JP, that about sums it up as far as it goes for me too.

Anesthesia during surgery is always amazing to me because I have never had any recollection of dreams or anything that I usually do during normal sleep. I mean, you're just completely zapped and when you wake up there is absolutely no sense of time. You might have been out 3 minutes or 3 hours. I've had the experience more times than I want to remember, but it still amazes me....the complete "blankness" of it all.

On three of these occasions, my body has been chilled and my heart stopped which, without the outside equipment, classifies as death. Still, the entire thing is blank to me afterwards so evidently whomever it might be (or not) who runs the "Afterlife Express" has taken modern medical technology into account. I guess you don't get a ticket unless it's the "real thing"............Like Arlo sings, "When you got a ticket on that last train to Glory, you'll know you're reasonably there." What bothers me though is exactly what JP said in a way.......Since its such a blank, how do I know?

This last thing, the "valve job" 10 days ago, had the strong possibility that I might not make it through surgery and thanks to the many good thoughts, prayers, and whatever of the great folks here at the 'Cat and the skill of the surgical team I had no trouble at all. Going into it however, I couldn't help but consider that 6/20/01 might also be the date on my death certificate. This one too was a complete and total blank but in this case my first and what seemed to be my immediate thought upon coming to was, "HEY!!! I'm alive!" I know it was the first and most immediate thought because my next was, "Geeze, does this ever hurt or what????" The point is that how would I have known if it went the other way?

Seems to me that if you're hanging about the train station and you don't get a ticket, you should at least get to bring the schedule or a travel brochure or something back here with you..............

Spaw