Get Ready

We're in the 30 day window of the big day, and shit's starting to get reeeeeeal real.  All of my pre-op appointments are scheduled, as well as my first post-op appointment.  I got a good chuckle out of the scheduling process because there was no phone call to see what works with my schedule, they just emailed me and said this is when you're coming.  Sir, yes sir!  By some stroke of luck, I'm not scheduled to work on any of the assigned appointment days.  I've watched all the videos Sentara sent about how to prepare the night before and what to expect from the time you walk through the hospital doors until a few days after surgery, and I'll probably have Ryan do the same to help him wrap his brain around what his role will be.

Over the next several weeks, I plan to chip away at making some meals I can put in the freezer.  I know my family can throw a meal together when needed, but they don't quite have the ummm...stamina to cook night after night...after night, after night, after night.

This past week has been about dialing in my nutrition.  I've been dealing with tummy troubles for a while now and haven't worked all that hard to find a cause or solution, but with a major surgery looming, I've found new motivation to get to the bottom (haha) of it.  Getting my gut right has become a top priority, in the hopes it will help me recover quickly from surgery and continue to benefit me as get up into those late 40s. 

I've also leveled up my pre-hab game over the past couple of weeks, and will continue over the next month.  I discovered an entire library of stationary bike workouts on the Bodi app, and it's been so good for the body and brain to knock out a 30 minute video or two at the rec center.  My cardio has really taken a blow over the past year and a half, so feeling that heartrate get up has felt amazing.  

It's not lost on me that I find myself in the middle of a countdown this time of year.  For years, I was counting down to one Shamrock race or another, and my surgery just happens to be a few days after Shamrock weekend.  I'm quite familiar with having a date on the calendar and putting in the work required to set me up for a good outcome, but now I'm working hard only to be totally out of commission for a bit.  I have to keep reminding myself that I'm playing the long game here.  The hard work isn't for nothing...putting in the time and effort now will get me back to the things I love faster.  March 20th may feel like a finish line, but it's really more of a reset button, and I'm doing everything in my power to reset to maybe like Level 3 instead of Level 0.