After the nurse punctured my right arm, the IV drip of a sedative and an opioid analgesic (fentanyl) was supposed to keep me hydrated while inducing “twilight anesthesia”, a painless, semi-conscious state accompanied by amnesia. However, I recall observing the first half or so of the procedure, commenting on the high quality of the doctor’s endoscopic view, and discussing Rosa’s unusual job. I also recall discomfort, and the nurse adding more drugs to the IV. From the several hours following the procedure, I recall nothing, although Rosa reports that I was quite able to walk and talk.
For the next two days, I watched as my enormously bloated forearm shrank back to normal size. An IV works much better when it lives up to its name and delivers fluid intravenously.
