No More Doctors!

At least for three months... 

Yep, I'm free of hospitals and doctor's offices for awhile.  My surgeon didn't feel the need to schedule a follow-up appointment when I met with him on Tuesday, and I met with my new primary-care doctor yesterday, and he was rather impressed with my recovery.

After giving me the look-over and checking all my particulars, he scheduled me for another lab test just to check my blood sugars and such.  He seems to think that the endocrinologists at Vanderbilt were a little too strident with the whole diabetes thing, and once he gets my lab work back, he said he'll likely cut that blood-sugar medicine dosage way back with an eye to eliminating it altogether.  I brought in my notebook where I've written down absolutely everything I've eaten and drunk since I got out of the hospital (which also includes tracking my weight loss), and he seems to think that I'm 'wiping out any risk' I had of diabetes with my new diet and regular exercise.  And two inches off of my waist in the last month helps, too.

Anyhow, the plan is that once he gets the results back, he'll mail me some instructions and then I don't have to go back and see him again until the end of January.  Woot!

Oh, I still have to go to the Coumadin clinic every week to make sure my blood doesn't get too thick or too thin, but that doesn't bother me at all--it's quick, easy, and almost painless (I'm fairly immune to needles at this point).  It' pretty well balanced out now, and I've been right where I should be these past couple of weeks.  And I've got my visits scheduled around the cruise, too.  I go in again on Monday, then I don't have to go back again until the Thursday after we get back.  On the other hand, I still have to take a ziplock bag full of drugs with me on vacation.  I imagine I'll muddle through, somehow...

Anyhow, it's another nice weight to have off of my shoulders as I head into this long-awaited vacation.  Can you believe it's been six long years since I went on a cruise?  That whole Vegas experience kept me from enjoying all of my weekends, holidays, and all family vacations.  I can't believe I put up with that shiat for so long.  What was I thinking?  I think that when all is said and done, I'm going to look back on that whole Vegas experience like I do when I think of my time in Alaska--I'm glad I did it, and it was a hell of a time, but I'll never do it again.

But that's behind me now.  Today I'm doing more vacation-prep, and right now I'm in laundry and packing mode.  Everything that gets hung up goes in the garment bag tonight.  I'll pack the foldables on Monday night.  But once my morning chores are done, I'm gonna motor over to the east side of town and meet Sherry for lunch, then we're going to get manicures and pedicures done.  Gotta look well-groomed if I'm going to be out wandering the deck with flip-flops on.  Plus, as I mentioned before, the ladies like it when your nails look good.  Don't know why, but it's a chick thing.

After all that, it's back to the house for a relaxing Friday night, maybe videos and Chinese take-out.  Tomorrow is the bon voyage party, and then I have no idea what else is going on until we head to the airport first thing on Tuesday morning.  I'll be leaving my laptop and phone here at the house, turned off and unplugged.  I'm going off the grid for eight wonderful days!  I'm sure all my iPhone addicted relatives will be bringing theirs because they can't function without them, but not me, the only phone call I want to get next week is the one waking me up telling me to get out of bed because we've just docked in St. Martin.  (Did I mention that we've charted a sailboat for the day there???)

Until next time...

Mikey