Everyday gets better & better

I can't believe how easy this surgery was. I was only in the very mildest discomfort yesterday, and today I don't think I'll need any meds at all. I still itch a little, but for the most part, I don't have to think about how I feel every minute of the day. I am still being cautious in my movements, as I don't want to pull anything or strain anything.

My mental fog is lifting too. I honestly think there might come a time where I don't count this as the seminal experience of my life. I'm hoping it will eventually recede into the category of "bump in the road," rather than define the journey into two parts, before cancer and after.

I emailed my surgeon at UVA, who wanted to see me in late March, asking if I still needed to drive 600 miles (round trip) to pop in and tell him "I'm fine." His nurse called me back and said that Dr. Brenin does indeed want to see me, because he has to check for recurrences. That set me back a bit. Just how would he do that and what's left to check? It occurred to me that I really have moved on, and I've started to think of myself as "normal" again, not as a post-cancer patient. In my mind, I'm done. Apparently, this is not the case, and I am still under suspicion for the time being. But I think I'll ask for clarification anyway--if he orders more tests, I'd like to do all that in one trip, rather than do the back-and-forth travel that defined our lives last fall.

Spring is coming, and I'm feeling good, lucky, and grateful.