*Gulp*

Tomorrow I'm going under the knife. I'm going to be invaded and slashed open and have chunks of my body removed.

Ok, I'm being dramatic. I'm just having my wisdom teeth taken out. However, given the level of nerves I'm feeling about the whole thing, you'd think my life hung in the balance. I've prepared a stash of mush to consume for the days following the surgery:

I have to laugh at the differences between the military dental clinic I'm using here in Japan and the nice civilian office my sister had the same procedure done in while I was visiting this summer. She got a group of super friendly, attentive and reassuring doctors and nurses telling her exactly what to expect and a whole packet full of detailed pre and post-op instructions. She got the happy happy valium to take before the whole ordeal so she'd be relaxed and carefree. It was as comfortable an experience as you can get with this kind of surgery- kinda like a dental vacation resort.

Here, on the other hand, so far I've gotten one cold surgeon who speed-ran through a memorized script of basic explanations, a one page printout of instructions (half of which was devoted to things like "Do not work with weapons or classified materials for 24 hours after surgery"... darn, ruins my plans for recovery), a staunch "no" to my inquiry about anti-nerve drugs, and a kick out the door.

Sounds like a bum deal, but I'm not necessarily knocking it; my sis' surgery cost thousands out of pocket, and I don't have to pay a dime. In the end, we both will have our wisdom teeth out. So I'm not sure who's getting the better deal.

Wish me luck! I plan to spend the rest of today eating all the crunchy foods I can and pacing the living room trying to calm my fears.