I'm heading into a second day with the inability to utilize my voice due to vocal chord surgery (i.e. laryngeal lesion removal--yuck). In a day and a half, it's already been quite a ride. However according to friends and family, I still have my personality. White boards and gesticulation come in handy when expressing yourself. They bruised my tongue and inner mouth because my doctor explained that I was "anterior." What the hell does that mean? Anyway, the bump/bruise on my tongue was the size of a walnut yesterday, and made it difficult to eat. My throat and neck are very sore. They did the right vocal chord, so it's primarily painful on that side.
Courtesy, Deborah Leavitt, Megaphone
Upon arrival at the hospital, they gave me an Advanced Directive (kind of like a living will). I was already extremely nervous and just wanted to start the procedure. She explained that the paperwork to process the AD would be 6 weeks. I questioned why I did not get this sooner. She was not sure, then questioned if I had one at home. I'm thinking to myself, "Perhaps. Underneath my bed, mixed in with everything else that I don't know what to do with." I then said, "Well, I guess this won't really help if something happens today?!" She responded, "Yes ma'am. That's correct." Oh the dehumanizing major hospital experience...
I hope that you'll join me on this journey and witness the unraveling of all this means to me, my life, and my career. Given my schedule and interesting DAILY journeys (particularly on public transportation), recent events, and the wormholes of my mind, I should be able to keep you, or at least myself, entertained along the way.--E.B.
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