have an active retirement, and longer life.

Well, I learned today that I now have a surgery date!

On the morning of 12/17/2008 I should join the ranks of the losers group.  Not that haven't already been losing, but now it will be official and the losing should get back on track.

Things went pretty fast and furious for a while today, thank goodness I had the day off.  I was able to concentrate on getting some of the phone calls I needed to do for preregistering at the hospital and arranging hematological backup for surgery.

I take Cumadin on a daily basis and need to be on an alternative for the 5 days before and after the surgery.  I will have to stop taking the Cumadin 5 days prior to surgery and give myself Lovanox shots during that time.  I will have to give myself the last shot the day before surgery so that all of the Lovanox has dissipated from my system by the surgery time the next day.  I can then begin taking the Cumadin and Lovanox together (once given the clearance by my surgeon) until the Cumadin has started working again.

So now all I have to do is make sure all my financing is in order, brush up on my pre & post surgery diet plans and wait out the next three weeks.  Whew!  This is starting to get exciting, frightening and strange all wrapped up in one.

Well, as you can read by the headline, I made my pre-surgery weight. 431 on Monday, November 17th.  Whew. what a journey (and it is only getting started).  I met with Jessica (again) and in her opinion I have done all they have asked to get me where I am now.  She informed Dr. Snyder and Dolly that I am now ready to take the next step.  Dr. Snyder replied with "... lets get moving."  Now I need to hear back from Dolly on what I need to do next and hopefully have a date set.

Would I like to have the surgery before the Christmas holidays?  Well that is a double-edged sword if you ask me.  Could I go through all the usual holiday events and traditions missing out on those things I have done all these past many years?  Maybe, its hard to tell at this point.  I know logicially I should be ready to put a lot of things behind me and look forward to what going to be new and exciting in the future.  But to have the surgery right at the holidays and having such a huge challenge right away might be a good thing, or could be bad.  Right now I am not entirely sure at this point.  On the other hand as usual for the past 15 years or so, I am taking the last two-weeks of the year off to use up the remainder of my vacation time.  Would be great to have the surgery done and have some time off to recoup a bit.

Ugh!  Decisions, decisions.  The logical side of me hopes (and believes) that my surgery date won't be until after the first of the year.  Who knows stranger things have happened.

Oops, forgot to post last week.  I saw Jessica again on Monday, 10/13.  Down another 4 pounds.  Wow, thought I was going to actually gain weight this time.  I was so bad at keeping track of my diet log and had several days where it was just plain impossible to stay on program.

Jessica gave me a three week challenge to have the last 15 pound lost.  If I can do that I will have reach the goal to be at a safe weight for surgery and they can set a date.  I am going to do my damnedest to get there.

I don't have much more to say, other than... see you in three weeks.