Day Zero

My trip up to Springfield was actually one of the best road trips I've had. I'm attributing it to the fact that I am mellowing out in my old age and a particular furry friend that acted as my co-pilot (answers to the name "Maggie"). I always tell myself, "Take it slow, don't rush, safety first", but in the end as I approach either my mid-way stopping point - Tami's place in Fayetteville, NC - or my parents house, I always end up speeding up towards the end because I just want to get there already! This time, I really did just take my time and enjoyed the ride. I started things off Wednesday around 9:30am with a little Dane Cook in the car. I've listened to all of his CDs many times, but they always crack me up! I think listening to someone talk tricks me into thinking I'm having actual human interaction. It at least prolongs the amount of time that it takes before I start having conversation with Maggie (in my defense, I only read Maggie's facial expressions, I don't actually think that she's answering me back).

By mid-afternoon, I had a bit of an adventure. My directions to Tami's were taking me down a new route - 74 East to be exact. I had no clue what to expect so I wanted to get gas, grab some lunch, and walk Mags before getting off of 85 North. I took an exit that looked like it was happening - signs indicated the promise of gas, grub, and potty! Um...not so much. I arrived at a gas station that had some sort of interesting outhouse to it (that was NOT happening) and couldn't find any kind of fast food to save my life (yes, I do eat fast food on road trips, I can't help myself!). Back in the car, I went...

The next exit had LOTS of choices...for sit-down restaurants...IHOP, Ruby Tuesday, Olive Garden...it was at this point I started asking Maggie to keep her eyes peeled for some golden arches! No dice.

The third exit was just right - a Chick-fil-A!!!! So Maggie and I shared waffle fries, a milkshake, and we were happy (only I was lucky enough to eat the spicy chicken!). But really, three exits???

I took the exit for 74 East and was greeted by...gas stations, fast food restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores...ok, someone should have just waited.

Needless to say after going through Charlotte, 74 turned into exactly what I thought it would be - a 35 m.p.h. speed limit every 10 miles or so and cows to either side of me. Overall, a beautiful ride, though!

I arrived at Tami's in time to get to visit with her son, Elijah, before his Dad came to pick him up. Then Tami and I were unleashed on downtown Fayetteville...wild times! The night concluded with us dancing in a bar to Mystikal songs circa 2001 with about 6 other people and country karaoke mixed in (seriously!).

Thursday, I had for the first time EVER, a traffic-free drive through Richmond, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. The drive is much easier in terms of resources on 95 anyways, although most times not as smooth and picturesque.

Friday, my Dad threw a small surprise party for Mom's 60th birthday. Her actual birthday is August 19th, but due to her upcoming surgery and subsequent estimated 6-week recovery time, we decided to celebrate beforehand.

Mom lived it up over the weekend until Sunday when after lunch she was allowed nothing more to eat and had to drink this terrible-looking magnesium citrate solution. (Dad believes that my Mom is the only person in the world that thought this stuff tasted "not bad, like cherry soda".)

I wasn't sure what to expect after Mom consumed the two bottles she was assigned, but the expectations I did have came nowhere NEAR fruition which was a good thing for my Mom and everyone else in the house. I was worried I was going to be listening to my Mom screaming in agony all night and instead, she was her completely normal self, "I should really dust". "Uh, you should really sit down and let me clean..." (And no, that is not something I normally say).

So today is Day Zero - as of right now (almost 10am), Mom has been in surgery for just under 2 hours. Here are the gory details for anyone who doesn't know what's going on (she is shockingly open about what's going on with the surgery) - and just a note, if you're eating right now or just ate....maybe save this part for later. If you forego my warning, don't say I didn't tell you so.

The first part of it is she is having a hysterectomy. In addition to that, she is having her bladder attached to a ligament that originates at the spinal cord (I didn't get the specifics of which ligament, but most doctors assume the patient's family doesn't want to know...this is an incorrect assumption when it comes to me). Finally, there may be some damage on the inner wall of the abdomen from the collapse of the bladder and uterus (which is called prolapse), and if so, the doctor will repair this also.

Are you cringing yet?

In total, this will take about 6 hours of surgery. Mom was actually somewhat looking forward to it as this will greatly improve her quality of life. I also think that Dad describing the effects of the anti-anxiety drugs prior to the general anesthesia was somewhat appealing. Heck, I think I want some (minus my brother's weird dreams about Steve Carrell the one time he was put under)!

That's about it for now, but I will update the blog and my Facebook as the day rolls along for anyone who is interested. I'll be home for 2 more weeks as to help Mom with recovering and Dad with the general things that need to be done around the house since he will be working at Mom's office while she is out. Thanks to all for the well wishes and prayers! Please keep thinking of Mom as the day continues!