Last Day of Normalcy 11/26/13

So going back in time I want to recall the day before my surgery to start off this blog and continue with the days in the hospital as well as how my recovery is going (its going very well now).

My last day or work was Tuesday, November 26th, the day before my surgery. I was pretty happy leaving work with most things in place, I had found a place to live after I recover at home as well as the fact that I was living at home for almost a year after a break up.

My commute would be cut down from over an hour to a 12 minute walk to work, just over the bridge near the stadium; from Lower Allston to Harvard Square.

That morning walk from North Station to the Charles MGH Red Line stop might have been one of my last. My friend Ashley (who works at Harvard also) actually met me at the station to accompany me.

We actually met on the train platform when one day I noticed she would get to the platform just a few minutes after me (I tend to walk on a mission, and extremely fast) I saw she had a Harvard canvas bag so I struck up conversation with her. She and I began a tradition of walking in the mornings and evenings to North Station and back. It became a lovely walking companionship, I actually walked her on her last walk before she moved to Cambridge a couple months ago and it seemed very fitting that she accompanied me on my last walk as well.

Anyways, back to work: I had my yearly review and it went very well, I was very happy with my "report card," and my supervisor agreed that I should also be very happy with my review.

My good friend Kurt made an effort to take me out to lunch before I would be out of commission for awhile and we have grown very close. We went to the First Printer. I ordered Steak and Frites with half salad and half truffle fries. Neither things I should be eating, but I didn't care, I was getting cut open the next day. I ended up treating Kurt to lunch because he is good company and has treated me to many other meals and I felt inclined to keep my good Karma going the day before my surgery.

Along with having my review, I was doing a million things to wrap up loose ends, training my temp, meeting with the marketing team about what I am leaving behind ect...we had a nice end of the day bonding meeting. We joked around and I really felt like I would be missed and will miss my team.

My boss Tom actually gave me a hug because he said he was superstitious and I thought it was very sweet.

I left a little late (finishing up everything and getting good byes and good lucks from my lingering co-workers) and Ashley and I walked to North Station together and I caught the 6:15pm train home. She gave me a parting pre-surgery gift of some cozy socks, a Hanukkah card and a book to read during recovery and a Hello Kitty notebook.

My cousin was coming home to celebrate my uncles birthday and we all planned on exchanging gifts. She was late to pick me up at the train and I had to wait in the rain.

When I got home my aunt didn't expect me to eat much, I was hungry and this was my last meal for a while (even though I was still on a limited diet, I didn't think it mattered because I was having surgery the next day). My cousin was taking my uncle out for his birthday to Su Chang's for Peking Duck and Aunty and I were excluded due them wanting to have alone time and my dietary restrictions.

My Aunt apparently wasn't concerned with her dinner because she was having them bring her home food from the Chinese restaurant.

There was nothing I wanted to eat for my "last meal" in the house. LITERALLY nothing.  We argued about how it was absurd of me to even ask her to drive one of my uncle's trucks down the street to Qdoba because I wanted a chicken quesadilla (one of the things that seemed to sit out with my stomach).

My cousin had taken my Aunt's Camry to drive my uncle to Chinese. I even said I would drive the truck, less than a mile to get the quesadilla but she would not let me. I ended up suiting up for the drizzled weather, thankfully it wasn't that cold out. I put my reflector running blinking night running and walked the .86 miles to get myself a freaking chicken quesadilla. When I got back my aunt didn't even realize I was gone and said, when I really want something, I will go get it. Damn right.

She gave me a hug and realized I was scared of my operation but we still had an awkward time and didn't talk much the rest of the night. I didn't sleep to well because I was nervous and no amount of Xanax seemed to help either. 

Intro

This blog is intended to keep me busy during my recovery process of having major surgery, I will be out of work for 6-8 weeks so I need something to do.

History:

I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease when I was 11 years old and had 5 surgeries over almost an entire school year, all emergency surgery; the first was a perforation of my intestine where I was poisoning myself - they fixed that area and hooked me back up, but it caused many complications which included a fiscal forming and having to get a temporary colostomy and reversal; not being able to eat for 3 months, being fed through a feeding tube and many other complications that arose.

[I was not in good health prior to my surgery when I was 11 but this time I am more lucky and am in great shape so the recovery and complications should be a lot less of a risk.]

Since then I have been in remission with only some minor problems here and there.

Everyone suffers from Crohn's in different ways, mine is not typical with everyday symptoms, more of internal problems that are not easily seen unless I get a colonoscopy every year, so I do, and that part is NO fun.

The Problem:

Every year, for the last couple years, my Gastrointestinal doctor has told me he is worried about a small narrowing area where I had my surgery when I was 11 years old which had a lot of scar tissue and inflammation built up over the years. 

Every year he tells me at SOME POINT I am going to need that area removed, not now, but maybe 5,10,15 years down the line, or at the time when he can't get the scope through that area. 

A couple weeks ago I had some terrible pain in my stomach and needed to go to the ER. I spent almost two days in the hospital with morphine and limited cable TV. There were some pretty great drugged text messages to my friends and Nancy my new age therapist:

The Solution:

In the end my Gastrointestinal doctor said that I am going to have to get the area he was worried about taken out a lot sooner then he thought. 

I got a surgeon from MGH where my last surgery was and all my records were, went to see her and within two weeks I was scheduled for a right colectomy where they were going to take out most of the right side of my large/small intestine; the day before thanks giving. 

This blog will describe what I went through and how to prepare for any hospital visit like a pro.