New Chapter Begins Today

6:30 a.m. and I am about to start getting ready to head to the hospital.  I have to arrive at 9:00 a.m. and surgery is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. 

There wasn't much sleeping going on here overnight.  I would fall asleep for about 15 minutes and wake up abruptly and then about an hour later fall asleep for another 15 minutes and repeat and repeat.  I'm not surprised nor am I tired because I anticipate sleeping through the next few days.

I will have my cell phone with me and hope to post a "hello" as soon as the meds wear off enough to see what I type :) In the meantime, if you want to check in, message my sister Maria or my son Gregory on Facebook and they will give you an update.  I still don't really know how long I will be in the hospital.  Various nurses have told me 3 or 4 days up to 7 to 10 days.  What I do know is that it depends on how long I have to keep the chest tubes in.  

Even though the last few months have been stressful I truly believe today begins a totally new chapter in my life.  Actually, a new book.  No matter what the future holds I know in my heart things will never be the same.  

P.S.  I hear John Travolta is in town filming a movie so if you see him, feel free to send him my way to visit me :)

Tomorrow Is The Day *UPDATE*

92 days and the day is finally here!!  What a fiasco this has been.  My surgery was originally scheduled for 7:30 a.m. today.  Last week they called and changed it to 7:30 a.m. tomorrow morning - I just called to confirm what time to be there tomorrow and NOW,  my surgery is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday).  I've been given conflicting answers in terms of how long I will be in the hospital - one nurse said 7-10 days total and another said 3-4 - so, who knows.  I just hope they have good drugs!

The surgery is a Thoracotomoy Lobectomy.  Removal of the entire lower left lung lobe, removal of a portion of the upper left lung and removal of lymph nodes.  The expectation they have given me is I will have lots of tubes and will be in ICU for a few days (which is normal).  The procedure is expected to last approximately 4 hours.

My technology is going with me - my cell phone and my Kindle - so I will post something as soon as I can.  

Just remember -