Only one to go now

Well this is it folks.

Tomorrow, I go "under the knife," as the saying goes.

And I guess I'm as ready as I'm going to be.

At least, I'm as ready as I can be.

This morning, (after I've done my last bout of 60 minutes on the stationary bike), we'll have breakfast and then we're off.  It will take a bit to pack the car, there are several things to remember to bring.

We're going to spend the day in leisure mode.

First, we'll take in the movie, "War Horse."

Then, we'll check into a hotel in Ottawa so that we'll be there for hospital arrival time tomorrow (whatever time that might be).  We don't find out until 5:00pm today what time I have to be at hospital tomorrow.  Stupid system if you ask me.  But then again, nobody asked me.

I'm getting my hair cut at 4:00pm so that I'll be beautiful for the surgeon (but mostly so that I don't have to worry about my hair for the duration of my rehab).

A couple of friends (LC and RLR) are meeting us for dinner at a favourite restaurant (by which time we should know when I have to be at hospital tomorrow).  MLC, Pauple and MYSM will be there too, of course.

After dinner, we'll retire to the hotel and I will take the first of two showers that I have been instructed to take using a specially-treated sponge (purchased after my pre-admission session) to very carefully wash my left leg, from waist to knee. The second scrubbing happens tomorrow morning before I go to hospital.  (Used to be, patients were disinfected during the surgical procedure.  Cut-backs I guess!)

Then I'll try to get a good night's sleep tonight.

In a strange bed.

Trying not to think about what tomorrow will bring.

And while I will go to sleep knowing what time I have to be at hospital tomorrow, I still won't know the time for which my surgery is scheduled.  I only find that out when I arrive in the morning.  Surgery is apparently two to four hours after arrival time.

The surgery itself is two to three hours long.  I will be kept in recovery for a minimum of four hours because I (a) have a seizure disorder and (b) use a CPAP machine.  Both those conditions mean they watch me more closely and longer.  I guess that's a good thing.

Nobody can see me until I'm in my room, which could take until the wee hours of the following morning.

That makes for a very long day for John and MLC, and several other people who will be wanting to know my status.

I won't notice the time though, I'll be drugged.