Fourth time is a charm, yes?

T minus 9 hours until I get a better version of my current knee. And while I am not excited about going through yet another surgery, my fourth in less than 6 years (heart, lung, face/skin cancer and now knee/arthro), I am excited to walk and run without pain, to surf and go to ballet without wincing, and to sit without aching in my right knee.

I am not sure, however, how the mental recovery will be. As ridiculous as this sounds, when they took part of my lungs away, I didn’t feel like the same person when I came to. I lost a part of me. And while the world’s coolest and kindest doctors wanted to ask me about my health and recovery, no one really wanted to hear how I was doing beyond any measurable symptoms.

Just a thought, but I keep wondering if the idea of mental preparation might someday be a part of the pre-op routine. “Here’s what time your surgery is scheduled, and by the way, how are you feeling about the fact that you won’t be able to surf, let alone walk normally for almost 3 months?”

I’m being dramatic, I know, but I can remember all too well what it was like to have a new version of my heart and how odd that felt. Anyway, here goes nothing, again. I’ll catch you all on the other side.