Little over 2 weeks to Surgery!!!!

I got a stunning phone call from Dr. Boudreaux's office this morning making sure that I was all set for my upcoming surgery.  I stammered for a bit, not really knowing what to say because I didn't know I had an upcoming surgery but was excited at the thought.  Well, I have surgery scheduled for June 23rd, probably at 8am with a clinic visit on June 21st.

Wow.  Just Wow.  I had feared that this day would not come.  I was planning for it but a significant part of me believed that it just may not happen now matter how hard I wished and hoped.

Well, now it is coming.  In two weeks we will be on a flight to Baton Rouge out of Colorado Springs on our way to the next chapter in our lives.  We meet with Dr. Boudreaux and the anesthesiologist on Tuesday the 21st with a 1:00 appointment (I expect we will actually see him about 2:30) and then spend another two days waiting for the morning of the 23rd.  I expect this will be a LONG and extensive surgery.  If it is less than 10 hours, I would be very surprised and 14hrs is my guess as to the length of time it will take.

I hope to come out of surgery non intubated but, if I am, I have a request to be sedated because the true days of insanity I experienced last time are almost unbearable.  Those days still frighten me to this day.  By the 30th of June, I hope to be out of the ICU and up on the main floor.  Hopefully, around that time, I will be allowed to start the progression of the liquid diet through full liquids and then unrestricted.

What this means is that I may actually be eating by the 4th of July and maybe coming home later that week.  It seems to close now.  I just had a celebratory otter pop (poncho punch) and can just imagine having real mashed potatoes, corn on the cob and watermelon where I don't have to spit out the pulp.

So, my wish list for food?  It is fairly broad and some things may seem simple or ordinary but I look forward to much of that.  I look forward to the simple pleasure of guzzling a soda or grazing in front of the pantry or fridge.  As to the actual list, here you go (I also will take suggestions for things I missed!!!!):

Items with an asterix are things that we can/will make at home.

• Brunch someplace
• Chipotle chicken fajita burrito
• Chipotle crispy chicken tacos
• Sesame chicken
• Chicken Pad Thai
• Ribeye (medium rare), loaded baked potato and corn on the cob*
• Sweet and sour chicken with basmati rice*
• The chicken kabobs we had last year with grilled pineapple*
• Fresh pineapple*
• Chimichanga (ground beef)
• Big mac, fries, and a coke
• Fried chicken sandwich with lots of mayo
• Lobster
• Crab
• Shrimp
• Firehouse subs
• Bbq ribs at Bird Dog BBQ
• Rocky road ice cream
• Snickers blizzard
• Enchiladas (cheese, chicken and ground beef)
• Breaded schnitzel
• Pizza.  New York style, deep dish, Beau Jo’s amongst others...
• Popeyes fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy
• Steak diane*
• TGI Friday’s Jack Daniel’s steak and shrimp
• Experiment with cooking different kinds of mushrooms*
• Sea Scallop Risotto at Biaggi’s
• Wings (Try Alton Brown’s good eats method)*
• Cotton Candy grapes  (In Sprouts August/September.  Just want to try them)
• Salad with candied almonds and mandarin oranges*
• Grilled pork New Orleans with twice baked potatoes*
• Las Vegas:

• Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill
• Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak, and Stone Crab, maybe for lunch
• In and out burger
• Hash House a gogo (breakfast)
• Original Pancake House:  Dutch Babies, pigs in blanket, strawberry pancakes.
•  Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and corn (Cracker Barrel maybe)
• Tacos*
• Watermelon
• Fresh strawberries and vanilla ice cream
• BLT with extra bacon*
• Lasagna*
• Cuties
• Beer, cheddar, and bacon soup*
• Donuts!  There are two new donut shops in Colorado Springs area and I want to try them
• Philly cheese steak sandwich with grilled peppers, onions, mushrooms and cheez whiz.
• English muffin, toasted till crispy with lots of butter and strawberry jam
• Toasted blueberry bagel with lots of butter and cinnamon sugar
• Blueberry muffin with lots of butter
• Macaroni and cheese with applesauce
• Taquitos
• Olanthe sweet corn on the cob with butter and lightly salted
• Churros
• Tortilla chips and salsa (perhaps the pico de gallo that Steph makes) but Chilli’s has great chips
• Roast beef, cooked for hours with mashed potatoes, gravy, yeast rolls, and glazed carrots*
• Jersey Mike’s Italian sub
• Tamales with green chili
• Hot buttered popcorn
• Red Robin Bleu Ribbon burger
• Red Robin Whiskey River BBQ burger
• Apple hand pies and Blueberry hand pies.  Fruit empanadas essentially. Frosted
• I want to try duck
• Grilled tunafish sandwich with a dill pickle, chips and french onion dip*
• Egg salad sandwich with crisp lettuce
• Corn dog.  Perhaps the mini corn dogs at Buffalo Wild Wings.
• Perhaps an afternoon/evening with lots of sharables at Buffalo Wild Wings…
• Potato skins*
• Rootbeer Float*
• Roast beef, pepper jack, dijon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, red onion, banana peppers, on onion roll
• Pancakes, bacon and sausage