Now the waiting...

I had my last appointment before the surgery with the anaesthetist on Thursday. It was basically a quick review of any possible allergies and other issues that he'd want to be aware of before putting me under. The schedule on the 13th looks like I'll go into theatre (do many people still watch? And do I get applause at the end, or is that reserved for the chap with the knife?) at about 8:30 in the morning. They wire me for sound, and by the time they get to actually administering the drugs I'm sure they'll have had enough of my questions! About 90 minutes after arrival (10am) the surgical teams will arrive.

The meeting was fine - another excellent doctor - and he doesn't envisage any complications. They sometimes wake the patient up right after the surgery, and certainly within a couple of hours, so by about 8pm I should be awake again. The operation, as you've divined, is usually about 8 hours or so.

Now I just have to get a blood test to give them the essential details on my blood type in case a transfusion is necessary, and wait for December 13th to arrive. I'll be going into hospital the night before, but the 13th is The Day.