my boss took us out to dinner at alexander's tonight because he got promoted from sr. director to VP. our group also got renamed from sales operations to business operations. what change does this mean to me? nothing, except that i now report to a VP. too bad his promotion doesn't trickle down to raises for us. needless to say, though, my stomach is fully satisfied as probably my last meal for the next 24+ hours. and i have a 11:50pm "snack" for tonight. "snack" = half a prime rib. :)

tomorrow i go off to the hospital again. the surgery is set for 9:20 am, so i have to be at the hospital at 7:20am. eegads that's early, even for me. but at least my surgery is early.

it should hopefully be a minor surgery, so long as the doctor doesn't find anything funky when he goes in my knee. but i really covet your prayers, because:

-this is the third time someone is cutting open my scars and going into my knee in less than nine months. i don't know how much more intrusion my knee can handle.

-i have a really bad reaction to anesthesia. i throw up all day, even when they give me anti-nausea medicine in my iv. after the first surgery on my right knee, my stomach tried to throw up even though it was empty - no food and not even water. so i was dry-heaving pretty badly. and that prevents me from eating, drinking, or being able to take my pain medication all day. (and no, i didn't get any of those fancy ice machines or tubes that feed your knee pain medication. i was sent home with a bottle of vicodin and an ace bandage. so i really roughed it that first night with absolutely no pain killers in my body. i was in total misery. but this time should be much more minor, so it will not be anywhere near as bad as my first one.)

-i have lived with constant knee pain for a year now. i know several people have mentioned to me, "a third surgery? but you look fine, you're not limping." what most people don't know because i haven't really vocalized it is that i really am in pain. constant pain. sitting, standing, sleeping, driving, stairs, everything hurts. it's really at the point where sometimes i have to do these actions on my left leg only to remind myself what a "normal" knee should feel like. "normal" in quotes, because it's not like my left knee is 100% either. gee, you'd think i'm in my fifties or something. :)

-even though my doctor will be cleaning out my knee, the scar tissue could always grow back. it grew back with a vengeance after my second surgery, and it could grow back after this one. it's a different doctor than the one who did my first two, so hopefully it'll make some kind of a difference.

anyway, if you can remember, i'd really appreciate your prayers. even though i know to trust in God's purpose and plan for everything, i still have that little nag in the back of my head that's been hard to shake off that's filled with doubt and anxiousness that all my pain will just come back a few weeks after the surgery just like last time. thanks to everyone already for coming up to pray for me, offering to come visit and/or cook/bring me food, and for praying alongside me as i have gone through my entire knee saga this past year. i'm truly blessed.

p.s. - so long as i'm awake and not vomiting, new lost tomorrow night! usual lost crew welcome to watch with me :) maybe you guys can hold the barf bag for me. :) :) mary - NO BURRITOS ALLOWED. and i can't wait to start 24 season 4! woooohooo! bring it on.