...and add THAT to the list!

Hey, Mom! What up?

Last weekend was lovely in SF! Wish you were here. D, M & C were here for C's music festival, and it was great seeing them. They said you got snow that (Saturday) morning, so I'm sure they were glad to be here and not there! BTW, C's choir sounded great (they got first place) and the venue (St. Ignasius church...a place I'd never been to), was beautiful. The final concert was at Davies Symphony Hall, and Paul and I were able to go.

So, as I mentioned, I was going to make some lists and read up a bunch on the sleepnet.com site, which I did.

In looking at my big list (which I'm sure is bound to have more additions in the future), I'm thinkin' no matter how prepared I am with all the stuff I need to get, the things I need to do, the questions I need to ask, the things I should expect to happen, in addition to preparing myself mentally, I may be better-prepared, but I'm never *really* going to be fully prepared. Gulk!
(dang! There were a lot of commas in that last sentence!)

So far, the big list is comprised of little lists broken down as:
a) Things I need to to get/have.
b) Things to do in order to be ready for the big day.
c) Questions to ask the doctor at the pre-op appointment.
c) Things to expect at the hospital and during recovery.

- Paul and I went "sailing" last weekend(*garage* sailing, that is) and I found a very nice "used only once" humidifier for only 5 bucks! Someone from the sleepnet.com forum had recommended I get one, so it was on my list. Like you, I love a bargain!
Sure, having lip balm, stool softener, a humidifier, lots of Ensure, instant breakfast, Odwalla's, 7 kinds of food choppers/blenders ;-) , mini toothbrushes, and stuff to help keep me from being bored will be really helpful, but I don't think I'm going to fully comprehend the magnitude of MMA surgery until I wake up in the ICU after it's over. HIGH ANXIETY!!!! ;-)
In all my reading, as similar as many people's experiences have been, there's still as many (if not more) differences. Some people have experienced little if any pain, and others have said it was the most painful thing they've ever experienced. ...and there's no way to know where in that range I'll fall until I experience it for myself. I'm visualizing being on the "not very much pain" side, of course!

- I also took care of some "to-do" stuff. Even though I had my regularly-scheduled teeth cleaning a couple months ago, I scheduled another one for right before the surgery. I figure it "couldn't hoit" since I won't be able to brush like I regularly do for a good while, and there’d be no way to open my mouth far enough and long enough for the regularly scheduled cleaning in September.
Also, I filled out the online medical disability form from work. Can you say convoluted? My HR rep told me that I will be eligible for full pay for up to 63 calendar days, which is good news. Since I’m taking a little more than 6 weeks off, I’ll be covered. Unfortunately, I won't be paid the same way. Instead, the state will be paying a certain amount every week, and work will make up the rest. I just hope it all works out like they say it's going to!
So, what's left? I still have to get a full blood work-up and EKG before the surgery, but that should be pretty easy to do. Even though I still have 5 weeks to get that done, I'll probably do it this week. That’s one less thing to worry about.

As far as the pre-op appointment with Dr. KL goes, I have a (yet another:-) list of questions to ask him (which I'm sure will get bigger)....such as: what *exactly* are you going to do? How far (in millimeters) will my jaw be moved? What about my slightly deviated septum? What about that weird stone in my salivary gland that showed up in my x-ray? Does vicadin come in 1/2 gallon containers? (only kidding!!!)

When it comes to things to expect at the hospital and during my recovery, I'm not that sure what to do yet. I'm thinking about making "ICU cue-cards" since talking might be a challenge. For instance, the cards might say:

* Could you please quiet down?
* May I please have some water?
* Okay, I admit it. This hurts.
* This catheter is not enjoyable. Please remove it as soon as humanly possible.
* Could somebody please suction the “boogs” out of my doze?
* Does this head-rap make my ass look big?

…you know! Stuff like that! :-)

Since I'm still 5 weeks away, there's still plenty of time to add to the lists, and hopefully finish what I need to do. As far as work goes (yet ANOTHER list!) I am going to have to pack everything up in my office, because we’ll be moving from our temporary digs back to our regular offices after they are finished being remodeled. Unfortunately, I won’t be here for the move back, so I want to make it as easy as possible on my co-workers, who will have to move all my stuff/crap. Poor them!

Lists, lists, lists!!
All I can say is I'm glad I'm writin' all of this down, yahearwhatI'msayin'?

xoxox:
Pinski

P.S. I’ll be posting some “before pix” soon, but not until the gi-normous “blemish” ;-) on my temple leaves me.