T-24 hours

Meet Dr Crary:

Dr. Jay Crary is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in problems of the foot and ankle as well as general orthopedics. He does all aspects of operative and nonoperative care. His interests include sports medicine and arthroscopy, arthritis, tendonitis, deformity correction, and trauma. His goal is to help patients improve the quality of their lives through education and appropriate interventions. In his free time, Dr. Crary enjoys hiking, skiing, and traveling with his family. More at https://www.reboundmd.com/doctors/jay-l-crary-md

Within the next 24 hours, I will be anesthetized and surgery will begin on my foot. How am I feeling? Frankly, I am worried but not afraid. While it is normal for me to be more-or-less “fearless” I am used to a state of worry. In this case, the worry has shifted from the impact of external events on our lives to the possibility (albeit remote) that I may not wake up from the surgery. I realize that there is a tiny fraction of a possibility that this will happen. But this tiny possibility has set in motion thoughts about the consequences of me leaving this world too soon. Since I am not into morbidity, this article is simply conveying my emotions and feelings surrounding this medical event. It is also only my third time in a hospital in my life—once at birth, once for a hernia operation and now. Of course, at some point in the future I will be facing these thoughts about finality—we all do. I am not afraid of dying but am concerned about the impact a premature death would have on my wife and family. I will report in in a few days after my left foot has been lovingly reconstructed by Dr Crary.