After Thanksgiving ---

The days since the big dinner have been different, to say the least. Our Maryland crew was here the rest of the weekend, leaving Monday evening to fly back home. We were able to get a lot of visiting in, and they enjoyed a special visit with her younger brother and his family at their house, too. We were pleased that they went with us to our Sunday School class on Sunday, too.

Since then, we've almost become readjusted to the too-quiet house again.

Several visits with doctors, with waiting times between, have added to the rollercoaster effects of not knowing when my surgery will finally be scheduled. It's been more than awesome to see how many friends and family members have signed the guestbook on the Caringbridge.org website I set up. That's a very good way to keep people updated on my progress, or lack of it, with my medical situation.

Waiting is very tiring. Not knowing is worse. Each time we go to a doctor, there seems to be 'one more test' that must be run before a date can be set for the actual procedure. The surgeon's promise of "after Thanksgiving but before Christmas" is beginning to seem rather farfetched.

For someone who never needs to go to doctors except to get blood pressure medicine prescriptions renewed quarterly, or for an occasional sinus infection, this steady stream of appointments and tests is quite wearing. Except for a brief stint in February this year, I have not been a hospital patient since 1987. That's a long time!

I'm sure everything will eventually be resolved, and I know that 'doctor time' and 'hospital time' are NOT the same as 'laymen's time'... so I should quit fretting and just let things happen. Maybe I'll figure out how to do that someday.