This Could Be The Last Time

I am at home resting after this morning's procedure at Emory Midtown Hospital.  They had my favorite OR table reserved and ready for me, right on schedule.  But before they rolled me to my table, they put the latest in "OR Party Hat" fashion on me:

Some places require a coat and tie to be seated, mine requires this.

The procedure lasted about two hours and included the removal of the re-grown hair in my mouth "Just take a little off the bottom gum line, please," and a skin graft to patch the small incision they made to give my lower lip more mobility and function.

I can already see and feel the change (for the better) in my lip functioning, with more to come as the swelling goes down over the next week or so.

While that area heals I'll be on a diet of total diet of soft and liquid foods.  I go back in 10-12 days for the removal of the splint they inserted to keep the area stable.

If all goes well, this will be the end of my surgical history for all of the side effects that started in 2009.  But, as the Atlanta Falcons learned so painfully in the Super Bowl, it  ain't over until it's over, so, the song goes:

This could be the last time,
This could be the last time,
Maybe be the last time,
...I don't know


Mike