Trip Around the Sun in General

Trip Around the Sun

“Yes I’ll make a resolution
That I’ll never make another one.”

Well, I’d say I can add cancer survivor to my list of accolades. But I don’t know if I survived.

Friday my almost 83 year old father again drove me to the hospital for surgery. I had a melanoma excised from my right “flank.” And had the lymph node in my right armpit removed. I suppose that goes to pathology to see if the melanoma has metastasized.

Gotta hand it to modern medicine. I went into the surgical suite, shuffled from the rolly bed to the table – at some point the anesthesiologist pushed whatever and I was gone. I woke up, again sitting up with a mask on. A nurse asking me my pain level.

“What pain?”

I had zero pain for almost 24 hours. I felt like I was being pranked. They took off a five inch circle of skin from my side and I have no pain?

Hubris. Hah! Look how well I took this!

Saturday morning, I woke up with “ouch.” Went about my day.

By early Sunday morning I felt like I was being skinned alive from my armpit to my waist.
Got up at 2am and took 10mg of oxy. Woke up at 5am walking into walls. Took a shower, prepped my water and coffee and lunch. Put on my clothes and…no.

The belt line of my pants was right against the lower part of the incision. I was signing up for nine hours of torture.

Texted the boss I’d be out. Spent the day feeling useless, sipping lemon water and half-watching Law and order Re-Runs.

Answered a few emails from the bank. Got a call from the Realtor. Looks like I am all set to close on Monday.

Holy shit this has been a long time coming. I am buying the condo/townhome I have been living in for 12 years.

I have a lot of work shit on my mind, but I do my best to keep that in the work bucket. Lesson learned from my Navy days. Work expands to take over every aspect of your life IF you don’t draw a hard line.

I can do this job for the next 10 years. If I keep reinforcing that line.