Surgery, Swedish style
I have no insights to offer at the moment, so instead I offer a play-by-play of my mastectomy and axillary dissection experience for those interested in the lurid details. Last Tuesday I got up at 3:45am (in itself a feat for me) and took my second “surgical shower:” you wash according to your regular habits; turn the water off; wash yourself from the neck down with a non-lathering surgical soap (active ingredient: chlorhexidine gluconate); turn the water on; rinse. You do this before bed and again in the morning before surgery. It’s a loathsome process but I’m grateful Swedish is so anal in their anti-infection procedures. I couldn’t eat or drink before surgery, couldn’t put on any lotion or make-up or jewelry, have no hair to arrange, and my clothes would soon be exchanged for scrubs, so there wasn’t much to think about before leaving the house. Except food, but I’m obsessed with food so I did my thinking in advance. I’d packed homemade granola and a box of almond milk