I don’t know if I can even start to describe how big of a relief it was to wake up last Tuesday afternoon in my hospital room, looking at my loving husband, one of my fabulous sister-in-laws, and one of my daughters grinning at me, with no tube in my throat, able to talk and smile.  My previous surgeries had been disasters, and this one went phenomenally well.  The palpable sense of relief kept me smiling and empowered and energized for the next three days.

When your airway is a mess, it gets complicated.  But Dr. Daniel Liu, anesthesiologist, did a fabulous job giving me the right drugs so I wouldn’t remember the camera he put down my throat the show him how to put the other tube down without making a mess.  I was awake, but sedated, so I could follow directions and so my airway muscle tone wouldn’t collapse like it does when you’re out.  There are now directions in my chart for how to intubate me safely, in case I ever need surgery again.