Hilton Head Island: meshed

I am repaired, though not to original factory specs, which is as to be expected for 1941 models that have long been out of production and were never under warranty.

The procedure took place at an outpatient surgery facility which was much less institutional than a hospital,  The staff were friendly and professional and I had the pleasure of startling several of them who looked at my chart, including the anesthesialogist, and asked incredulously, “You don’t take any medications?”  Obviously unmedicated 82 year olds are a rare and probably endangered species.  A small pleasure, but you take what you can in those circumstances and something for which I am in no way responsible.  I have written that at sea I do not consider myself either lucky or unlucky and so plan and prepare so as to reduce the effects of chance.  Yet clearly I was fortunate in the genetic lottery and in the timing of meeting Carol, so perhaps I am lucky after all.

Other than skin cancer removals and five operations on my dead right eye, I had not had surgery since my tonsils were removed at age four or five.  I got ice cream then.  Carol gave me ice cream last evening.  Rewards seventy-seven or seventy-eight years apart.  I was a good boy both times.

The procedure included inserting a piece of mesh into the muscles around the hernia to provide extra strength.  I was told that the mesh is made of polypropylene and that for a time they used Gortex, which was found to be too heavy and caused complications.  One of my suits of foul weather gear is Gortex and the anchor rode on the toy anchor that came with GANNET when I bought her is polypropylene.  Polypropylene line floats, so now I have added floatation.  Not enough to make a difference and as has been proven I am pretty good at floating anyway.

The post-operative discomfort has been much less than I expected.  I was given a prescription for opioids, but being a minimalist in this as all things, I have not taken them.  Tylenol has been enough, and I am very much looking forward to 5 pm when I can partake of my preferred liquid pain killers as I could not last night.  I may even move the time for evening drinks forward a bit.

I am told that if there are no complications I can ride a bicycle in a week and resume normal acivity in two weeks.  I expect that my normal activity is beyond the surgeon’s imagination, so I will be careful.  As you know GANNET often puts me in awkward and contorted postions, such as in retrieving the outboard from where it is stowed at the foot of the port pipe berth and when leaning over the stern and placing it on the outboard bracket.  I paid a diver to clean GANNET’s bottom this week and am eager to go sailing, but I don’t know when that will happen.

L’Chaim.