“You’re Our Star Patient”

Dr. Goldsberry-Long’s office called today to find out how I’m doing. When I said, “Great! No pain medications at all in over 24 hours and I feel just fine! No redness of  skin near the drain tubes, drainage down a lot and less bloody. No fever at all.”

 

Lucy said, “That’s wonderful! You’re our star patient!”

 

Aw, shucks! I bet they say that to all their star patients!

 

I have a Facebook friend, Hannah McCrane, who has an autistic sister she loves dearly. She IM’d me today to report that she showed one of my recent photos (post-surgery) to her and then asked, “Tell me what you see in this photo.” The reply: “A happy man.”

 

It is so freaking easy to  see the man I am, now that the boobs are gone.

 

What I didn’t realize is that my countenance has changed noticeably, too.

 

According to at least six other well-wishers, I look “radiant”, “delighted”, “jubilant” and “extraordinarily happy.”

 

Well, yeah!  Hell, yeah!

 

This is who I am, who I have always been…and now it can show up on my face because there’s nothing visible to the naked eye that contradicts who I am.

 

I haven’t been this happy since I was a kid, before secondary sex characteristics and puberty kicked in.

 

Seriously.

 

I suppose I could’ve combed my hair before I took the pics I posted, though… but hey, I’m in recovery. I’m not supposed to raise my arms above 90 degrees, so combing my hair by myself just isn’t an option right now…and I’m not much of a mirror-gazer, anyhow.

 

In Other News…

 

My niece Casey tracked down a larger used aquarium for me. Her Uncle David has one, and I’m welcome to it.

 

So, Jackie is going to pick it up for me today sometime. She’ll put it in my office and I’ll fill it with water and prepare it for fish over the course of the next few days. My existing small tank can be used as a “sick tank” in case someone comes down with ick or some other fishy disease.

 

I don’t know what size the aquarium is yet, but I suspect it’s a 10 or 20-gallon tank. For sure it’s larger than the 2.5 gallon tank I have right now, so my bettas, shrimp and snails will be a lot happier in it.

 

I may  get a couple aquatic frogs (the wee ones) and some tetras, if the tank is large enough to easily accommodate a population increase. I really enjoy a community fish tank. Haven’t had one in years…

 

What else? I’ve been walking quite a lot since I got out of the hospital. They recommend walking while my INR levels are readjusting, to help prevent blood clots. (I’m doing bridge therapy to stay safe.) But I would be walking anyway, because I can’t ride bikes again for at least four weeks and I don’t want to gain weight.

 

I walk around a section of our large back yard, from the shed to the “island garden” in the center of the back yard. One revolution is exactly 100 steps and I usually go around twenty times, several times a day.

 

One thing I’ve noticed is that I walk more upright with my shoulders back now, since there’s nothing to hide sitting on my chest. Walking is a very easy task. The cats sometimes accompany me, or station themselves at various locations so they can watch me go ’round and ’round. Occasionally Hunter will act like he’s going to dart out and try to trip me.

 

Good luck with that. If he were a cougar, yeah. But I’m onto him. I know what’s in his devious feline mind when he gets like that…

 

The goats call out to me, wondering why I’m not going inside their pasture to give them their usual hugs and rubs. But with these drainage tubes stitched to both sides and hanging in long loops, it would be too risky for me to engage with them in that way right now.

 

All it would take is for one of them to climb up on me and then catch his or her front hoof in the drainage tube on the way down and the drains could get yanked out.

 

So, I’m just petting them through the fence right now. I’ll re-engage after my “tubes” are out next week. In the meantime, I’m spoiling them with hay and treats. (It’s not the same, but a pretty good alternative.)

 

I didn’t watch the Republican Convention. I decided to take a week off politics (as much as possible) and just celebrate what’s happy and positive in my life right now. There’s plenty of that! From what little I’ve seen on FB about it, I haven’t missed much; its’ the same ol’ same ol’ lies, disinformation, and demonizations that emanate from Trumpsters. Who needs that?

 

My favorite client asked if I feel enough in the swing of things to help her with some crucial tasks this week, but not to worry a bit if I’m not. I said, “I’d LOVE to, but keep an eye on me because I don’t know if my brain is 100% back online yet!”

 

She sent me something to edit/enhance and says I did a terrific job, “as always.”

 

But the funny thing is that the email I sent her to accompany it was so riddled with typos and substituted words that I was appalled when I saw it again.

 

I quickly reviewed what I’d sent her and found nothing amiss, luckily. But I sure wouldn’t help a brand new client  until my emails are pristine, too.

 

This particular client (for five years now) will forgive me my post-surgery screw-ups, but not too many others would!

 

What else?

 

My sister Laurel is going to come see me sometime very soon.

 

Lisa and I are going to go visit our 95 year old friend Mary Jane Cooper in Spanaway sometime next week after my tubes are out.

 

We’re also going to walk the Nisqually Delta (Billy Frank Jr. Nature Reserve) and drive through Northwest Trek during my recovery period, since we can’t ride bikes three days a week like we usually do.

 

My friend Edward Smith wants to come see the remodeled me (home and chest) sometime soon to celebrate. (I’ve known him for 43 years. He had a lion when I had Deaken, my serval.)

 

OH! That reminds me! I entered pix of Deaken into a contest and he’s in first place right now–has been since the contest opened on August 24th. If he stays there, he’ll end up on the cover of Catster Magazine, a feature article will be written about him, and I’ll be $5,000 richer and the possessor of something like $5,000 more in pet goodies.

 

So, I’m hoping that keeps up! I’ll donate a hefty percentage of the cash to animal welfare groups I already support as best I can (Shambala, Critter Camp, Puget Sound Pet Bank). (Probably 90 percent of the animal treats and toys, too. My kitties sure can’t use $5K worth of goodies!)

 

If you’d like to vote for Deaken, please do it before September 3rd!!! Here’s the link: https://americasfavpet.com/2020/deaken.

 

THANK YOU!!!