This is still Rich taking dictation…

“The good news is that I have felt a ton better the last two days. The bad news is that it’s made me totally antsy. Luckily, I’ve had visitors and Rich to keep me entertained and from going totally nuts. The walks haven’t turned out to be quite as much of a time waster as I had anticipated because 1) I can’t go by myself so I have to wait for someone to walk me and 2) I have to focus on the floor about one foot in front of my feet while I walk. I’m told that St. Mary’s is very lovely but, frankly, their floors are boring. My nurses are fantastic and my party room has enabled me to meet far more people than would otherwise be coming into my room. Seriously, there is a woman from housekeeping and another woman from room service that I will truly miss.

Today our friends David and Elena visited and surprised us with a French picnic, complete with tablecloth and wine glasses. The food was a delicious treat but more than that, hanging out with them was a little glimpse of normal (and this is the only time you will ever hear me refer to Rich and David as normal when they’re together). Watching Rich laughing with David, I realized that I haven’t seen him laugh that hard since before my diagnosis. It made my heart happy. Oh, and thanks to them, I now have a disco ball hanging in my room. How many people can say that?

So, tomorrow will be an early morning as they’ll come get me for surgery at about 6:30. The surgery should happen between 8:00 and 8:30 and is expected to go quickly. Once I’m out of recovery they’ll bring me back to my room, and when everyone is convinced that I’m fully recovered, I’ll be allowed to leave. I was pleased to learn today from the doctor that as a favor to me, he plans to wait to remove my bandages until after I’m under the anesthesia. This is welcome news because having several layers of skin ripped from my cheeks every day when the bandages get changed has been one of my least favorite things. But I expect that when the swelling and redness goes down, the left side of my face with have the youthful glow of someone who’s had a chemical peel. So I’ve got that going for me…

We’ll probably post something tomorrow night to let everyone know that the surgery went well and I’m home but I expect it will be short. I’ll be spending time with my family… 😊”