“Some of the worst things in my life never even happened” – Mark Twain

Whenever I’m stressing about the future, I remember those wise words.  With my surgery for a completion protecting just under a month away, you can imagine I’m a a little nervous. I keep cycling through different emotions and realizations about the surgery and my recovery. For the most part I think I am at peace with it and confident that the surgery and recovery will go well. There’s waves of anxiety though, that creep up and worry me and cause me stress.  I hate stress.  It is so easy to think of all the horrible things that could happen and fixate on them.  When that happens, we just have to take a step back and redirect our minds to happy thoughts.

I have had a couple dreams about having surgery, one of which resulted in the wrong surgery being done and some weird underlying knowledge that there were complications coming, but I woke up before they actually happened.  To combat that happening in real life, my friends have suggested I write the name of the surgery I’m going to have on my stomach so the doctors cannot be mistaken.

Other ways I’m preparing for surgery:

I’ve written down a list of questions to ask my doctor in the pre-op and continue adding to the list.  I’ve spoken with numerous people about their experiences, some positive, some frightening, but it’s important to remember that we are all different and respond differently so I do my best not to let the frightening experiences take over my thoughts.   I’ve also started a packing list since I’ll be staying with my family during recovery.  Preparedness eases the mind, but is it possible to ever be fully prepared?

Most days I’m at peace with it. I just want to feel better and after a fair amount of research, I’ve decided this is the best choice to attempt to reach that point.   I have so much social support including family and friends who are offering to drive 2+ hours to come and stay with me for a few days at a time during my recovery to help me out.  So incredibly lucky, as I know not everyone has that kind of support.  Unfortunately, planning when they’ll come forces me to think about the surgery and recovery which sometimes freaks me out.  Funny little thought-circle I’ve found myself in!

All in all, I’m ready. I’ve worked my butt off the last few months and am taking two weeks before surgery to completely decompress, have fun, and make memories on vacation, and then it’s go time.

Anyone got tips for healing from the “barbie butt” surgery?