When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Right. Sure. Okay. But how much lemonade can one person --one family-- take without gagging? A lot, apparently. Karen, Alex, Judy ... and now it's my turn again.

Surgery. Seriously. Sucks.

But: you play, you pay. Tennis. Volleyball. Softball. Running. Aerobics. Step and spin. Workouts. Weights. Bands. Pilates (well, that's the helpful one).

Heed me now: If you're of a certain age, get ready ... lifelong high energy athletic activity eventually causes Boomer Breakdown.

I've had both knees "scoped." Several lumbar disk ruptures repaired. One cervical disk too. Tendons in one hand released. An elbow fixed.

Last September I had major rotator cuff repair on my left shoulder Ten months later I'm still not 100%. Still doing PT. Still in pain. But I manage. Try to be reasonably stoic. (Yeah, ha ha).

More Shoulder Surgery
However. Another rotator cuff tear. In my right shoulder. So I'm having surgery again. Unfreakinbelievable. Can I catch a break? Apparently not. Just one tear after another.

There will be a lot of pain. (Demerol is my friend). I'll spend a month in an 'abduction brace', 24/7 (see photo above). Six to nine months of physical therapy. I'm still sleeping on a raised wedge since the left shoulder surgery.

Oh, to sleep My Way -- curled up on my left side, face cradled in my soft feather pillow, turning to my right side at will. I dream about it. Every. Night.

My sister Judy took care of me last time, stayed with us for a month. Same deal this time. She's had some R&R home in LA after Karen's last treatment, along with some work and some more organizing to move back East.
 
Now she's here to take expert care of me and my dumb shoulder. But first, most important, we've focused on Karen and Alex in their joint battles with cancer.

Karen and Alex - Good News!
Karen's latest scans and treatment show no further metastasis. The big tumor in her liver is mostly dead. The one in her spleen can wait. Karen's self-designed Positive Attitude Program is working.

The doctors, in their own words, are "surprised and amazed."

Alex too got a great report from his June eye surgery too: no more tumor growth. No more laser surgeries for now. "Go to camp and swing from trees," the surgeon told him. (Just wear protective goggles).

We'll take it. No problem. Alex and Amy are both at camp. Happy and healthy. Poo poo poo.

Karen and Bob will be visiting our sister Betsy's cool home in Connecticut. Their house is on a lake. Canoe. Kayak. Hot tub. Golf course. Bike trails. Stella and Lucy (dog 'cousins') together again. Heaven. If anybody in this world deserves a vacation from care and stress, it's Karen and Bob.

So this is the window for my surgery -- four to five weeks when Judy and I won't be needed by anybody. We hope. We can just lay around and veg. TV, rented movies, long talks, laughter, crossword puzzles, snack till we drop.

OS
Deja vu all over again.

I won't be around for three to four weeks. I'll miss you, but meanwhile, tawk amongst yourselves. As soon as the pain lets up and the drugs wear off, I'll be lurking. And reading. And enjoying.

If I have a comment, Judy will type it for me. Or I'll peck it out with one hand.

In the meantime, if you're new to OS or to my blog, here (most recent first) are some posts about Judy, Karen, Alex and other members of our truly courageous family.