LINING UP THE DUCKS

Getting all of my ducks in a row ahead of checking into the ER on Tuesday morning. Did all of my laundry, bought necessities for my toiletries bag, and packed my huge EMT backpack with nearly everything that I will need for an estimated week in the hospital. I will save the packing of my last items until the morning when I leave, thus ensuring that I don't forget anything. I did the same during my last stint at Presbyterian-Methodist, and I forgot nothing. I will have my phone, laptop, noise-canceling headphones, assorted chargers, extension cord, and the latest James Bond novel to keep me occupied during hospital dialysis, the weekend limbo period (when most of the A-team medical staff is out), and post-op recovery.

Psychologically, I am in a better place than I expected to be while considering what's impending, and I am glad for that. If my decade-plus of ongoing medical misery has equipped me with, it's the strength to face almost any procedure with a solid degree of fearlessness and forward thinking. I accept that the loss of my toe only makes sense as a preventative for something much more dire, and I will adjust to perambulation without it. It will no doubt be an arduous process, but I have endured and overcome other serious conditions, so I am approaching this as a warrior approaches such an inevitability on the battlefield. One must soldier on.