Another health update

For the last few days, I've had a drainage tube sticking out of my body. The tube interferes with my life in lots and lots of little ways. The tube, while inside me, keeps me from using some of my stomach muscles without pain, so it's tough to walk. The tube, while outside me, keeps me from sleeping on my stomach, so I am getting crappy sleep. The tube, while bandaged up, makes it very hard to shower without getting the bandage wet. And finally, the tube, while inserted into my chest, physically keeps a wound open and bleeding!

So it's with great happiness that I announce that the tube is now out of me! I went to my surgeon today who removed it with great skill. There was a suture keeping the tube from falling out, which he cut open. Then he told me to take a deep breath (oh yeah, impossible with the tube) and not to be nervous (are you kidding me?). So I did the best I could and he pulled. I could feel the snaking tube unraveling from inside my chest, rubbing up against my liver, lungs and ribs. It felt like a live sname was loose inside my body cavity. It also hurt like hell because I couldn't breathe. In a few seconds, the surgeon stopped pulling because the tube was out but it still took me a good 5 minutes to catch my breath. I looked down at my side and saw a bleeding gash, about half an inch long, but deep. This, the doctor told me, would produce the largest scar out of the whole operation! I looked at the two other upper body holes as the doctor pulled off the bandages. They were tiny little slashes that were already half-healed, if not for the scabbing. The last wound produced in this medical opera is the vertical slash above my belly button where the gall bladder was removed. Because it had been stiched up immediately after the operation and not touched, it will not scar as badly, even though it's bigger than the tube wound.

I immediately felt better when the tube came out (and I caught my breath). I could now move my stomach muscles and I took my new (old) body out for a walk. Where I had been walking with a slouch before, my body was now relatively straight. I gingerly tried breathing deep. The only pain I got was the pain from the open wound. That will subside soon and I'll be back to normal quickly, I'm sure. More importantly, my super duper 11 night Vegas trip is going to perfect!

Is it wrong that I scheduled my gall bladder surgery so that I would be better juuuust in time to go to Vegas? Huh? Is it?

More Wall Street Poker tourneys and cash games are coming up soon. I'm back, baby!