The final “Before”
The day is almost here.
The last few weeks have been a lot of things — intense, overwhelming, mildly chaotic. It’s felt like a strange time warp, going too fast at times and then way too slow at others. But by this time 48 hours from right now, as I’m typing this, I’ll be done with the scariest part of this entire situation. I report for surgery at 5:30 Friday morning (yikes… that is early).
Yesterday was my last day in the salon until who knows when. I’m hopeful I’ll be back by early May, but we’ll take that one step at a time. Today was pre-op labs and me attempting to get as much done around the house as possible. Tomorrow will be meeting Jennifer at the salon to hand over my keys and give her a guided tour so she feels comfortable and ready to go Saturday morning, then getting a natural manicure (for the first time since the pandemic), and finishing up all the final prepping, packing, and organizing before heading to the hospital.
I’m sad I can’t just pack the pugs and bring them with me. Not sure I know how to sleep without a little snoring machine curled up on the pillow next to me.
So, keeping with my mission of handling all the details I can before I’m off the grid for a few days… here’s some important information for all of you.
First, and probably MOST important — Jennifer’s phone number:
854-854-0303
Please text her if you need to make changes to an existing appointment or schedule something new. Her official start date is Saturday the 21st, so please keep that in mind.
Brian will definitely be posting an update on the GoFundMe after surgery. If we can find enough time for me to show him how to make an update here, you might see a guest “Brian post” this weekend… but I wouldn’t count on it, so the GoFundMe page will be the safest place to check. Meredith and Allison will also be getting frequent updates, so if you see them at the salon they’ll be able to fill you in.
As of right now, I am GOOD. Still no symptoms, which still feels crazy. I’m not letting fear get to me. Maybe I’m a little delulu, but I keep telling myself I’m just getting this silly old bump removed from my head… and honestly, that’s not far from the truth.
This whole thing started with me having to accept that part of my hair would need to be shaved, so at this point I’m just telling myself this is basically a very dramatic haircut. I’m actually a little curious what I’ll end up with. Maybe a full Britney-meltdown shaved head or pixie cut that I end up loving, even though I never would have had the nerve to do it on purpose. Or maybe I’ll be disappointed when the incision is small and I don’t have to do anything dramatic at all. Either way… I promise I’ll keep you all updated on that too.
Before I close this final “before” post, I just want to say thank you — truly, from the bottom of my heart.
The kindness, the prayers, the messages, the gifts, the offers to help… all of it means more than I can explain. It means so much to me, and to Brian too.
I also genuinely appreciate how open all of you have been to letting a complete stranger step in to take care of you while I’m out taking care of myself. Jennifer is going to be amazing, and knowing you’re all willing to see her honestly helps my mental health more than you can imagine.
I still plan on updating this blog while I’m out. I might not have the energy to do much, but I should be able to sit down once a week and write a little something so you can all follow along as I make my way through this very unexpected journey.
Love, light, and so much gratitude,
Andie
