SURGERY

Last night while sleeping, a dog spoke to me in Morse-code, his nails clattering along the kitchen’s wood-laminate flooring, his dull sounding message accompanied by a laboring motor churning water. I descended the steps, saw the sub-pump’s trigger arm stuck, and reached for the electrical plug before examining the motor further. It was hot to the touch. I hadn’t a clue as to how long it had been running, but I knew without a doubt that any longer and the motor would have burnt up. I made a quick repair, or at least I thought so, and slowly drifted back into the dreamworld.

Today is my much awaited surgery. After a day of liquid dieting and its aftermath, I’m anxious to get the 4-millimeter stone blasted into sand. Yesterday’s X-rays and ultrasound indicated that the stone is in the lower abdomen area. The doctor informed me that he will be sending shockwaves over my abdomen and into the kidney stone—nothing invasive—and that I should have mild bruising and mild internal bleeding. He demonstrated the pulsating beat of the shockwave with a slow rhythmic tap on the counter, next to the horrific poster depicting a cystoscopic exam. He told me there's a 85% chance of success.

Before leaving for the hospital, I checked to see if the red tape I applied to the sub-pump’s trigger arm worked. It had. I believe this is a good omen. I plan on continuing my blog, and more importantly, checking up on my fellow bloggers asap. The stone in my right kidney shall soon be a thing of the past.