The Dr. said what?

Okay, I had a little sinus surgery in mid-December. I'll spare you the details, but this was a repeat performance of a similar surgery performed waaay back in 1999. I expected that my recovery would be the same as then. Couple of days rest, then right back into a regular schedule. Somehow it didn't happen that way.

Our first clue came when I was still in recovery and the Dr. came out to talk to Barb. He said everything had gone fine, and he wanted to see me in his office on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. 

Barb said, "Uhh, we are leaving for California on Tuesday."

The Dr. said, "I think not."

Barb said, "Then I suppose you don't want him going to Ft Worth on Saturday, either?"

The Dr. said, "Absolutely not. Have him in my office on Monday."

Barb said, to a friend, "There's no way I'm telling Bob about this until later."

But she did, and my response was, "No way I'm missing those trips!" So I went home to recover and bounce back and prove to the Dr. that this was no big deal. It was a big deal. After surgery on Tuesday, I got out for a bit on Thursday and discovered I was, to put it mildly, shaky. I tried again on Friday with only marginally better results. Where was the old vim and vigor? Where was the stamina? Surely I have not grown... old. 

Friday I cancelled the trip to Ft Worth and fretted a great deal about the trip to California. Airline tickets had been purchased; deposits had been made. Someone else would have to meet Jana and the kids in San Jose. Worry, worry, worry. Saturday I did not move from the recliner. Sunday morning I went to church and that was it. Monday, I went to see the Dr. 

I debated long and hard about not saying a word to him about the trip, hoping that he would have forgotten about the post-op conversation. But I had read some scary things about flying and sinus surgery, and decided that if I was going, I needed to know what the potential problems were. So after he confirmed that I was healing very nicely, I kind of happened to sort of slip in a little mention of the planned trip.

"You're going where?"

"Uh, flying to California tomorrow."

"Will you be close to a hospital in case you have problems?"

"Absolutely!"

"Okay. Promise me you'll take it easy, and I'll see you in 3 months."

"Yesss!"