Preparations

Eight Days. Eight days away from a scalpel. I am preparing in the only way I know how. That is to write what I am feeling. Write what I am thinking. I am listening to a cool mix that a friend gave me for my Ipod. I find it calms me. Helps me to think. Helps me to focus on the tasks ahead.

Today I am returning home from 7 days in upstate New York with my son and daughter-in-law. It was a celebration of their marriage. Yes they married 7 months ago, but we had the party this weekend. It was going seeing old friends, but I don’t know that I will ever live there again. I miss my son, his wife, her family, but that is really about it. Not much more. I really am enjoying my life in the Midwest, in fact it is now my life. Omaha is where the changes have take place. The changes in my body. The changes in my mindset. The changes in my life.

I believe the Midwest is now my home, and I am comfortable there. I don’t know where in the Midwest. But, I like it here. Especially Omaha and Minneapolis.

So, back to my preparations. Wednesday of this week I will have my pre surgery visit. Blood work, check up. Physical. Workups. Ready for the big day. Yesterday I put my sort term disability claim in. This is a requirement at GE for any illness over 7 days. Make sure you check your employer’s requirements. The disability payments do not kick in until 20 sick days out, but at least all the preps are complete and if recovery takes 6 weeks, I will be getting paid. As a good employee, they will continue to pay me 100% of my pay. I do not expect to be out more that three weeks as I am normally a pretty quick healer and seem to have a relatively high pain tolerance.

As far as the pain. I am starting to think about that pain more often. The knowledge that this surgery will be much more painful, or should I say the recovery from this surgery, is starting to weigh upon me. My WLS was six small holes, and 3-4 days into the surgery, the pain was really pretty minimal. I have heard and read that this could be easy, or very difficult. I don’t know where I will end up! I am trying not to think about it. But, it is beginning to weigh upon me. Continues to be that thought that is often in the back of my head. I will, in my way, keep all of you informed.

I have an “In Case Something Stupid Happens” file in my file cabinet. It is the first file in the drawer. Big letters. Bold.

“In Case Something Stupid Happens”

SWMBO hates that file. Every Man, Father, Husband ought to have one of these files. Wives, girlfriends, lovers and children probably hate these files. Wives, lovers, girlfriends and children will cringe when they read this part. But I would not be a responsible Father and Husband if I did not have one of these. It has all the insurance information. The investment information. Locations of the stuff. In case something stupid happens.

Why am I afraid to say “If I die?” I find that fascinating.

When you have surgery, they make you sign a release, talking about side effects of the surgery your are having. Side effects of the anesthesia. One of the side effects is always death. I would feel so much better if one of the side effects were “Sometimes something stupid happens!” I don’t want something stupid to happen. But it could and I need to be prepared. Insurance papers. I will also call my financial advisor. Makes sure he know what my desires are for SWMBO and the Grommets. They really are not grommets any more, I just like calling them that.

I will also call my PCP this week. That is my “Primary Care Physician”. Make sure he knows I am going under the knife next week also.

So here I am. Eight days out. Waiting. Ready. Really. This is very cool!