It Begins Again

With reversal surgery in less than a month away, the battery of doctor’s appointments and tests has begun again. So many familiar sights, sensations, and sounds! The white Styrofoam cup with spiked Crystal Light, the slowly spreading warmth of the IV of contrast dye, and the squeaky, cello-like riff from the hospital library’s CD burner as it writes images of my pelvis. I suppose there’s some comfort in this.

There are some new things on the horizon before the reversal surgery involving, well, my butt. Since it’s only being used for decoration, sitting, and pants support right now, the tush is well-rested and ready for its close-up, Dr. DeMille.

And unlike Norma Desmond, I’ve gotten smaller, dropping between 15 and 20 pounds since the first surgery. It’s plateaued, and despite my clothes being a bit droopy, I’m pretty happy with the weight loss part of this. However, my surgeon seems to think I’ve lost a lot more than that and wants me to bulk up some more. OK…I’m eating healthy, but I’m not exactly avoiding calories either.

Case in point: neighborhood stand-by The Golden West Cafe has a special called “Chef’s Revenge”, a mystery menu item described only as “NOT FOR VEGETARIANS!!!” The nature of the revenge reportedly changes daily. The evening I ordered it, revenge took the form of three thick pancakes layered with cheese and fried eggs and covered with chipped beef roughly the size of your grandmother’s Sunday church hat. It was delicious, and not being a competitive eater, I only made it through a bit over half. The scale is still holding steady. I may get grief from the surgeon, but I’m trying. Honest!