Ethanol Ablation - Round 1

I admittedly did not sleep well last night...nerves.  A very dear friend came along to Mayo...Bob is in Europe.  I waited a while and got called back, changed into a hospital gown. I then waited in a second waiting area. It was then that the nerves really hit.  Two treks to the bathroom later and I felt queasy.  I was called to the procedure room and was prepped...cleaned the area with iodine, draped with surgical paper. The doctor reviewed the possible side effects:
1. Damage to the nerves to my vocal cords...hoarseness...sometimes permanent. But the risk is lower than with surgery and since the node being treated was lateral with the jugular, the risk was low.
2. Damage to facial nerves causing eyelid drooping. Again a low risk.

He then described what I would perhaps feel: The injection of lidocaine to numb the area, a pressure and/burn as ethanol is injected. Some have migratory pain up to the ear, face, neck, shoulder, chest, back of the head.

Did I have any questions? Yup:
1. How long will the procedure last when you begin the ethanol injections? Answer - 10 minutes. Reality - 5 minutes.
2. How much alcohol will be used? Two needles were prepared, each with 1cc.
3. Is the fatty hilum of the node intact? Surprisingly the answer was "yes."

I was numbed and treatment started. 4 passes with the needle. The node is peanut shaped...so the top of the peanut was treated, then the middle, bottom then another area the doc called "that little bugger." I felt pressure, but from the inside out. It burned but not badly. I felt a funny sensation in my throat and up near my eye. My outer ear felt full and large. As the doc treated the node my mantra was "Thank you, Jesus." How blessed to benefit from such an elegant treatment option.  The 4th pass hurt and I raised my hand for a time out, but just then it was over.

More tomorrow...