All Set for Camp Roser

T-minus 12.5 hours until I get my table in the Emory OR.

In addition to getting my head in the right place for what will happen tomorrow and beyond, I've had to make sure my ducks are in a row for being at Camp Roser (aka, Emory Midtown Hospital) for the next several days.  It's not yet known how long I'll be in ICU--at the mercy of the 6-legged lizards--and how long it will be after that before I can function even a little bit.  Terry did get me a larger white board this time, so I can express myself more fully while the trach tube is in and I can't talk at all.

Like last year's prep for surgery, we made a list of things to do and places to eat before our lives change again for the next several weeks.  We got out to see Beth Hart in concert on Tuesday, and that was a real treat.  The lawn is mowed, weeds have been pulled, and the back yard has been sprayed to ward off the swarms of mosquitoes we've had this year.  I had my last drink for many weeks to come, an ice cold Gin & Tonic.  Terry has finished the laundry so I can have clean undies for tomorrow--won't need those for long, but better to be prepared.

The most important pre-op decisions have been to get to as many of our favorite restaurants before I am sentenced to another long stretch of nasal feedings and liquid food for the next 3 weeks or so, and a soft diet for many weeks after that.  Some of the highlights:

Oysters on Cape San Blas
Tacqueria de Vicenzo for the carnitas with green chili grits
Cafe Lily for (shit, I can't remember)
Antico Neapolitino for pizza (ATL's pizza Mecca)

Sensational Subs for Philly Cheese steak
Grindhouse for Apache Burgers
Daddy Dz for ribs
Northlake Thai for lamb chops
Aldo's Italian for veal (tonight's Last Supper)

And, we made some great meals at home.

Somehow we missed having wings and beef on 'weck when we went to New York State--but we did find a great BBQ place and ate there twice.

During this tour it became more and more obvious that the surgery needed to happen, and soon.  My struggles to eat, chew and swallow have increased and it would not have been much longer before I'd have been on that liquid diet anyway.

If you are getting the sense that I'm just rambling on, and hoping that the clock will stop ticking, you are right. As much as I liked summer camps, Camp Roser doesn't have quite that same appeal.  But, as much as Terry and I can be, we are ready for this, and hoping there are no surprises once Roser and Wadsworth open me up and see what my jaw looks like from the inside.

As I wlll tell Dr. Roser, if I wake up and it's Sunday, and my left arm is bandaged--I'll take that as a "win."  If I wake up and it's next Wednesday, with my right fibula is in my right jaw, I'll be really pissed.  Especially since I'll need to miss the two Grateful Dead concerts on pay-per-view next weekend.

So, as always, we are asking Team Mike to send some extra Good Vibes that this turns out as well as it can, and that I come back from Camp Roser without any new anatomical configurations in my body.

Terry will post here when she knows more and can get something out to everyone.

See you on the other side...

Mike