Under the knife

In 1995, just before my 30th birthday, I developed an umbilical hernia. This means that the contents of my abdomen--a big pouch of fat, primarily--pushed through the wall of my navel. It was uncomfortable to the touch and, if left untreated, could have gotten much worse. So I took a few days off from work and had it surgically repaired. As I wrote at the time, it wasn't one of my top ten major unpleasant medical experiences; I was on heavy painkillers for about three days, mild painkillers for another three or four after that, and had to be careful about what I lifted for about six months so as not to stress the tissue too much.

In 2000, a similar hernia started poking its way into existence about two inches to the left of the previous one. I dragged my feet about dealing with, first because I didn't want to take an additional week off from work while Unplugged Games was in crisis mode (which it was more or less was from inception until conclusion), and then because, well, I was depressed and not getting things done. Also, if I took a week off for surgery, I would lose my unemployment benefits for that week because I would be "unready for work".

So, about a month ago, I woke up one morning and the hernia was actually aching. Not badly--sort of like a stubbed toe, which I get frequently, but enough to be worrisome. So I finally got my act together and schedule the repair surgery.

The surgery is scheduled for 8 AM tomorrow. With luck, I'll be home before noon and back in bed a few minutes later, not to emerge until April finally ends Sunday evening or so.

Think kind thoughts for me, and I'll do the same for you. Thanks to everyone who has expressed good wishes before the fact; I'll see you all soon, I hope.