So, I've been a bit... absent... lately. I've also not been keeping up with the workout regimen. Oops. However, there's a good reason. I'm headed in for surgery on Friday. I've been dealing with abdominal pain again for quite a while, and it just seems to be getting worse... along with some other random, fun issues. I had a laparoscopy about 7 years ago, at which time I was diagnosed with and treated for endometriosis. Tomorrow morning (well, I guess technically at this point, it's this morning) I go in to meet with the doctor for my pre-op appointment, and Friday he's performing a laparoscopy, a hysteroscopy, and a D&C. Fun fun fun!!!
In order to prepare for Friday's fun, I've been cleaning the house like a madwoman, collecting books and DVD's (recovery time was about a week last time, and this time they're doing more extensive work), and doing my pre-surgery shopping. I have soft, tummy-friendly foods for the first day or so, a big, loose pair of sweatpants to wear to and from the hospital, and two reusable ice packs (buy one get one free... worked out well for me so I can have one on standby and rotate them out).
I have been riding the anxiety train a little, but I'm not really anxious about the procedure itself - I'm more anxious about being appropriately prepared. I think I'm well on my way, and I think handling up the shopping tonight helped assuage some of my panic. Now it's just a waiting game. I'm ready for Friday to be here - I'm ready to have it over with, hopefully have some of my issues resolved, and get on the road to recovery and being able to get physically fit in addition to healthy. The nice thing is, I don't have a whole lot of free time prior to the procedure to sit around and think about it. I'm working tomorrow and Thursday, and I have a handful of projects lined up to occupy myself in my rare moments of free time.
My parents, brother, and sister are going to be out of state until sometime Monday, visiting my other brother who is stationed at MacGuire AFB in New Jersey. They're feeling bad about not being around, but between my husband, my awesome neighbors, and a couple other great friends, I know I'm going to be well cared for. Additionally, my father-in-law has to be in town anyway that morning, so he's going to hang out in the waiting area with my husband while I'm being sliced and diced, scoped and scraped. That was a relief for me, because my main concern was how the husband was going to handle the waiting. I've had the experience of waiting in the waiting room while he's been sedated and undergoing minor procedures, and I know that regardless of how minor the procedure, the waiting can be very anxiety-provoking. I've also had the experience of being an E.R. patient with his accompaniment, when I'm able to sit with him and communicate with him, and he's a big enough ball of stress when that's going on... he and his dad have a great relationship, and other than possibly his sister, his dad is probably the best person who could be spending that time with him and keeping him calm and sane. I'd say I got pretty lucky on the whole in-law thing... My husband's family is wonderful. They're fantastic, caring people, and it's nice to know that they're around and willing to do whatever they can to be supportive in a situation like this. I'll admit that my initial reaction to this news was not really wanting anyone other than Sean to see me in the state I will surely be in once the procedure is over... but then I quickly realized how silly that is, and that no one will have high expectations for how I'm presenting myself.
I also found out today that I've been added to the prayer list at my parents' church. While the whole church thing isn't really my speed right now, my mom mentioned a handful of people there who have been inquiring about me, and said that they're supposed to call the minister on Saturday to give them the update. As much as I've had issues with the things that have gone on in that church in the distant past, and as much as it turned me off of religion, I will say that this particular church is full of wonderful, caring, giving, thoughtful people, and I certainly feel very loved and appreciate their caring and concern.
As far as concerns surrounding the actual procedure, I did have a minor complication last time around. When they removed my breathing tube, I didn't exactly start breathing on my own right away, from what I'm told. I was supposed to spend 2 hours-ish in the recovery room, moving from the bed to the chair to out the door... but it took FOREVER to get my oxygen saturation high enough that I could do anything other than lie on my gurney without nearly passing out. My procedure was early in the morning, and we didn't leave the hospital until mid to late afternoon (granted, my recollection of the specific details is a bit foggy). I just recall feeling like I was never going to be stable enough to go home that day... and then I remember my mom accompanying me into the bathroom to use the restroom and get dressed - and discovering that I have a tattoo. She was SHOCKED BEYOND REASON, but I must say, she handled it very well that day. (Believe me, there was a discussion about it later, but she was a SAINT the day of, considering how infuriated it made her.)
At this point, the only major thing I have left to do to really be prepared is get my laptop working again. It won't boot right now, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to reformat the hard drive. I've been meaning to clean a bunch of crap off the computer, but I certainly didn't want to lose it all. Ah well... what can you do.
So long story short, that's what's coming up for me in the immediate future, and while I'm planning on being pretty dopey Friday, Saturday, and probably into Sunday, anyone local should consider giving me a shout and dropping by at some point - I'll be off of work until the... 16th(?) and I'm sure I'll have cabin fever long before that time. There's X-Files and Freaks and Geeks on the movie list, and I'm open for just about any kind of entertainment that doesn't involve physical exertion. I'll update when I'm feeling up to computer-ing for those of you outside my immediate geographical region. :)
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