Part 4: Like my then 8-year-old said "Never stand on a swively chair"

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8.17.2022

My favorite thing to do is read.

Ideally, I like to read on my bed, turned on my left side, in the dark and at a radient temp of 67°.

What I don't like about that is when I'm laying on my bed reading, I'm not doing something else. There's always something else, isn't there? Like folding a load of laundry or starting dinner, walking to the mailbox or driving to work. Then one day I discovered audiobooks and my life would never be the same. I found a way to do stuff while I was doing other stuff. Brilliant.

It took some getting used to, having someone else interpret the written word and build a story in your mind that, before, was a proprietary space.

At first, I likened audiobooks to watching a made-for-tv movie; you understood the story well enough, but it lacked that richness and vibrancy of the big screen.

Now that I am a connoisseur of audiobooks, (I finish a book about every third day, many times faster than that) I figured out how to "read" the book in my head, even if I'm only hearing it. I subscribe to Kindle Unlimited and monthly Audible credits. This ensures I always, always have a book or three going.

My husband and I listen to audiobooks on car trips, so far we've done several Stephen King novels (currently reading Billy Summers) and a Marcus Sakey sci-fi. Having a book on in the car stops me from compulsively, and I do mean compulsively, changing the XM radio stations until I find a song, then listen to it for 20 seconds, only to change it and look for a better song.

Possible sighting: me

Does that sound annoying to you? I don't think so either!

But it drives DF b-a-n-a-n-a-s.

Anyway, we make it work. That is what we do, me and my guy. We make it work.

Possible sighting: me and my guy not working

I'm so happy. Not about the cancer part, I mean, come on. I'm happy because I have my guy. I had a lot of sad and miserable and tumultuous years in a bad marriage before meeting DF. Now we only have happy. Do we want to smother each other with a pillow twice a week? Of course, of course. Remarkably, that doesn't detract from the happy. We are opposites in so many ways, yet we're an absolutely unbreakable unit. Partners. I didn't think it was possible for me. Truth be told, *I* wasn't the problem (well, not the entire problem). No one is totally blameless. However, I managed to raise two pretty freaking great kids in the middle of a constant shitshow. I hope they're stronger for it. I know I am.

Possible sighting: two freaking great kids

Tuesday was Meet the Surgeons Day.

I spoke with Dr. P (surgical oncologist) in the morning. She went over results from the MRI. All the same good, no new bad - which is great! I'll see her again once all my scans happen. Meantime, she'll connect with Dr. F (plastics) and they'll coordinate. Got some pre-op instructions, but that's for later.

First meeting with Dr. F. He's reportedly a genius plastic surgeon. He's also very mild-mannered, comforting and reassuring. He said he's going to take this (grabs my belly) and put it here (grabs my boob), and he thinks I will be ok. Maybe it was the heavy Italian accent, or that he reminded me of Geppetto, but he just put me at ease and I believed him.

I will be ok.

Possible sighting: Dr. F making me ok

Shooting for surgery in "a few weeks". His staff member who spoke to us (my mom and I) at length said they are so busy with breast cancer surgeries that they have suspended all elective plastic surgeries at their practice. The day we were there, Dr. F had met with 4 other cancer/reconstruction patients referred by Dr. P. That's 5 patients in one day referred from just one surgical oncologist at one of the hospitals in the state. That seems excessive. Every single instance of breast cancer is one too many, but jeeze!

AND NOW WE WAIT....