Countdown

Tomorrow is the cancer surgery. I'm pacing around the house like a caged kangaroo, trying to "get things done," though I can't think of anything that needs to be done. Water the plants. Put clean sheets on the guest room bed. Put away the clean clothes. Shampoo the carpet. Paint the exterior of the house.

It frequently occurs to me that none of this seems real. Cancer? Really? I have cancer? Tomorrow they're going to remove one lobe of my lung? Huh. How 'bout that.

There goes my last chance to be a body double for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit photo shoot. Too many scars to Photoshop out.

Everything is in place. I know what I have to do. I know not to eat anything after midnight. I have good wishes and prayers and all sorts of healing vibes from lots of people who love me. I feel deeply cared for.

And the only part that feels real is that I'm frightened. They're going to slice into my precious flesh and ease apart a couple of ribs and then poke around in places that were never intended to be poked. Then, in ways I can't possibly envision, they will cut away part of my right lung. All these many years it's worked without any help or thought from me, and now someone is going to cut part of it off.

What do they do with it?

But there is always some good news

We all know that Medicare is a mystery. I guess the guvment believes the myth that we all become wise as we age, so they assume we can figure it all out.

I'm glad to put in a plug for Brent Howard at http://www.evergreenstateinsurance.com/index.html. Brent walked me through all the options for Medicare, and my advice since then, when asked about the intricacies of Medicare, has been, "Call Brent." So when I was trying to figure out how much several days in the hospital, plus surgery, plus chemotherapy and maybe radiation after, is going to cost me, I just called Brent. Wow. Thank goodness for Medicare. And Brent. Say what you will about how confusing it can be, the Medicare coverage for what's coming is fantastic. That's a huge load off my mind.

Post Op

24/7 coverage is in place for when I return home. Between my sister Shelly and my two friends Sherri and Kate, I'll have someone with me for plenty of time after I return home.

As always, thanks for your good wishes!