I want to thank everyone for the birthday wishes. Monday, October 6th, was my 58th birthday. Donna cooked up a nice breakfast with scrambled eggs and Black Forest bacon and presented me with a four-pack of Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale from Stone Brewing (for consumption later).

We kept it low key for most of the day. Around 4pm, we drove to the Offshore Tavern and Grill. A few friends stopped by, including my longtime friend, Carole Sue Bringas, and our friends, Bud and Mona, plus Donna’s sister, Linda. Donna ordered a table full of appetizer plates. We enjoyed good food, beer and great company. We watched the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game, then called it a day.

I watched the rest of the game at home. I drank plenty of water, about 1.5 liters to hydrate myself in preparation for the minor surgery on my hand scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Last week, when I was examined by Dr. Leek, he checked my right ring finger and we agreed it would require surgery to release the trigger finger condition. At that time, he asked me if I was having trouble with any other fingers. I told him, “No.”

Over the weekend, my right middle (long) finger started sticking, though not as severely as my ring finger. I could get it to extend with some effort. When my ring finger sticks, I have to pull it straight with my left hand.

The surgery was scheduled for 10:15am Tuesday morning. We needed to be at the surgery center by 9am. I wasn’t allowed to have food or drink past midnight. Donna was up early and took a phone call at 7am. It was the surgery center. They had a cancellation and wanted to know if I could come in early.

I got up, showered and dressed and we were on our way by 7:30am. I had to complete the usual paperwork at the Mission Valley Heights Surgery Center and then they prepped me for the procedure. I talked to Dr, Leek and told him about my middle finger. He said he would give it a cortisone injection while I was sedated.

The people at the center were very friendly and efficient. Donna sat and visited with me while I was waiting to go the operating room (OR). I had an IV hydrating my body with Ringer’s solution. They added an antibiotic before I went to the OR. They had me draw an “X” on the finger that was slated for surgery, put a dot on the finger that would get the cortisone injection and off we went.

The anesthesiologist gave me a choice of deep sedation or light sedation. The light sedation is a combination of a valium-type drug and propofol. The propofol puts you into a trance-like state with no memory (amnesia) of what’s taking place. I opted for the light sedation. There’s less risk of complications and the recovery time is much quicker.

All went well. I’m having difficulty typing this today. I have stitches in the palm of my hand which will stay for about 10 days. I’ll take it easy today. I’m kicking back with my hand elevated and letting the oxycodone do it’s thing.

Recovery time