Why the Heck am I Not Hiking????

 Back in March, I mentioned that I had a coronary artery blockage and needed three stents to be placed.  I was sure that I would be hiking in early May.  But in mid-April, I had agonizing abdominal pain and vomiting, which I initially thought was due to giving birth to an alien!  After a couple of ER visits and hospital stays a week apart, they finally figured out the problem - gallstones!  Since I'd only had the stents placed a month ago, stopping the blood thinners for the removal of the gallbladder was too risky.  They told me that I had to wait a minimum of five more months.  So they put in a gall bladder drain - don't ask - which has been a pain to deal with but allows me to eat without getting the pain because it essentially negates having a gall bladder.  Along the way, I had more problems - pain, nausea, and liver damage - that appears to be related to flushing the drain line three times a day.  In late June - after losing a total of 25 pounds since March - my doctor said that I should stop flushing the drain, and the problems for the last three months have been minimal.  And my liver values, while still high in a couple of cases, are moving in the right direction, and a couple of them are finally normal again.  Plus, I've gained back about five pounds.

If all goes well, my surgery is about a month away.  I'll be laid up for 2-4 weeks after that, and then hopefully can start getting back in shape, and maybe starting some easy hikes in mid to late October.

Fingers crossed, but boots not laced - yet!