Morning has broken

Hello @Emelia8 how are you today?

Hi @Eve7 ♥

I'm alright I guess, thanks for asking. Becoming pretty anxious though, with the first of my two surgeries now only 10 days away. Booked my train ticket to the city earlier this week. Makes it feel real.

I can understand the anxiety @Emelia8 I’ll “book” the seat next to you so you have company.

💚🚂💚

@Emelia8 hope you feel better soon and all things turn out well for you

Hi dear @Eve7 hope things are starting to improve for you? 💕

@Emelia8 thinking of you as you prepare for the first of your 2 surgeries. 💕

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@Eve7 wrote:

Thanks @NatureLover

How are you today? Summer has definitely arrived here. 🏝🌞

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Summer! I'm so jealous! Here we've had constant rain and flooding, with a week's more rain forecast!

But I'm happy for you 🙂

This will be a good test of my therapy lamp for me, I reckon.

Hoping you have a nice relaxing (or exciting if you prefer) weekend 💛

@Emelia8 Sending you good wishes for the first of your 2 surgeries, as well as your anxiety 💜

Thank you @Eve7, that would be great if you could book the seat alongside me for the long trip to Sydney on Monday week. I warn you that its an early start however.

I hope so too @Meowmy. This surgery has been a long time coming. In fact I have been in considerable pain now for almost 18 months, starting a month after my husband passed away in April last year. It would be nice to think I can finally get back to some semblance of normality once these operations are done and my long rehab is complete.

Thanks @Bow ... I am finding that I am beginning to get really teary and panicky these past few days, now that it looks like the surgery is finally about to go ahead after such a long wait. But I would be lying if I said I wasnt downright scared. Yes the first of my 2 surgeries will be on Tuesday week. The second will be 4 days later, provided I recover sufficiently from the first. Both however, are major surgeries and both are extremely intrusive. Its the first one which has me most scared though, it is quite gruesome. Without going into too much detail, they essentially have to cut through the stomach to access the front of the spine, take out all your innards and plonk them aside so they can work on the spine. They will be trimming all the material from the spine which has been causing all the problems with nerves and will be putting in artificial discs between 2 of the vertebrae. The two surgeons (an orthopaedic and a vascular) will do their thing before (hopefully) putting all my innards back in place and sewing me back together again. Its not a pretty picture. The second surgery 4 days later is not as scary to me. They access the spine through the back and they will be putting in rods and screws to securely hold the spine together. I will be like a robot afterwards. Hence the long hospitalisation, recovery and rehab afterwards.

Hi @NatureLover. Thanks so much. Yes my anxiety has been getting the better of me these past few days. I had been doing reasonably well up until now I thought. Not so much now. I see my psych this coming week and we will be going through a safety plan and for self care post surgery. She has been contacting me via phone these past few weeks as well, which is good of her. I hope the recent dreadful weather in Melbourne has finally passed and you are due to get some sunshine?

Thanks to all of you, I really appreciate all of your kind thoughts and messages. You too @hanami for your support 👍. And @Shaz51 for your message on another thread 💕

Emelia 💞

I’ll be there with you @Emelia8 @every step of the way. I like long train trips and sitting by your side will be an honour and a privilege.

💚🚂💕🙏💕🚂💚

@Eve7 👍💕🙏