Patient Testimonials

THE BIG DAY

"I was more excited than nervous until the actual day of the surgery, which took place at 1:30 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon at a surgical center close to where I live. I did feel that everything had been explained to me so I felt as comfortable as I could under the circumstances. The center was nice and clean and everyone there was very friendly. I changed into a gown and the nurses ran my IV line. The Doctor and I talked and then he used a blue pen like a magic marker to define the incision lines and the positioning of the implants.

I walked into the surgical suite and the anesthesiologist explained what they would be doing. All the nurses stood around me to give me support. I was out like a light soon after I was given the general anesthesia and didn't feel a thing during the two-hour procedure.

I woke up in a quiet room where the nurses were getting me situated for recovery. I remember falling asleep on and off while they monitored me. When I became a little more alert, one of the nurses walked me over to a reclining chair in the recovery area. During the 90 minutes I was there, they gave me some juice and went over my home care instructions.

When I was getting dressed, I looked down and noticed that I was taped across my chest and that I had drainage tubes. I immediately thought the tubes looked a little like hand grenades so that's what I started calling them. The tape and the 'hand grenades' weren't painful, just a bit awkward."