Tuesday, December 27th

Had a rough night last night.  I went to bed with a slight headache and woke several times, the last at 3:00 am, when I just couldn’t sleep anymore.  I got up at 5:00, but couldn’t have my coffee, as I had my pre-surgical exam this morning.  Got a bowl of Cheerio’s, half a Banana and a glass of juice to make the Diamox go down easier.

Went to Outpatient Processing at St Vincent at 9:45, got my paperwork straight and waited for a nurse, which didn’t take very long.  Got all the questions out of the way and on to the EKG and blood work.  After all the testing, I was told to wait and a doctor would see me.

Doctor came in and reviewed the blood work and said my clotting was normal.  She was surprised that my red cell count was very high, and was last Wednesday when my family doctor took blood for my heart check.  So, the doctor ran through all the possible causes:

·      Low oxygen – did I suffer from sleep apnea, no

·      Kidney problems – no

·      Steroid use - no

·      Heart disease – yes, but no issues

·      Kidney cancer – no

·      Smoking – no

I think it’s the Diamox and the doctor agreed.  It won’t stop the surgery, but she thinks we should follow it up after the surgery.  So, I am cleared for the surgery! 

I stopped by Walgreen’s and bought a Head Blade Razor, and Dick’s for some new Beanies.  I called my local barbershop and have an appointment to get my head cut and shaved tomorrow!  My daughter Gwen is going with me to get some pictures of the occasion.

So, it’s almost 2:00 pm, I’ve got most everything done for today, still have a headache, but it’s manageable without meds!  I can’t wait to get back to normal activities!