Flowers and Chocolate

Today is my birthday. I'm still recovering from my surgery last week (as I knew I would be on my birthday this year) but I'm getting closer to normal so at least I'm on the tail end of things. More importantly, I'm spending the day surrounded by flowers and chocolate, as is appropriate for birthdays. Hubby did well; guess I'll keep him for another year. :-)

The birthday spread.

Flowers from my parents. A combination happy birthday/get well soon thing.

Flowers from hubby. Roses always work.

Chocolate ice cream cake, chocolate covered blueberries, lemon drops, and creme soda—yum.

A Need To Know

I guess I should update this blog someday. It isn't that I haven't had anything to talk about lately, but when it comes to my personal life I tend to share information on a need-to-know basis. Occasionally, that need is my needing to vent, so sometimes I'll tell someone something for my sake rather than theirs. I never vent on the Internet, though, and when it comes to personal information I generally feel the Internet doesn't need to know.

One can only talk about mundane things for so long, however, so I decided I'll mention the surgery I'm having this week. Relatively minor surgery, I'm told, but nothing is ever easy with me. When I sat in the doctor's office for my pre-op appointment I casually told him, "You know I had surgery last year so I already have a scar, right? Are you going to make me symmetrical now?" It didn't occur to me that the fact that I had not-so-minor surgery a year ago might be an issue (proving once again I am NOT medically-inclined), but luckily it did raise a red flag for the doctor and it occurred to him I might have scar tissue or other potential complications due to that surgery. (And I gotta say here, this is where I wish there was a single, national medical record in this country, 'cause relying on my memory for medical things is just not a smart way to go.) Since my surgery was done here last year and in the same hospital, even, the doctor decided he needed to contact the doctor that did last year's surgery and find out more about it at the very least, and if possible have that doctor present for this surgery. Amazingly, they were in fact able to coordinate things and only needed to delay the surgery a week so both doctors could be present. The week delay means I'll most likely be recovering from surgery over my birthday, but when I found out I'd be having it I figured with Murphy's Law alive and well it was a pretty good bet that was going to happen, anyway.

The surgery is outpatient and just a few days recovery under normal circumstances, I'm told (unlike last year's where I was in the hospital for 5 days), so barring any complications I should be back to normal the following week. I've got things on my calendar then so I'm hoping that'll be the case.

So that's the story. Here are a few of my thoughts:

1. This is the third year in a row that I'll have been put under a general anaesthetic. That represents once a year since we moved to North Carolina. Maybe it's something in the water...
2. When the person from the hospital called to pre-register me for this event she looked at my chart and said, "I see you were here last year. You've got to stop meeting us this way!"
3. The hospital has free Wi-Fi. We'll bring the iPad so hubby won't be bored while he waits. And he may not even really need the Wi-Fi since my aunt gave me an iTunes gift card for my birthday and we've already spent most of it on several games we'd been wanting to get. Hubby has plenty to keep him busy on the iPad now.

Hopefully, while I'm recovering at home I'll be tired enough to not want to do any real work and actually lie on the couch and watch the Food Network without feeling guilty about it; that was the best part of my recovery time last year. This recovery will be much shorter so I won't have very long to forget about reality, but even if I get just a day or two of guilt-free Food Network time it'll be worth it.