TEN DAYS!

Holy moly Batman. Ten days away.

I've started to prepare more for the big day. I made a hospital packing list. If you know me well enough, you know I am the queen of lists. I make them for absolutely everything and I'm infamous for never finishing them. One of my many flaws :)

I'm also pampering myself before surgery. I scheduled a massage a few days before surgery and a hair appointment because I am in dire need of a cut and color beforehand. AND I am getting my nails done the day before I leave. I need to worry about recovering and not about how horrible my nails and hair look, ya know? #girlproblems

The Neurontin (nerve pain pill) that I am taking is making me nauseous at times but other than that I haven't experienced many of the side effects of the pill. Besides flatulence. :(  TMI I know but I did say I wasn't going to sugarcoat anything right?

I am only getting more and more nervous as time goes on. The excitement is still there but definitely on the backburner. I have to be intubated (meaning I have to have a tube inserted into my throat to aide in breathing during surgery) and I made the HORRIBLE mistake of YouTubing videos of intubating and extubating. DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU'RE HAVING SURGERY. It scared the poo out of me even though I've seen it done numerous times at the hospital while working. But now I'm more worried about being intubated than having parts of my spinal cord severed. How ridiculous is that?

A list of more things I am worried about...

1) Remembering the nurses taking the tube out of my throat
2) Saying something embarrassing while I'm coming out of my anesthesia
3) Having to go #2 while I'm on bedrest :/ (LOL another TMI. Just being honest!)
4) Having to lay flat for 24-48 hours. I'm really good at being lazy but not THAT lazy.
5) Maybe I should be worried about being paralyzed after but my neurosurgeon, Dr. Nicholas Wetjen, is much too good to even be concerned about that. And he went to med school at Iowa so I have extra faith in him :)
6) Experiencing a level of pain I've never had before.

I am bringing plenty of distractions with me to help push through the pain. Here comes yet another list!

1) My computer! Netflix will keep me plenty busy along with social media and my blog! I will try to keep you updated as much as I can. My friend Jess will take over for the first couple days after surgery to let you all know how I'm doing.
2) Books! I am bringing the book Foxcatcher, an autobiography about the murder of an Olympic wrestler. Also a quote book that was given to me by a stranger who is now a friend. She said it helped her through a tough time so I imagine it will help with mine! (Thanks Abbie!)
3) Super Nintendo. I am a Super Nintendo enthusiast. Hopefully they have the right hook ups I will need in order to play because that will help distract me for hours on end. I don't mean to toot my own horn but I'm pretty darn good. I grew up playing my older brother so I HAD to be good. I'm better than him now though. (Hey Ry) :)
4) My friends and family. I have an AMAZING support group that has helped with so much throughout this journey. The first weekend there I will have plenty of people to help out and distract me. My dad and stepmom are flying in from Cali the day before and my mother and her boyfriend will be there. In addition my brother and his 5-year-old triplets will be there which will be a wonderful distraction. My best friends Jess, Mike, and Bridget will be there too! And perhaps my stepbrother. There are so many people I can barely keep track! My sister would be there but she is having a baby any day now so she will be plenty busy. February is quite the life-changing month for us.

If anyone else has any distraction recommendations, please let me know!

Wednesday and Thursday are my last nights at work and after that I will be meandering around Iowa City until I leave for surgery. So if anyone would like to meet up beforehand, let me know!

Thank you for all the love and support. You all have a special place in my heart.

XOXO,

Bree :)