The next day my wife drove me back to the Rocky View Hospital for the visual acuity test. They wanted to see exactly what I was not seeing. You sit in front of a big white half globe. There is a small hole in the center and they shine a small light through that hole. You have one eye covered so you look with one eye. While you stare at the center light you are suppose to indicate when you see a light traveling across the “globe” from any direction but always from the outside in, from the top or from the bottom. I could see the lights in the peripheral area I think OK but as they moved more directly in line with each eye there were areas where I could not see it at all. I know Susan was cheering me on. Wishing me to see the light. It was like a competition but there were times when the signal button was silent and we all knew that the enemy light got away without injury.
It will certainly give them some interesting data to consider.

When we returned to Foothills I was informed that the Surgery was tentatively scheduled for tomorrow – Friday. They explained the procedure. In my case they had decided to enter above the top row of teeth up under the front lip, into the sinus and from there into the brain. This would give the quickest access to the tumor and the pituitary cavity.

There were some risks to be aware of:
1) In less than 1% of cases they could damage the carotid artery that runs up the brain stem into the brain. This would not be good and could lead to serious complications and death.
2) There could be damage to the pituitary from the surgery that sometimes led to a type of diabetes that we would need to get under control. About 5% chance.
3) Pituitary damage could also require me to take hormone replacements for the rest of my life. A very manageable condition. I was on hormone now because the tumor was, at least restricting the pituitary from working properly.
4) It was important that they get a good seal of the brain cavity when the surgery was over as leaking brain fluid is not a good thing. No sneezing, coughing, no exertions of any kind and lots of fiber. Little did they know that fiber has been my friend for years.

I signed the consent form that I was aware of the risks.
I was also worried about hiccups. It seems that the hormone they were giving me loved giving them to me. The family was always suggesting methods for me to stop. Drink from the back side of a glass, the paper bag thing etc. I was not going for any of that. It was the drugs. For some reason I stopped getting them. Perhaps I was getting used to the hormone drug.

So I ate my last supper that Thursday evening. Nothing by mouth after midnight. I should say at this point I cannot complain about the hospital food. Hey it was not ribs from Earls! The important thing to do is fill in your menu selection form. Choose everything you can and always include a desert or two. They bring it right to your bed side and no tipping allowed.
Friday was not to be the day. At 2:30 they decided I could eat my lunch and that ended the waiting. They fed me supper and then back on the band wagon at midnight. Nothing by mouth. I was allowed to have some milk at 11pm with my hormone pill. You just need something food like when your taken that stuff just to keep the stomach quiet.

I had a nice surprise that Friday evening. My daughter from Edmonton arrived to cheer me up. I did not expect this and it was a nice surprise after the fasting most of the day. I told her about the surgery and we talked about how university is going for her. She asked me to ask the doc to work on my nose while he was doing the surgery. She never said exactly what she wanted done. What’s wrong with my Roman nose anyway. The best part was the card game we had and I need to record for posterity that I won the game. The game is called school and I have to admit that she has been the school queen most of the time but not this night. I FINALLY WON A GAME!
I should point out that the santa Clause that I was holding up earlier in a previous chapter was given to me at christmas by her. I get one every year and the one was a pooping santa. Now what do you do with a person like that except give her gloves with teh finger cut off.

Just after lunch on Saturday I was off to surgery. There had not been a set time. I ask the nursing desk to call my wife and laid back for the ride to the operating room. I was determined not to look around much in the room. It can be a scary place if you see something they are going to use on you that you really should not see. The doc was there to put me to sleep. He was funny and cute in an Al Pachino kind of way. He told me to breath deep but my body wanted to go to sleep. I asked him to give me the good drugs. He said, “I’m the best “pusher” in all of Calgary”. “I deliver only the best stuff”. Then he said,” here it comes and I promise if you’ll slip me some cash I won’t call the IRS or the police with anything you are about to reveal”. Now you know how he paid for med school.

Surgery lasted a couple of hours and I was sent to recovery about 3:30.

G