6 days pre-op

2009 is going to be my year to get well. Too bad it had to start with a head cold. I found a great homeopathic remedy at the grocery store called Zicam. It's really helping. I have a persistent headache, but my cold symptoms are almost nil. I'm still resting, drinking ginger tea, eating chicken soup and taking vitamin C and zinc. I absolutely must have this surgery next Monday. I'm determined. I'm really looking forward to more gigging this year, especially with Adrian doing my songs. Plus we are working up a bunch of acoustic songs -- some of my originals and some covers. While I've been in so much pain and having to lie down on my heating pad practically non-stop, we've been able to keep doing music by him playing acoustic guitar and me singing. I've gotten pretty decent and singing while lying down! You can still use the belly and the mask!

I went to the pain management doctor today and was told -- what I suspected -- that by my being on pain meds for the past two years, my recovering from surgery might be particularly rough. I was assured that I would be given a morphine drip and stronger pain medication afterwards, but I am not looking forward to that. I'm trying to keep positive and hopeful that eventually (after 2 or 3 months post-op, according to Marilyn Seashole, my nurse practitioner at the office of Dr. Abdul Soudan) I will be pain-free and med-free!