Well I have my first visit this thursday with the sleep apnea portion of the surgery process. Its been a LONGGGGG couple months. If all goes right, and it doesn't take long to get the actual sleep test done (I am only seeing the doctor thursday), I can call the surgeon office with hopefully good news (aka no sleep apnea).
As far as I can tell the only steps I have left til the actual surgery are: Sleep apnea doctor visit, sleep apnea test, inform surgeon of results, if all is good there and insurance has approved surgery (still waiting on that result too, my fam doc office should have sent my records over by now so the surgeon office and push surgery through), I then go on a 2 week special diet to shrink liver then last, but certainly not least, surgery.
Maybe I'll hit it lucky and get it done in April. Spend the wet part of spring recovering from surgery so I can enjoy the dry part of spring outside while I'm still off work in recovery. That would be nice. Although I'm a tad bit worried about how I'm going to deal with the heat and working in a factory *smacks forehead and tells self "worry about that later goofball" (yes I actually did that!).
Goddess I'm so anxious and impatient and stressed and worried. I keep running through a full gambit of emotions! I'm stressing badly and its showing. Physically its beginning to take its toll as well. Hell its no wonder. I've only been working on this since June '06! And its the 2nd time I'm going through most of the process! (First time for those that don't know is when I was trying to get it through the VA but had to drop it due to not being able to get to Pittsburgh visits).
"What about the smoking issue?" I bet most of my regular readers are asking. Ya know, that issue I've been bashing my head in for 5 or 6 months now. The one that I thought I would never concur because I didn't actually want to quit smokeing....The one that I now actually don't mind being done with lol.
Well the great news is, I'm 99.99% off the cigaretts. I'm still taking the Chantix (on month 3). I have had NO jitters or bad side effects that are normal when quiting smoking. I do allow myself an occasional puff in the late evenings. Most days though I don't even want that. Starting the 18th, I'm actually going to begin helping Sue get off her cigs too lol. She has been a backbone for me through all this so now I can return the favor! She's trying to do the quitting thing via the patch. She can't take the pills due to cancer treatments.
Sure has been a long, horrid, stressful wait. So many ups and downs. The longer I wait the more crabby I'm getting. But ya know, in the long haul, I'm going to look back on all this and laugh at my stupidity...and then pat myself on the back for sticking with it. For sticking with writting this journal as long as I have because I know its gonna help someone else, somehow, with their experiences.
And thats what I want to live for now. To help others as well as help myself.
And those that have helped me through this time in my life.....I'll not forget the support you all have given me, no matter if its just to listen to me bitch and cry and whine. Or to tell me to not give up. You all know who you are. Thank you.
More to be written later.
