I'm b-a-a-ck.

I think my doctor is a quack! I've got SEVEN holes! "Now where the heck is that gall bladder, I know it's in here somewhere....."

Everything went just fine - surgery was on time - no nausea, no pain yet - back home by 3:00. The place was very quiet, guess most people who have a choice don't opt for surgery 2 days before Christmas. In the recovery room the nurses were singing Christmas songs along with the radio. Okay, at least one was, for sure - I might have been loopy about the rest. But everyone was in a good mood. I liked that.

I had lots of firsts today - never been in the hospital before (except for the colonoscopy a few years ago but that doesn't really count), never been in a hospital bed (kinda hard!), never been wheeled down the hall on a gurney/bed, never been in a wheelchair before. That drain thing I have to wear until I see the doctor next week is kind of a trip. Not so bad, really.

Waking up in recovery was very surreal! I have some wacky dreams every night so it took me a while to sort out if I was dreaming or it was real. Probably true for everyone. Good drugs!

I was truly not nervous about this - just eager to get on with it. But I'll confess, I wrote a letter to Simon, sealed in an envelope and told Steve where it was hidden, only to be given to Simon if I died. I told him how he's the absolute sunshine of my life and even if I'm not here physically, I'll always be watching over him. Told him how proud I am of him, how I love being his mother. Blah, blah, blah. Made me feel better to write it, even though I tell him that kind of thing a lot anyway. Still makes me teary thinking of it now. (Maybe I better save it and read it when he's on my last nerve with his teenagerness!)

Steve's been a great caregiver. We watched some Sopranos on DVD when we got home. He could barely keep his eyes open. Poor guy has been overwhelmed lately, with work, family stuff, me. So I told him to take a nap on the couch and I'd take a nap in the big new, comfy recliner, the most comfortable place I've found. Except I really couldn't sleep much - guess the Darvon makes me kind of speedy. Don't think I'll be taking much of that, if I can help it.

Thanks for all your notes - I really appreciate it!