Pre-Op Countdown

Tuesday, September 8, 2009, 9:30am:

So I'm starting to write now, as I have time on my hands, and I'm not sure how I'll feel about writing later in the day! I'm through with my first test of the day in 533, and am now waiting in the 'Surgery Center' in 400...

By the way, thanks to all my fantastic friends who have been contacting me with well-wishes. It makes a huge difference to face anything when you're in a good mood!

The weekend was perfect -- exactly what 'the doctor ordered'. Great weather, great company, great times! It was the perfect combination of social & rest: The UM game with friends on Saturday, the Sausalito Art Festival ALL weekend, and canoodling while listening to fun music!

Johnny Boy was a perfect mensch this morning, giving me huge hugs with my ride to the hospital. We both laughed that it was like being dropped-off for your first day of school. He bundled me up, hugged & kissed me, then sent me off to the crosswalk with my pink-raspberry multi-rhinestoned eye-patch in place along with my glasses! LOL! I promised to call him when it's all over to let him know I'm all-good, as I waved my goodbye. Thanks again, John. I really appreciate it! (Oh, and of course it's John Saul who's my Johnny Boy!)

Dr. McLeod's practice assistant, Maricris Macalalag, was as wonderful as ever. She's always bubbly and positive, yet also efficient & knowledgeable. A great combination for her line of work! Thanks for being you, Maricris!

Now I'm just entertaining myself in the 'Surgery Center'. I got here early, as my A-Scan this morning was relatively quick. I LOVE technology! I'm hanging-out on my computer listening to music on my mp3-player & staying happy.

After such a great weekend, I feel well-rested & positive. On top of that, I have 5 days to recover before going back to work. While that doesn't seem like much, it can't be any worse than trying to function well with constant, varied, headaches and an eye-patch that causes it's own problems. By now I feel fairly confident about driving, even at night, with the patch on, although it took a while to feel that way. My confidence was shot initially, and I kept having to tell myself that intellectually I know how to drive. That seemed to help do the trick, as my little car is now safely parked in my carport with no scratches! It's funny, however it was actually easier to drive than to walk with the eye-patch on. I know, right!?! Never realized that intellectually you can drive easier than walk! Not to sound like a fool, however, the reality is that a car can't trip!

Wearing an eye-patch makes it vital to physically look where you are walking to avoid falling down. Add to the that complication of having your visual field thrown-off by objects such as people, trees, or simply anything that narrows your field-of-vision, and it's challenging to walk. Getting incredibly dizzy while walking with an eye-patch on is a given. At this point in my life, I tend to look at slight dizziness as a cheap buzz, however extreme dizziness to the point of vomiting is not fun! Doorways are particularly difficult, especially when someone stands & blocks the doorway partially. What I intellectually think is 8-inches away may really be 4-or-12inches away instead. That doesn't sound like much until you try walking through a narrow doorway when you're incredibly dizzy & nauseous. Not fun.

Time's up... they just called me into pre-operation prep. Will write more when I feel up to it after my surgery. Wish me success!