I’m checking into hospital this afternoon at 6 pm. After all the waiting and upset and fears, the time has finally come.  I’m actually feeling okay about it all – much calmer than I was even a few days ago. I guess there’s a sense of just being resigned to going through with it now, especially as there isn’t anything I can do about it – I need to have this surgery and that’s that.

It also really helped having a chat yesterday with friend and neighbour Becky (who runs this fabulous bookshop across the street from casa az ). She’s been through the cancer thing twice now, once for each breast, and she has a very pragmatic view of things that I found I could really relate to. Somehow I felt much better after talking with her.

Nog will be coming with me when I check in (and will also be staying over tonight – in case I start to panic we can always have a game of scrabble to keep my mind off things), and Pipocas is going to stop by after I get unpacked and settled in.

I sure hope I get a room with the new furniture I saw them moving in over the summer – really cool-looking modern beds just like in House! Last time I had a depressing circa 1940’s bed with chipped enamel paint and a hand crank, so I had to rely on passing nurses  or visitors to adjust my bed for me. These new ones look to be fully automated and they also have a pulley gizmo, which will make getting into and out of bed much easier. So fingers crossed on that one. I also hope I get a reasonably polite roommate who won’t have the television blaring all day long. It occurred to me that out of the four roommates I had during my last hospital stay not one of them ever took out a book, or even a magazine, to read. Amazing.

Well, time to finish organising and packing up all the stuff I’ll be taking with me: mobile phone, iPod, camera, laptop, DVDs, books, travel scrabble game, notebook, pens, toiletries, bottled water, dressing gown, slippers … wish me luck!!!