Tattoo & Spinal Surgery

I had decided to get a tattoo of a Christmas tree on my back. I told the artist (located in a boxy-looking store in a mall) that I was to have spinal surgery that day and he suggested that I locate the tattoo slightly off center from my spine so as not to be interfered with once under the knife. I left to confirm my surgery at the hospital and knew that I had to "confirm" the surgery in Chicago but actually go under the knife in Galesburg. When "confirming", I gave them a computer print-out of the doctor's orders that looked similar to a print out of a driver's license or a passport. Everyone in the long line was "confirmed" but me- someone indicated that something was wrong with my print out. This had me go back to the hospital in Galesburg, where I got to see the layout of the hospital and get my tattoo. The operating area was essentially one large room with several rows of hospital beds. Once back at the mall for the tattoo, I saw the artist's work- a Christmas Tree with a simplistic and sophisticated design that continued one solid green outline of the tree and yellow triangles in the middle representing ornaments. The tattoo was done with me laying on the floor of the shop. Once done, I was off to the hospital and had to wait in a long line. They had me lay down on the floor in the same way the tattoo artists did. I was nervous about them possibly messing up with the surgery under such sloppy circumstances.