And The Pulitzer for Medical Reporting Goes To...

Actually, I just want one of those Ben Franklin medals

I feel like I have just won the Blogging Pulitzer Prize (if there isn't a Pulitzer category for blogging there should be). Cha Cha is in the front room reading all of the blogs from when she was in the hospital and it is evoking (and invoking) a lot of feelings. Of course, she did not read the blogs while she was fighting for her life; I mainly wrote them for you and, of course, for me. She has a huge file folder that we take and will take to all of her hospital/doctor/clinic... visits. Maybe we should print the blogs and put them in the folder too as sort of a timeline of how things went as things start to all run-together. We could give autographed copies to all the doctors.

Tomorrow (Monday) we have one follow-up at Dreyer Medical in Batavia or Geneva - whichever it is. Then, I know, we go back to Northwestern to have her stent removed on Friday. I know I say "we" on these appointments but she is the one who has to endure the worst part of all of this. Now that I wrote that I am not sure if it is more difficult to be the person going through the agony of the procedures or being the loved-ones of the person going through the procedures/operations... Personally, I think I would rather be the one going through the surgeries though I would not want to put people through that either. What a conundrum. 

Tomorrow night I go back to work after over three weeks off. I am so happy that I have a job now that, when I return tomorrow night, I just do my job. There is not going to be three weeks of work that I will have to try to get done in addition to doing the current work. There is a lot to be said for that. I still wish I worked days though. Maybe it is a blessing I work nights now too because I can go to Cha Cha's appointments with her. The Friday one works well because I am off Thursdays and Fridays. I think we may go in Thursday night because getting to a morning appointment in downtown Chicago would mean having to leave at about 0400 to avoid the traffic. Northwestern is close to the heart of Chicago (Michigan Avenue) so we can have a nice dinner and then see how Cha Cha feels. She is still pretty wiped-out and drained all the time. Unless there is vast improvement I am guessing dinner will be all we can do. Maybe a movie either in-room or at a real movie theater. Then, the following Friday, we will be back in Chicago again for that surprise I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. Since she is reading the old blogs I am fairly certain it will not be a surprise though.

While I write this I am sitting here in my pajamas getting caught-up on Survivor and The Amazing Race. I should be getting caught-up on my sleep but I do not think that is really possible. We always say we are "going to get caught-up on our sleep" but that is really kind of dumb. Maybe those times that I slept longer than I should have (theoretically, since that has never happened with me) I have those hours in the bank for the times when I don't sleep enough. That would be handy. And, if we could give them to other people, we could use sleeping time as currency. I know some people who would be rich and I think I would be a failure. But, remember no man is a failure who has friends.

Maybe I should print this photo and sell masks ?

Fabio just headed to work. He works at a supermarket about one mile from the house. I told him that they may not be as busy as they usually are on Sundays because the Chicago Bears played on Thanksgiving instead of today. I remember trying to grocery shop before Bears' games; it was cuckoo bananas. As a MATTer of fact I shopped last Sunday while the Bears were playing and it was a breeze. I need to shop today too so I hope there is a good match-up at noon (Chargers-Ravens and Saints-Steelers). Is Ray Rice back this week? I heard he is coming back. How many opposing fans do you suppose will be wearing masks of his wife? 

As Fabio walked out the door Cha Cha said, "make good choices" and I chimed-in "make the world a better place for somebody." He is going to mention us to a therapist one day.

Alright, I have to get dressed and get to the store before the people get out of church and all the donuts are gone. I hope you have a great day. I am confident that this will be a doctor-free day. I am tired and need a break - no more white coats with embroidered names on them for a few days please. In the words of the lady at the drive-up window at Walgreen's "Be well." TTTT...MITM (out) TA!