, the anesthesiologist, an assistant to my surgeon, and the bariatric education lady for Good Sam. Almost everyone asked me the same standard questions – all including “Do you know what surgery you are here for?” Yes I was well aware. I was getting my insides rearranged.

The nurse gave me my fancy new outfit, a thick back-opening gown that had a funny little pocket in the front. There was a machine hanging on the wall, a heater with a long tube, that could be hooked to the front of the gown should I be too chilly. On went some slippers, my silly little hat, and the leg pumps.

The nurse helped me get up and I gave hugs and kisses to my parents and Adam and off I went! I walked into the operating room and at this point everything seemed to go super fast. The doctors had me get on a small operating table and adjust my legs. They put my arms out (like a cross – freaky!) and they put the gas mask on me and asked me to take deep breaths.

Tangent! This is probably the only part of this whole ordeal that kind of freaked me out. Not the actual moment, but just thinking about it here and there prior to surgery. I’d seen one too many 20/20-Dateline-Etcs that featured people who had anesthesia and it didn’t work but they couldn’t wake up enough to let the doctors know they felt everything. Thankfully, I was not one of those people.

Literally the next thing I know I was waking up in the recovery room. I swear it seemed like only five minutes later. There was a nurse next to my bed, no doubt waiting for me to come around, and she let me know that I’d be taken to my room as soon as someone could come down to get me. Apparently they were short staffed, or it’s just normal there is only one or two people that can do this. I told her it was fine. Not like I had plans or anything. In the bed next to me there was an older man that got to leave straight from the recovery room. I think he had something done to his foot, or something else minor. Then a bit later they brought in a little kid, maybe five years old or so, and he was crying. The poor thing, I felt bad for him.

Finally it was my turn! They started moving my bed out of the recovery room and I remember glancing around and I saw Adam walk by down the hall, see me coming, and turned around. No doubt he was off to tell my parents I was being moved. The bed was pushed through the waiting room to the elevators and I saw my parents, Adam and Iris gathering their stuff and standing around my bed as we waited for the elevators. I remember being slightly giddy and I don’t know what prompted me to say it, but I exclaimed “This is how I roll!” as they’re pushing me into the elevator. On the way to my room, the nurses told me I had my own room, to which I replied “Party in my room!”

It was safe to say I was pretty looped out still.