Wait There Is Smoke!

Dateline May 3rd 2017

My appointment was at the University of Minnesota and I was there to get zapped by a laser.

The procedure was being conducted as a training class on a new piece of equipment which meant, as long as agreed to be their lab rat, the visit was free.  So I said...  Sure, what the heck.

Now I have mentioned before how much I dislike my scar. It didn't feel or look right and I wanted it fixed. So for the past few months I have been going to the U Of M to have steroid injections directly into the scar. The reason for this was to get the scar to flatten out. For the most part this worked. The injections weren't pleasant, but they did the job.

So this brings us to yesterday's laser treatment. They were supposed to be done to change the color of the scar. However when I arrived at the appointment things changed.

First thing I was told was that the laser treatment they were training on would not change the color, but instead would force the scar to reform properly this time. So I asked what was the difference between this and the steroid injections I just went through. His explanation was this time we are going to use the laser to due "controlled trauma" and then "vaporize" the scar. It sounded painful and I prepared for the worst. The good news was that there were going to use a numbing agent on the scar to help reduce the pain of being shot with the laser.

Now the numbing agent was just a numbing cream. The nurse was trying her best to follow the rules. She had a long swab and had it slathered with numbing agent. She was trying her best to smear in evenly across my scar. However a huge glop of the numbing agent dropped onto my hand. She then quit worrying about procedure and used her finger to smear the cream.

As for the glob on my hand? Well I decided to do what any guy would do and I wiped it on my pants. That was all well in good until a few seconds later when I rubbed my eye. Yep numbing agent in my eye. Don't try this at home folks I am a professional.

The procedure was to be done in the next room. My wife had to wait for me in the first room while the procedure was being done.

Once in the room, they made the decision to "train" on a second laser to help with the color of the scar. To do this one of the nurses had to go back into the room that my wife was in and get the second laser machine. When the nurse went into the room, grabbed the laser machine, she looked at my wife, smiled, and said "we are going to make him cry".  Really who says that?

So what was worst part of the session? Easy, that was watching them prep the machines. To make sure that lasers were aligned and working properly they tested them on tongue depressors. The first one they did was the one to change the color of the scar. I saw a flash of light and that was it. The second one was the one that needed to do the "controlled trauma" and then "vaporize" the scar. This one, when they hit the tongue depressor, produced a huge ball of smoke. All I could say was "Oh my god that is a lot of smoke". DR. Jue just smiled and responded, "yea, this one could hurt just a bit".  

The procedures went fine and I survived. The first laser they used was the one to try to change the color of the scar felt like a rubber band snap.  The second laser which was the one schedule to do all the damage, thanks to the numbing agent, only felt like small pin pricks. 

In fact the procedure went so well that they have agreed to do another 2-3 of these "training' sessions on me over the next couple of months for free.

We had so much fun, why not do it again!

What can this strange device be?
When I touch it, it gives forth a sound
It's got wires that vibrate and give music
What can this thing be that I found?

(2112    Rush)