Pre-Hysterectomy To-Do List: Monday, July 6, 2009

Good morning! I hope everyone had as nice of a long holiday weekend as I did. Before I share the enormous to-do list I have to get done before going under the knife again, I thought I'd share a few of the photo highlights of my very fun Independence Day celebration, which was spent with my cousin Heather, her boyfriend, Josh, two of her children, Madison and Reagan, and my good friends Michelle, Jim, and Alison:

Can you guess which one is the mother and which one is the daughter? Madison and her mom, Heather.
My faithful pool companion, Alison.

Two J's: Jim and Josh discussing the current state of the residential construction industry.

Michelle looking sporty.

Kissing Cousins: Me and Heather

Croquet anyone?

I promise to learn how to download video to post an awesome piece of footage highlighting Regan's athletic ability.

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Okay, now for the to-do list. There's an expression, which I'm forgetting right now, about how some people live by their lists and others make them only to lose them right away. Guess which type of person I am? Right. Here's a glimpse at what's on my agenda for the next couple of days as I prepare to go under Dr. E's knife yet again. These are in no particular order:

1. CVS: Pick up BELOVED pain meds in advance of post-surgical pain, as well as a refill of chemo steroids for last three rounds of chemo. Kill two birds with one stone, right?

2. Safeway: Purchase one container of Miralax and 64 ounces of Gatorade for bowel prep on Wednesday afternoon. Check cupboards and fridge to make sure that I have enough JELL-O and chicken broth to accompany Miralax and Gatorade combo. Yum!

3. King Cleaners: Pick up pink blouse that got stained with black bean dip during Christy's sprinkle. Enlist their help in getting belt back in my new khaki dress that they removed for last cleaning and which I cannot figure out how to weave back through the slit!

4. Call United Healthcare to check on status of $1,500.00 wig claim. I'm onto their strategy: Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. Deny. Deny. Deny. Give in.

5. Call colorectal surgeon to request they fill out a Short-Term Disability Claim for my 6/17 colonoscopy so that I'm within the 30 day window at the start of my next leave (today) so that I don't have a week waiting period for my STD leave claim to kick in. That way, I don't have to use another week of vacation time for the start of this leave.

6. Make sign for hosptial room door to inform resident doctors that they are not to enter my room before 7 a.m. to ask me a bunch of dumb questions in order to brief my doctor around 8 or 9 a.m. IT IS BAD PATIENT CARE TO WAKE UP A SLEEPING PATIENT AT 5:30 a.m. TO GET YOUR STUPID WORK DONE. GO BOTHER SOMEONE ELSE! I think that's what the sign will say...

7. Call Deloitte LEAVES team to let them know that they should receive my 6/17 STD claim shortly.

8. Enter my time codes for the past month of work in the Deloitte time entry system so I don't receive numerous messages from my colleagues in India (a.k.a R10) informing me that I'm deliquent in my time entry.

9. Do final check-in with all design clients (a.k.a friends) to make sure all of their pending projects are at a good place so that no one has a breakdown over a custom pillow while I'm laid up.

10. Clean house. I started this yesterday afternoon but have a lot more to do. My second bedroom is filled with many gifts, gift bags, fabric samples, etc. from the past several months. I need to be able to see the floor again in order to make room for the Aerobed my mom will sleep on when I first come home from the hospital.

11. Call condo association office to ask them to spray for roaches, spiders, and crickets on Tuesday. I've seen all of these critters in here lately and since I won't be able to move very fast over the next several weeks, I want to make sure they won't be making an appearance.

12. Call Sugar House to see if I can get in for a Brazilian wax in order to remove the remaining dozen or so hairs "down there" so that I don't have to get shaved for the bottom inch of my incision. The only thing worse than a fresh incision? A fresh incision with an ingrown hair in it. I mean, this is a "tell all" account afterall, right?

13. Try to get a deep tissue massage from someone good somewhere. I developed a lot of little lumps in my back in the last week or so as I worked to tie up loose ends at work. A laptop is not very shoulder and back friendly.

14. See accupuncturist on Tuesday morning in an attempt to improve liver function and general well-being before the BIG H.

15. Get car inspected (it expires at the end of the month) so that I don't end up getting yet ANOTHER lecture from my father about proper car maintenance at the end of the month.

16. Swing by post office to mail the last batch of Ali's shower and bachelorette invitations.

17. Make bank deposit. MIRACLES DO EXIST! I actually got a freakin' $20 refund check from my former OB/GYN, Dr. G. I consider it restitution for him telling me I have/had flippin' cancer.

18. Pack for the hospital: Laptop, videos (hurry up Netflix and send me some more BIG LOVE!!), iPODs, nightgowns, plush socks, wig, bandanas, toothbrush and paste, make-up, a book or two, and trashy mags (need to buy some!). I think that will just about do it.

19. Determine how I'm going to let everyone know I survived (well, at least physically anyway...) the hysterectomy. No idea yet.

20. Pray hard that I'm not weepy and that I don't hate the whole world when I wake up on Thursday afternoon.