One Month 'til Surgery

It's been almost 2 months since I updated last and a lot has happened since then:

- School is in FULL swing and it is starting to wear me down a bit. We are finally in the competitive part of Marching Band season and long hours are definitely catching up with me. We competed yesterday for the first time and had a great show. Now we have a couple of weeks until our next competition. 

- I spoke with the surgeons office regarding my FMLA leave paperwork. The nurse who was completing my paperwork asked me the dates I was planning to take off, so I told her that I was planning on taking leave from Nov. 6 (the day before surgery) through the last week of November. She  sounded surprised and asked me to plan on taking a full 6 weeks off after surgery, which puts me back to work on Dec. 19th (only 3 days prior to leaving for winter break). She said that since I'm young, I may not need the full 6 weeks, but it is good to have if needed. I REALLY hope that I don't need the full 6 weeks and can get back sooner. 

- Finally, I have a few appointments scheduled for this week. One tomorrow with Dr. Nesmith (my GI) and one Friday with my surgeon, Dr. Liberman. 

          - I am seeing Dr. Nesmith tomorrow because I have been feeling bad for a few weeks. I have been nauseated and bloated with some cramping. I think my liver enzymes might also be elevated and are causing some of this uncomfortable feeling. I haven't had blood work since the summer, so they are going to have me come in to check my blood work to make sure everything is OK. Part of me hopes that I'm only feeling this way because I'm so worn out... sleep is an easy remedy and I will be able to get plenty this week (we don't have school on Thursday or Friday). 

          - I am seeing Dr. Liberman on Friday to ask a lot of questions about my surgery. I haven't compiled a list yet, but I have a pretty good mental list started. I plan to ask specifics about the procedure and what to expect when I wake up, complications, recovery, etc. Hopefully it will put my fears to rest and ease my increasing anxiousness. I have found myself occasionally getting very anxious about the surgery the closer I get to the actual date. 

          - Finally, I have my PreOp appointment scheduled for October 31 (one week before surgery). According to the nurse, the appointment will last about 2 and a half hours. She's not sure exactly what tests the hospital might ask for (EKG, X-Rays, etc.), but she did say that a stoma nurse will mark my stoma site during this visit.