Counting (Irish) Sheep

There are a lot of sheep and redheads in Ireland. Natural red hair is the rarest of human hair colors, only 1-2% of the world-wide population. Scotland and Ireland have a much higher percentage than the rest of the world which may account for all the sheep. I don't know how Irish I am but a good many redheads are and so for you, this is a head's up that you may want to share during St. Paddy's week, either that or have a stash of Irish Whiskey, your own flock of sheep and a stick on hand.

I had surgery in November and freaked the anesthesiology team out. They could not put me to sleep. Here is the gist of our OR conversation:

"John", the anesthesiology team captain,  "Girl, aren't you asleep yet?"
Me, "Uh. No."
"John", "Do you feel that?"
Me, "Ouch. Yes!"

Really. It was weird and everyone was becoming rather unsettled. When they got to a level of drugs above which most patients require, we had to go to other measures...just short of biting a stick. And, had this been elective surgery, I probably would have unstrapped myself from all those tubes and walked out. I am being a little flip here but not overly so. I was awake for most of the surgery and just barely comfortable. After I got home, I sent my doctor one of the studies on redheads and pain so she could forward it to the surgery cocktail mixologists.

When I went back for my four month check up last week, my doctor was grateful beyond words. I had surgery at a teaching hospital and she says in her classes, she is now teaching a segment on this redhead phenomenon which many in medicine had written off as urban legend. Looks like next time I go "in and under", I will have a better snooze! Not much of a whiskey drinker, I still might carry my own stick, though, and take along a pix of sheep to count.

And, fast forward to the dentist office where I will be going tomorrow. When we first met,  I made sure to tell my dentist, "Please know I really am a natural redhead and I will require more painkiller. Have you seen the studies? Get ready to pump it in there!" which she does and we both have a grand old time.

Because most women handle the medical info for their families...better check your bloodline as well as your hairline before you go under the knife or drill! Here is a story about the studies... http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/the-pain-of-being-a-redhead/

(The Lancome piece will be next week...it was a little "French" for today's Women and Wednesdays post!)