12th surgery in progress

By now we know what to pack and what to wear on surgery day. We know what to eat and what not to eat. We've figured out the anesthesia Anne-Marie needs before surgery and the painkillers she needs after. 

Sleep positions, meal plans, budgeting, babysitters, work schedules, visitors, parking, physical therapy, long-term fatigue, pre-operative appointments, post-operative appointments, good v. bad waiting rooms, recurrence percentages, low-level risks, traffic patterns in the University District and, of course, cafeteria schedules are all precisely positioned in well-worn places in our minds. 

What has not yet been completely sorted out is how we will move on from here. I think I shall enjoy spending my vacation time on things more like vacation. I'll take an unexpected phone call and be surprised with good news. We'll spend more one-on-one time with each other in a less-expensive hotel. 

And one day someone will ask me about all the details of what happened and I won't remember.