I realize that there is a bit of a disconnect here, with my previous post being November 20, 2007. I did manage to complete or somehow hand off or close off the stuff that needed doing;

• paperwork at the office,
• finished up the training that I desperately wanted to present,
• got all the letters and documentation needed to handle my short term leave,
• attended the two preparatory clinics (audio/speech and the pre-admission clinics), had a wonderful day with our daughters strolling up and down Whyte Avenue, followed by a delightful dinner at Cul ina, and overnighting at the Met
• brunch with my mother and father, uncle, aunt, older brother and sister-in-law
• was treated to a wonderful dinner by John and Nancy, who not only hosted Gail and I, but my family and the girls. For this I will be eternally grateful.

and still made it to the hospital on time for my 5:30 AM checkin and prep for surgery.

And now, I have been discharged from hospital and am sitting at my home office workstation, banging on these keys, to share the news that the hospital and the doctors have determined that I have recovered sufficiently from my surgery to be allowed to go home.

For anyone keeping track, the timeline looks like this:
Day One: November 26, 2007: Surgery; approximately 12 hours (I need to verify that one and get back to you on it).
Day Two: November 27, 2007: ICU; measured from end of surgery to transfer to ward, it looks like about 24 hours.
Day Three through Day Eleven; November 28, 2007 through December 6, 2007: on the ward. Details to follow in another post.
Day Twelve: December 7, 2007: Home; actually sitting in my pajamas, drinking a juice from my fridge by 1:30 PM.

Not bad, eh? Especially not bad to go from a neck dissection and a radical mandibular resection (mandibular swing), have the tumour excised, forearm flap built, installed and the skin grafts coped with, salivaria gland transplants, the doppler wiring having come and gone, with an amazingly small tracheal scaring and such to walking out of the hospital, eating ‘diced’ foods (tonight Gail cooked me an amazing piece of fresh salmon, with mashed potatoes and chopped fresh green beans!), speaking with only a hint of the ‘cotton ball mouth’ effect. In the coming days I will be detailing the sequences, with photo backup as available. Gail has been sweet enough to take photos specifically for this blog and other presentation formats that I want to work with.