The day before...

I am so lucky to have so many friends and family members who have already called/e-mailed/etc...to wish me well tomorrow.  I know that I will not be able to get back with everyone right after the surgery because I know I'll be drugged up, in pain, and probably really tired.  So, I'm going to try this blogging thing to keep everyone updated on how things are going and that will allow me to communicate whenever, even at 3am if I'm up and bored.  Please feel free to stop by to check up and leave messages too to cheer me on.   I'm going to need all of the love and support possible over the next 8 weeks.

For those of you who don't know all of the details, tomorrow I am having surgery to fix my torn peroneus brevis tendon, which is the one that basically connects parts of the ankle to the base of your pinky toe.  The tendon has a "chevron" shaped tear, which essentially means it tore in a V-shape and is barely hanging on, if it's not torn completely.  My doctor says that the procedure he will use to fix the tendon is very similar to the surgery Yao Ming (the basketball player/giant) had last year.   Unfortunately, I don't make the money that Yao does and my recovery will only be paid at half of my salary on STD.  I wish I could have half of Yao's salary!    Anyway, if the tendon can be saved they will stitch it up and wrap acellular human tissue around the tendon, which will eventually fuse with my own tendon and make it stronger.   If they can't salvage MY tendon, then they will use a cadaver tendon and just basically do a complete replacement.   The recovery period is anywhere from 5-8 weeks until I can get back to work and then another 2-3 months of physical therapy on top of that.  It will be a LONG time before I can walk normally again.   I'll go from a hard cast to a soft cast to a special brace or the CAM walker (walking cast/boot) and then eventually to nothing.  It may be spring before this happens, but I am so looking forward to it.  I have already been immobilized for 8 weeks!

I have to be at the hospital tomorrow at 6:30am and thankfully my mom is coming into town tonight to help us out.  Aaron is going to definitely need that second set of hands available as it definitely takes a village to handle a toddler.   Ryan won't exactly know what is going on and it's going to be hard to explain why mommy won't be able to do much for a few weeks.   He knows I have a boo boo and loved seeing the cast colors from before, so I have a feeling he will have a basic concept about what is going on.   

I'm really nervous about this surgery for some reason.  I'm guessing it's because my pain is manageable right now in the walking boot and I question whether I truly "need" surgery.  But I can't live my life in this boot forever and it hurts to walk normally, so the surgery just has to happen at some point.  I know that things are going to get a lot worse before they get better and that's the part I'm frustrated with the most.  I hate being dependent upon others for my basic needs.  I won't even be able to get up and get my own food or a drink of water for a long time!   I have a great family though and I know that they will get me through this.  So please, say prayers and keep your fingers crossed for a quick and speedy recovery.  My track record isn't the best when it comes to medical issues, as you all well know, so I need all of the positive thoughts and good karma I can get.