Okay, I'm booked at least, finally. Hope the timing is right, ie, the boa constricture handling is close enough to the takedown surgery that it doesn't constrict again before I put it to use.

Going for the stricture fix on April 5th. Spouse is taking the day off to run me up to Albuqq for that. It's an outpatient day thing. Then, will have some orders for pre-op stuff to get done in LC within the next week (bloodwork, xrays, EKG). And finally, the long awaited surgery is scheduled for April 24th. Mom and Dad are coming in for that since I will be in hospital for a few days then may need care at home for a few more.

I'm counting on all of this but not completely. Nothing since the first of the year has gone as planned or expected, so... Where's my salt shaker? I may need more than a grain. My 'first of March' reversal has turned into 'end of April' which is only two months but seems much longer to me.

In the meantime, I have successfully whiled away the hours and days with free games on MSN (http://zone.msn.com). Amazing collection of time killers there. I've also loaded my laptop with a copy of Bicycle Casino and Card Games I had for my desktop. All of which should help keep me busy when I get into chemo too, especially if they have internet access there. Most hospitals do, especially those connected with a university (ala NMSU). There's a tip. If you're desperate for a 'hot zone' for internet or cell network, hospital parking lots may be useful. :)

RE: Chemo... I've been reading more on that too. Adjuvant (post-operative) chemo is intended to be insurance. Even though the surgery supposedly removed all the cancer, which had been killed off and shrunken by neo-adjuvant (pre-operative) chemo and radiation, there could be undetectable micrometastases (some free cancer cells floating around). So, the adjuvant chemo is intended to knock those out and further ensure that I am cancer-free and have no recurrence.

If I explained all or some of this before, my apologies. It keeps coming back around in my head and, as is the way with blogs, it spills out here.

PS - Guess how many games the Zone had when I jumped in to play today? Anyone? Anyone? ...555

PPS - Mercury retrograde is over as of today! Smoother road from here, I hope, I hope, I hope...